Ben Carson stands by comments about Muslim president
Republican presidential runner Ben Carson continues to stand by his comments about having a Muslim president for the United States, despite widespread backlash.
On Sunday, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson said he would not back a Muslim president. Just hours after he released that statement, Carson gained widespread criticism over what other perceived as anti-Muslim sentiment, with some saying they would not back a candidate who would not support a Muslim president, according to the Washington Post (WP).
Republican Senator Lindsey O. Graham urged Carson to apologize to American Muslims, citing the Constitution's statement about the public office not requiring any religious test. John Kasich also chimed in and said religion is not part of the important qualifications for the nation's leader, Time reports.
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Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, expressed his "disappointment" in Carson's statement. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman in the United States, condemned both Carson and Donald Trump, who each had verbalized anti-Islam sentiments recently, the report details.
"For Ben Carson, Donald Trump, or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people," WP quotes Ellison's written statement. "…Every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry."
In the wake of all the hubbub that Carson's statement has incited, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on the retired neurosurgeon to drop out from the presidential race.
Still, Carson told Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet The Press" that he is standing by his opinion. He added that he does not think the religion Islam is in line with the U.S. Constitution.
"I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that," Carson told Todd.
On Sunday, Carson's campaign spokesman Doug Watts followed up with an explanation saying the presidential candidate will reach out to the Muslim community. However, Watts maintained that there is a wide gap between the practice of Islam and the application of the American Constitution.
