U.S. can’t have Muslim president – Carson

Republican presidential aspirant Ben Carson said Sunday no Muslim should be president of the United States, adding a new twist to a controversy roiling the party’s White House nominating race.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Carson, a retired brain surgeon who often refers to his own deep Christian faith, was asked whether a President’s religion should matter.

“I guess it depends on what that faith is. 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,” he said.

Asked whether he believes Islam is consistent with the U.S. constitution, he responded: “No, I don’t. I do not.”

“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that,” he added.

The issue abruptly surfaced in recent days when Republican frontrunner Donald Trump let pass unchallenged a questioner’s assertion that U.S. President Barack Obama was a Muslim.

Carson, who slipped to third among Republican presidential contenders in opinion polls Sunday after running second to Trump for weeks, said he believed Obama was born in the United States and is a Christian.

Another presidential hopeful, Bernie Sanders, said on the campaign trail in New Hampshire that he was “disappointed” in Carson, who is black.

“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,” Sanders said.

Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a congresswoman from Florida, said it was “hard to understand what’s so difficult about supporting an American citizen’s right to run for President.”

“Of course, a Muslim, or any other American citizen, can run for President, end of story. To think otherwise is not only harmful to our political process, but it elevates and validates discrimination in this country,” she said, calling for an apology.

(Vanguard)