In a recent interview with NBC's Meet the Press, what did Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson really say about a Muslim president?
Several comments made by a number of presidential candidates can easily seem offensive due to a lack of context. The latest of these to hit the social media and nightly news rounds is a remark Ben Carson made during NBC's Meet the Press when he stated, "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that."
Why would anyone support a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination that seems to discriminate against a religious minority? If that were the whole story, not just the headlines across the web, it would be a valid question for regarding Carson's remark.
However, there's more to the story, and Carson's statement, than one sentence.
In an interview with The Hill Ben Carson explained what he meant by the comment. "I do not believe Sharia is consistent with the Constitution of this country. Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that's inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution."
Sharia is a system of laws created based on the Qur'an and the Hadith, which are two of the primary sources for Islamic doctrine and belief. One of Carson's issues with Sharia law is Taqiyya, a practice in certain Muslim sects that allows and even encourages telling lies to further the cause of Islam.
Carson is not anti-Muslim. His opposition to a Muslim president is based on culture and law, and American culture and law cannot accept a person who would attempt to impose Sharia law. Carson would have no issue with a Muslim candidate who "publicly rejected all the tenants of Sharia and lived a life consistent with that."
This is no different than a Protestant, Catholic or Jew who would try to enforce the Bible's Old Testament laws regarding diet, sex, marriage, etc. Most Americans don't want or need a President who would enforce those regulations any more than they want or need a leader who would invoke Sharia law on our nation.
Ben Carson has never said he hates Islam, and his other public actions seem to support this. He does not stand against religious freedom in politics as laid out in the Constitution. The Constitution states in Article VI paragraph three: "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." He has not stated any intention to exclude the freedoms from any religious or ethnic group that are protected by the Constitution. In fact, his statement regarding a Muslim president came because he sees Sharia law as "incompatible with the Constitution."
Not supporting a candidate does not require a hatred of that person. Not supporting a politician because they are of X or Y ideology/religion does not guarantee you wish them to be denied the opportunity to run for office. It means you will not support them. You may even oppose them. It does not necessitate that you will use illegal measures to prevent them from exercising their American rights.
Should Ben Carson should be the Republican presidential candidate? That's up to us, the voters. Whether a candidate is Democratic, Republican or independent, one statement taken without context does not define any candidate's campaign platform, nor show ill will towards a particular group.
Judge them based on their consistent behavior.
In the meantime, tell us what you think about the situation in the comments field below!
