Ben Carson And The Muslim Debacle
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson has reigned as the No. 2 choice in polls for the Republican presidential nomination, falling second only to real estate mogul Donald Trump. Since the second presidential debate last week, however, the polls are showing Ben Carson has dropped to No. 3, with Carly Fiorina barely one percent ahead of him.
According to CNN, Dr. Ben Carson has recently fallen in the ranks from 19 percent to 14 percent. This could very well be caused by Dr. Carson’s statement that he would not support a Muslim president in the White House. Donald Trump has similarly been under fire this week for not defending President Obama when a constituent claimed Obama is a Muslim.
It doesn’t take a lot of common sense to understand that Ben Carson was speaking of Islamic extremists who terrorize countries, and especially hate America. Of course the general Muslim population is full of kind, normal people. Ben Carson was not attacking Muslims.
The Washington Post reports that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman, issued a statement in contempt of Ben Carson, as well as Donald Trump.
“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. It’s unimaginable that the leading GOP presidential candidates are resorting to fear mongering to benefit their campaigns, and every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry.”
It is not difficult to understand that Ben Carson was not condemning Muslims for their faith, he simply was speaking out against the extremists, who happen to be of the Muslim religion, and are terrorists. Why would we hand our country over to a terrorist regime?
Doug Watts, Ben Carson’s campaign spokesperson, addressed the backlash Carson has endured over his statements, reports NBC News.
“[Ben Carson] did not say that a Muslim should be prevented from running, or barred from running in any way.
Dr. Carson is a strict adherent to the First Amendment — freedom of religion. That includes people of all faith. He has great respect for the Muslim community, but there is a huge gulf between the faith and practice of the Muslim faith, and our Constitution and American values.
That can be disputed. That can be debated. But there’s pretty strong evidence to that effect.”
What do you think about Ben Carson’s statements regarding a Muslim president?
[Image credit: Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images]
