ADL Condemns Carson and Trump Over Anti-Muslim Remarks |
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Monday said it is “deeply troubled” by Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s remarks on Sunday, suggesting that being a Muslim is incompatible with serving as president of the United States.
In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning program, Carson, who’s in 2nd or 3rd place for the GOP nomination,stated that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.”
When Carson was asked by host Chuck Todd if a president’s faith should matter to voters, he stated that only if their values are in line with the values of the U.S. “It depends on what that faith is,” the retired neurosurgeon said. “If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem.”
“So do you believe Islam is consistent with the Constitution?” asked Todd. “No, I do not,” Carson responded.
The offensive statement came on the heels of Donald Trump failing to stand up to an anti-Muslim bigot at a campaign rally, who suggested President Barack Obama in a Muslim. Trump, asked on the same program if he would support a Muslim for president, suggested America has one in the WH. “Would I be comfortable? I don’t know if we have to address it right now,” he said. “I mean, some people have said it already happened, frankly.”
“Donald Trump’s failure to stand up to an anti-Muslim bigot at a campaign rally who questioned whether President Obama was a Muslim, as well as the various troubling comments by the candidates about a Muslim’s fitness to serve as president, are deeply troubling,” ADL’s national director Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “Dr. Ben Carson’s statement that a Muslim American should not serve as president is deeply offensive, un-American and contrary to the Constitution. There is no religious litmus test for candidates seeking political office, and that includes the highest office in the land. Dr. Carson’s statement directly contradicts the Constitution and the values embodied in it.”
The ADL also issued a call to all presidential candidates “to avoid innuendo and stereotyping of all sorts, including against people based on their faith, particularly American Muslims and, instead, to confront all forms of prejudice and bigotry.”
“Remarks suggesting that all Muslims follow extremist interpretations of Islam have no basis in fact and fuel bigotry. Whether directed against Jews, Muslims or others, such baseless comments breed hate and have no place in a presidential campaign or in public discourse,” said Greenblatt.
Democratic presidential candidate Sanders, who’s Jewish, said on Sunday, “It took us too long to overcome the prejudice against electing a Catholic or an African-American president. People should be elected to office based on their ideas, not their religion or the color of their skin.”
Source: jpupdates.com