Republicans Pander To Anti-Muslim Bigotry
By Eugene Robinson Opinion writer September 21 at 7:56 PM
The founders of this nation recognized Islam as one of the world’s great faiths. Incredibly and disgracefully, much of today’s Republican Party disagrees.
Thomas Jefferson, whose well-worn copy of the Koran is in the Library of Congress, fought to ensure that the American concept of religious freedom encompassed Islam. John Adams wrote that Muhammad was a “sober inquirer after truth.” Benjamin Franklin asserted that even a Muslim missionary sent by “the Mufti of Constantinople” would find there was “a pulpit at his service” in this country.
Indeed, the Constitution states that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Some of the GOP candidates for president, however, simply do not care.
Ben Carson said Sunday that he believes Islam to be inconsistent with the Constitution and therefore he could not support a Muslim candidate for president. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” he told NBC’s Chuck Todd. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”
A campaign spokesman, seeking to clarify Carson’s remarks, effectively doubled down by claiming there is a “huge gulf between the faith and practice of the Muslim faith and our Constitution and American
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pandering-to-anti-muslim-bigotry/2015/09/21/96da06a6-609a-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html
Not necessarily limited to republicans, sadly I've seen whiffs of the same bigotry right here on DU in regards to the 'clock-maker' kid...
= new reply since forum marked as read
