Despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution clearly states “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson this weekend said that a Muslim should not be elected president of the United States. And according to a June Gallup poll, 38 percent of Americans agree.
“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that,” Carson told NBC’s “Meet the Press”on Sunday.
The statement seemed like an excellent opportunity for Carson’s fellow GOP contenders to pounce, saying his comments demonstrate he himself is not fit to be president. But the lack of immediate condemnation from some of his competitors and indirect criticism from others seems to indicate they don’t necessarily disagree with him.
