Emotions in the Muslim community remained roiled on Monday by Ben Carson’s assertion that followers of Islam are not fit to serve as president of the United States.
Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, has been under fire for comments he made Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when he said that Islam was not consistent with the Constitution.
“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Mr. Carson said when asked about the relevance of a president’s faith. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”
At a news conference organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Monday, Muslim advocates called for Mr. Carson, who is black, to leave the race and expressed outrage that someone who had benefited from the civil rights movement would make such an incendiary statement.
“Our message is this: Dr. Carson, you should have more faith in the American people,” said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. “Fifty years ago, people in the United States said African-Americans were unfit to be president. Because of civil rights leaders, you have the right to run for president.”
Christian groups also took issue with Mr. Carson’s position. The Rev. Graylan S. Hagler, pastor of the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, said that Mr. Carson’s comments were part of a pattern of Republican candidates blowing off political correctness and trying to be as insensitive as possible to appeal to voters who remain unhappy about the election of America’s first black president.
“We see that kind of xenophobia gripping the entire country because there is angry white backlash to the election of President Obama,” Mr. Hagler said.
While Republican candidates such as Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz have criticized Mr. Carson’s remarks, his campaign is not expressing remorse.
In an interview with CNN, Mr. Carson’s business manager, Armstrong Williams, said that while Mr. Carson understood the sensitive nature of his view, he stood by the remark.
“He has to come to the conclusion for what is best for America, and because of his love for America that in his heart of hearts he could never advocate for a Muslim becoming president of the United States,” Mr. Wiliams said. “He just can’t.”
For many Muslims, however, Mr. Carson’s view reeks of racism.
“My heart was so saddened to hear those words come out of the mouth of an individual who is seeking the highest office in our land,” said Imam Mahdi Bray, director for the American Muslim Alliance. “Not only because it’s inconsistent with the United States Constitution, but what do I tell my kids? This is not the America that Abraham Lincoln talked about in terms of better angels.”