Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Carson does it again
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 20 - 02 - 2016

Ben Carson has done so poorly in the US primary elections thus far and his standings in the polls are so low in upcoming electoral states that he has zero chance of becoming president or winning the Republican Party nomination. Lack of chops on national security and foreign policy issues have pulled him down in the race for the White House after a brief flirtation with the lead in the autumn of last year. But his calm demeanor and his inspirational life story, from the ghettoes to one of the world's top neurosurgeons, has attracted legions of supporters who hold him in high esteem. This is why what he said about Muslims the other day, and in past speeches, meets with the approval of so many other Americans.
On a recent talk show, Carson was asked if American Muslims can embrace their nation's political values. "Only if they're schizophrenic," Carson said. "I don't see how they can do it otherwise, because you have two different philosophies."
It's not the first time Carson has made an ignorant comment about Muslim Americans. In October, he stated his opposition to the possibility of a Muslim American presidential candidate due to their "different loyalties," a comment that built on his assertion a month prior that Islam is inconsistent with the US Constitution, and that a Muslim should only be president if he or she "renounces the tenets of Islam".
It is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. There are tens of thousands of Muslims in the US who love American values and their religion at the same time. American Muslims can adhere to Islam while also embracing the American values of democracy. The two loyalties are in conflict only if an individual wants it to be so. As in any society, there are the good and the bad. People have the option of choosing what agrees with their religion and throwing out the rest.
Carson has helped promote and sustain frighteningly high levels of anti-Muslim sentiment. What is even more frightening is that Carson's anti-Muslim intolerance has advanced his polling numbers and dramatically increased his campaign fund-raising.
Misconceptions and blatant ignorance about Muslim Americans abound. Under Carson's religious segregation – and not to forget Donald Trump who has demanded a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States - some Americans appear to have forgotten the First Amendment's fundamental religious freedom guarantee, and likewise Article VI of the Constitution, which forbids religious tests for any government office. Like their racial segregationist predecessors, Carson and Trump are demonstrating that the Constitution is suddenly meaningless.
After the 9/11 attacks, when then president George W. Bush visited a Washington mosque and said "Islam is peace", public opinion of the faith actually improved. But when President Obama recently visited a US mosque, the leading Republican candidates jumped on him not just for what they perceive as weakness against terrorism, but for opposing anti-Muslim prejudice, even though Obama could not have been clearer in his distinction between radicalism, which must be rooted out, and peaceful Muslims, who should be treated fairly. The absence of such calls on the present Republican stage has created a clear path for candidates who oppose Islam.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, US public anxiety is running high, and Republican primary polls show a strong appetite for anti-Muslim policies. By fomenting this anti-Muslim rhetoric, Carson and Trump are promoting a disturbing form of religious segregation. Just as racial segregationists long garnered votes by promoting fear of black Americans, religious segregationists such as Carson and Trump today collect votes by promoting fear of Muslim Americans.


Clic here to read the story from its source.