--- title: PA House's First Muslim Woman Sworn In Following 'Offensive' Prayer description: The Pennsylvania House's first female Muslim representative said an opening prayer before her induction represented Islamophobia on part of some leaders. canonical: https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-27T16:11:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:09:19.692Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pennsylvania Lawmaker Prays 'God Forgive Us' Before Swearing in First Muslim Woman to State Legislature og:description: The Pennsylvania House's first female Muslim representative said an opening prayer before her induction represented Islamophobia on part of some leaders. og:url: https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00a6cf4d419d33b0/6989475d457a5208e7d60c38/movita-johnson-harrell-pa.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 og:image:alt: movita-johnson-harrell-pa og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pennsylvania Lawmaker Prays 'God Forgive Us' Before Swearing in First Muslim Woman to State Legislature twitter:description: The Pennsylvania House's first female Muslim representative said an opening prayer before her induction represented Islamophobia on part of some leaders. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00a6cf4d419d33b0/6989475d457a5208e7d60c38/movita-johnson-harrell-pa.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pennsylvania Lawmaker Prays 'God Forgive Us' Before Swearing in First Muslim Woman To State Legislature > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=af1a9b6b-6d26-49f0-94e6-fcc8e55a0979&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 27, 2019 4:11 PM UTC  Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Democratic representative was the first Muslim sworn in to office in Pennsylvania. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Democratic representative was the first Muslim sworn in to office in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania House of Representatives by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 27, 2019 4:11 PM UTC The first Muslim woman to join the Pennsylvania House has spoken out against an opening prayer given before her induction that was rife with numerous references to Jesus, Christianity and politics. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Democratic representative from Philadelphia, was sworn in to office following an invocation from Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, a Republican from Clinton County. Johnson-Harrell described the content of the prayer as a “political statement.” Borowicz’s prayer, which ran for a little under two minutes, mentioned “Jesus” 13 times, “God” six times and “Lord” four times. She also heralded President Donald Trump in the prayer over his support for Israel. “At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, Jesus, that you are Lord,” she said in the prayer. The verse “every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess” is often cited by Christians who argue that Christianity is the one true faith. > [](https://twitter.com/sarahmccammon/status/1110898176968609792) “God forgive us. Jesus, we’ve lost sight of you,” Borowicz said at another point. “We’ve forgotten you, God, and our country. And we’re asking you to forgive us.” She continued: “Jesus, you are our only hope.” It is common for the Pennsylvania House to open its sessions with a prayer. While religious leaders typically gave the prayers in the past, a federal judge ruled last year non-theists are allowed deliver invocations. The [Pennsylvania _Capital-Star_ reports](https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pa-legislatures-first-muslim-woman-calls-prayer-delivered-by-fellow-house-member-blatant-islamophobia/) that after the ruling, the House has used lawmakers to give the prayer. Borowicz’s prayer drew immediate condemnation. Toward the end of her invocation, another representative could be heard objecting. After Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai briefly touched Borowicz’s arm, she quickly wrapped up the prayer. Johnson-Harrell, who became the first Muslim woman to join the House, posted [a video on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RepMovita/videos/1913377628791668/?