Ben Carson stands firm. What nerve!
Ben Carson has done it now. First he had the temerity to say that Islam is in conflict with our Constitution. And now he won't back down. Doesn't he know Republicans are supposed to cave, cower, and crumble after standing for truth and that anyone, irrespective of their political leanings, must not criticize Islam?
How dare Ben Carson commit blasphemy. How dare he ignore the president's warning that "the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam!"
And now, adding faux insult to fake injury, Carson is "doubling down" on his remarks. In an interview with The Hill, Carson elaborated on his comments from earlier on Sunday.
I do not believe Sharia is consistent with the Constitution of this country. Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of their public life and what you do as a public official, and that's inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution.
The Hill reported that Carson stated he would make an exception if a Muslim running for office were to publically reject "all the tenets of Sharia and lived a life consistent with that."
Carson also raised the issue of taqiyya (good for him!), stating: "taqiyya is a component of Shia that allows and even encourages you to lie to achieve your goals." And while he noted that the question originally put to him may have been a "gotcha" question, it ultimately "served a useful purpose by providing the opportunity to talk about what Sharia is and what their goals are."
On Monday, when Carson was interviewed by Sean Hannity, he stood by his comments from the day prior, while once again discussing a scenario where he would make an exception.
If someone has a Muslim background and they're willing to reject those tenets and to accept the way of life that we have, and clearly will swear to place our Constitution above their religion, then of course they would be considered infidels and heretics, but at least then I would be quite willing to support them.
This perspective contradicted the point he made on Sunday about taqiyya. If a person is concerned about taqiyya (as I believe we should be), then there is always doubt regarding what a Shia Muslim says. When Carson told Hannity he would be willing to support a Muslim candidate who promised not to place his religion above our Constitution, he rendered the idea of taqiyya moot. If a Muslim candidate intends to deceive, it would be quite simple for him to say he would place our Constitution above his religion. But if he's lying, who cares what he says?
And if a person rejects all the tenets of Islamic law and has lived a life that proves it, then that person is no longer a Muslim. They are an apostate.
Ben Carson appears to be grappling with this as he seems to grapple with so many issues – a man of contradictions. We need someone stronger, clearer, and rock solid on every issue, none-the-least of which being the threat of Islamic supremacism in all its many forms.
But for now, given how few candidates are willing to say that which is unpopular, not to mention views that could make you a target, I say, keep going, Dr. Carson. Keep going.
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