Carson takes heat for Muslim remarks

White House, Mikulski among those calling for end to his presidential run

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson faced a backlash on Monday after saying he would not support a Muslim president, and a prominent civil rights group called for him to withdraw from the race.

Carson, a former Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he would “not advocate” for a Muslim president and that he felt Islam is “inconsistent” with the U.S. Constitution.

The remarks drew a rebuke from a wide range of politicians and organizations Monday, including the White House. An official with the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations said that Carson should forgo his campaign, which is polling in second place nationally.

“His views are inconsistent with the United States Constitution,” said the group’s executive director, Nihad Awad, noting the document expressly prohibits a religious test for public office. “We ask Mr. Ben Carson to withdraw ... because he’s unfit to lead.”

Carson, a former Maryland resident who now lives in Florida, told Fox News on Monday that he would he would be open to a moderate Muslim who denounced radical Islam as a White House candidate.

“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,” Carson told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview. “I’m not going to advocate you being the president.”

Carson said members of the Islamic faith who are willing to accept the American way of life “will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least then I will be quite willing to support them.”

Asked by “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd whether faith should matter to voters, Carson responded by saying that if the faith is “inconsistent with the values ... of America, then of course it should matter.”

“So, do you believe that Islam is consis- tent with the Constitution?” Todd asked. “No, I do not,” Carson said. The response drew an outcry from Democrats, including Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski.

“Dr. Carson’s remarks were outrageous and insulting,” the Maryland lawmaker said in a statement. “I urge Dr. Carson to withdraw his remarks or withdraw from the nominating process.”

The Baltimore Jewish Council said in a statement: “We’re not only disappointed with this intolerant view towards the Muslim community, but also his misrepresentation of our country’s founding values.”