%5F%5Fxts%5F%5F[0]=68.ARCnAfuW7wo0W04UqmoSH8ltJAu6QlLlxbR-b9kqDTvE5ckWpMasJPpSy48heBrgJrlcz8NhG37UyloaLQiGxwbVFEBgOmThsBKNB3yt0Xz-bjJqVBTw4ddlObOA383sB8YnS8Tb04xtBwrygi61DVuMm9aDUMbyHQhBeLQ3Jjg4-j%5F69VuhcS70NqJaFtst6pXIUfkjv0zA7cBeSUKMJbBwQt6XUMT6A2OsNwvdQnnuqHDIHYq3Dy6%5FdzkDy7chGE287x-Zfrk1dKxNv-qz8TflefAGmkZwox1dNn9R9uFkahvKQVlII9PBB4K1J-sAbK1E42GaXIBq0q75i8xEPwYZei0PvVAy&%5F%5Ftn%5F%5F=-R) showing her speaking to reporters. In the video she describes Borowicz’s prayer as “directly a political statement.” She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TIME. “I thought that was political bit I also thought it was a political statement when she talked about how everyone will bow their knee, and talking about how if people are not Christian that they’re condemned,” Johnson-Harrell said [in the video](https://www.facebook.com/RepMovita/videos/1913377628791668/?%5F%5Fxts%5F%5F[0]=68.ARCnAfuW7wo0W04UqmoSH8ltJAu6QlLlxbR-b9kqDTvE5ckWpMasJPpSy48heBrgJrlcz8NhG37UyloaLQiGxwbVFEBgOmThsBKNB3yt0Xz-bjJqVBTw4ddlObOA383sB8YnS8Tb04xtBwrygi61DVuMm9aDUMbyHQhBeLQ3Jjg4-j%5F69VuhcS70NqJaFtst6pXIUfkjv0zA7cBeSUKMJbBwQt6XUMT6A2OsNwvdQnnuqHDIHYq3Dy6%5FdzkDy7chGE287x-Zfrk1dKxNv-qz8TflefAGmkZwox1dNn9R9uFkahvKQVlII9PBB4K1J-sAbK1E42GaXIBq0q75i8xEPwYZei0PvVAy&%5F%5Ftn%5F%5F=-R). “It was directly a political statement, and I think we need to be very, very clear that everybody in this House matters, whether they’re Christian, Muslim or Jew, and that we cannot use these issues to tear each other down. And not only that, it was made during my swearing in.” In a statement to the [_Capital-Star_](https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pa-legislatures-first-muslim-woman-calls-prayer-delivered-by-fellow-house-member-blatant-islamophobia/), Johnson-Harrell said the prayer “blatantly represented the Islamophobia that exists among some leaders — leaders that are supposed to represent the people.” She said she brought 55 guests to her swearing-in ceremony, the majority of whom were Muslim. Borowicz was “intentionally being offensive,” Johnson-Harrell told Philadelphia public radio station [WHYY](https://whyy.org/articles/the-pa-houses-only-muslim-woman-spent-her-first-day-addressing-offensive-invocation/). The prayer was further hurtful because, she said, Muslims “actually believe that Jesus was a prophet. Muslims understand the significance of Jesus in this world and in our own personal lives.” Borowicz, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, told the [PLS Reporter](https://twitter.com/AndrewBahl/status/1110295971982913536?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1110295971982913536&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penncapital-star.com%2Fgovernment-politics%2Fpa-legislatures-first-muslim-woman-calls-prayer-delivered-by-fellow-house-member-blatant-islamophobia%2F), “That’s how I pray everyday.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/"},"headline":"Pennsylvania Lawmaker Prays 'God Forgive Us' Before Swearing in First Muslim Woman To State Legislature","datePublished":"2019-03-27T16:11:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:09:19.692Z","description":"The Pennsylvania House's first female Muslim representative said an opening prayer before her induction represented Islamophobia on part of some leaders.","url":"https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/","keywords":["Pennsylvania","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00a6cf4d419d33b0/6989475d457a5208e7d60c38/movita-johnson-harrell-pa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00a6cf4d419d33b0/6989475d457a5208e7d60c38/movita-johnson-harrell-pa.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"movita-johnson-harrell-pa","caption":"Movita Johnson-Harrell, a Democratic representative was the first Muslim sworn in to office in Pennsylvania.","creditText":"Pennsylvania House of Representatives","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/pennsylvania/","name":"Pennsylvania"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5559522/pa-muslim-lawmaker-prayer-islamophobia/","name":"Pennsylvania Lawmaker Prays 'God Forgive Us' Before Swearing in First Muslim Woman To State Legislature"}}]}] ```