“It seems hard for people to actually hear English and understand it, ” Carson said, as hundreds of his supporters waited in a nearby exhibit hall for his rally at the Sharonville Convention Center.
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“I said I would support anyone, regardless of their background, if in fact they embrace American values and our Constitution and are willing to place that above their beliefs”, Mr. Carson told reporters in Ohio.
“I could never support a candidate for President of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central tenant of Islam: Sharia Law”, Carson confirmed in a Facebook post after receiving criticism for his comments. So, if, for instance, you believe in a theocracy, I don’t care if you’re a Christian, if you’re a Christian, and you’re running for president, and you want to make this into a theocracy, I’m not going to support you.
The issue abruptly surfaced in recent days when Republican frontrunner Donald Trump let pass unchallenged a questioner’s assertion that US President Barack Obama was a Muslim.
A Carson campaign official later suggested Carson’s comments were being overstated and that Carson would likely reach out to the Muslim community, NBC reported.
Carson’s remarks came amid a backlash over his comments last weekend that Muslims shouldn’t serve in the presidency.
Asked how his campaign can recover from the controversy, the retired neurosurgeon replied: “The only way we fix that is fix the P.C. culture in our country“, referring to political correctness.
“I saw him on the first debates and he did peek my interest”, said Hill.
Carson appeals to numerous Christian conservatives in the Republican Party.
In a typically explosive interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren on Sunday night, Trump said that he had friends who were Muslims and great people but made the distinction between moderate and radical Muslims.
His 18-year-old son, Radwan – a college volleyball player in jeans and T-shirt – said he reads hate-filled anti-Muslim screeds online all the time.
“We have way too many candidates and for those people who are not obviously gaining any traction, why not clear the way”, he said Tuesday.
“This shows that Dr. Carson is not ready to be commander-in-chief”, Graham said.
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“We are no longer interested in the rhetoric of CAIR and what they say“, Williams told CNN.
