New York – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques.
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Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO said protests and legal challenges to a planned mosque in Tennessee city are an example of local residents pushing back.
Cain said his view doesn’t amount to religious discrimination because he says Muslims are trying to inject Shariah law into the U.S.
Shariah is a set of core principles that most Muslims recognize and a series of rulings from religious scholars. It covers many areas of life and different sects have different versions and interpretations of the code.
Asked if his view could lead any community to stand up in opposition to a proposed mosque, Cain replied, “They could say that.” He pointed to opposition to the planned mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as an example.
“Let’s go back to the fundamental issue that the people are basically saying that they are objecting to,” Cain said. “They are objecting to the fact that Islam is both religion and (a) set of laws, Shariah law. That’s the difference between any one of our other traditional religions where it’s just about religious purposes.
“The people in the community know best. And I happen to side with the people in the community.”
Cain’s comments were denounced as “unconstitutional and un-American” by a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“It’s clear that Herman Cain has decided that he will score political points every time he bashes the Muslim community or its constitutional rights,” council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a phone interview.
Cain previously stirred controversy by saying that he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration.
Campaigning in Murfreesboro last week, Cain sided with mosque opponents.
“I happen to also know that it’s not just about a religious mosque,” he said Sunday. “There are other things going on based upon talking to the people closest to the problem. It’s not a mosque for religious purposes. This is what the people are objecting to.”
Hooper called the remarks “utter nonsense,” saying Cain “seems to have hitched his wagon to the most extreme anti-Muslim bigots out there.” He called on Republican leaders to repudiate Cain’s comments.
“Each time you have someone who is regarded as a mainstream political leader expressing these kind of hate-filled views, it just fans the flames of anti-Muslim bigotry nationwide,” he said. “And it gives legitimacy to intolerance and hatred. And he, of all people, should realize this, being African-American.”
In Murfreesboro, the future new mosque has been the subject of protests and counter-protests in the city about 35 miles southeast of Nashville.
Opponents have used the hearings to argue that the mosque is part of a plot to expand Islamic extremism in the U.S.
Imam Ossama Bahloul, the religious leader of the congregation, issued a statement Sunday lamenting Cain’s statements.
“It is sad to hear these words coming from a GOP presidential candidate, who is not only supposed to believe in but should also uphold the US constitution,” Bahloul said. “Mr. Cain is encouraged to educate himself about the first amendment and learn more about our peaceful and productive Muslim community in Murfreesboro.”
Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said Cain’s comments “demonstrate a profound misunderstanding of the U.S. Constitution.”
“And it’s baffling that a man with designs on becoming the leader of this nation would so callously alienate over 3 million of its citizens,” Fotopulos said.
We, as Jews, should have a big problem with this theory. Guess what the next ban would be?
However, why don’t we do a better job of simply not letting people from certain countries emigrate to the US? That might lighten the Islamic load a bit.
I like this guy. Threw out politics and is speaking the truth. He is clearly not opposed to religious freedom. He is protecting religious freedom by blocking proponents of Sharia Law. Scores of Muslims and their leaders have made it clear that sharia law should become American law. Under sharia law none of us have rights. If Muslims would stick to their own laws and have no intention of forcing it upon any of us I would t have a problem…
go mr cain someone finally talking the truth
I would really like to watch the entire interview instead of seeing what the drive by media is ‘reporting’ about him.
Ah, just what the country needs: an African-American bigot (quite similar to a Jewish anti-semite).
Also:
“Cain previously stirred controversy by saying that he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration.”
Huh? So a x-tian or Jew that is bent on killing Americans IS okay in his administration?
signed,
An embarrassed Republican
Dear Mr. Cain,
This is a wicked idea by a wicked intelligence which is not American in nature. This is unconstitutional and I doubt you will make it past more than a few rounds of the primaries at this point. Good luck fellow. All that money spent just to crash and burn by soiling the American way of life. Good luck.
What’s the nafka mina between us and the Muslims? If we’re not supportive of them, it will be mida kneged mida and the Americans will start opposing building new shules. If this guy opposes sharia law, why not Shechita?
Should they have the right to ban shuls too?
I guarantee you that I am one of the few Jews posting here who has actually lived over two years in a major fundamentalist Muslim country. So – pardon me if I say quite candidly that most of you posting here are just plain uninformed (read that: ignorant). Cain is RIGHT. This isn’t about freedom of religion. When Islam moves in, other religious are forced out. (Examine Indonesia, the Philippines, even Bethlehem!) There is a long term end game here to turn the US into a nation submitted to Islamic rule. If you don’t see that, you are blinded by your own liberal agenda.
It’s not religious freedom if you tolerate the establishment of another religion that aims to remove, suppress, or tax (study the history of the dhimmi tax) YOU for being different from them. I asked a Muslim friend of mine where all the moderate Muslims are today. He laughed and said, “Don’t you know what we say? A moderate Muslim is one who ran out of bullets!” [This comment actually happened.]
All of you jumping on Cain’s statement likely have not read the rest of his platform. He makes more sense than anyone else talking – Democrat or Republican.
Who are these Muslims who want to impose “Sharia law” on all of the citizens? I work in Dearborn and I have never seen one of these Muslims forcing “Sharia law” on anyone. I have never heard “call to prayer” at the mall or in Wal Mart.
Herman Cain, Nice last name. Herman Haman whatever his name is, let’s also ban churches. They also believe my life will end up in fire. Freedom of religion has to be protected.
Cain is the biggest clown among a group of Republican candidates that includes some really freaky options. This hateful and reacist statement cloaked within some confusied hyperoble regarding Shariah law is scary, not only in terms of displayings Cain’s abysmal lack of understanding that Shariah has nothing to do with land use variances but that the same arguments could be used against Yidden who insist on litigating their disputes VOLUNTARILY under a beis din rather than resorting to civil courts. There is a tiny minority of afro-americans who have jumped on the Republican bandwagon with outrageously stupid and racist comments that make them folk heroes to the Tea Party types and right wing evangelicals. Cain is the worst of the lot in terms of his “plain spoken” stupidity and transparent pandering to be accepted by the right wing nutcases.
I can say with certainty, that ALL PMOinFLs are void of a true vocabulary. This due to the fact that they always need to revert to calling someone a negative childish name! If this is bigotry, then so be it, I dislike ALL PMOinFLs.
If I understand correctly, you are all comparing Islam to Judaism. That is the fundamental flaw with all your arguments. Facts prove time and again, 911 etc, that Islam left unchecked is not a religion capable of peacefully living unintrusivley among other religions. Anyone who says differently has been bitten by the PC bug. These are facts. Look at Russia during Ramadan. The reason we don’t see it here is because right now they are a minority.
To start things in a different direction, I think that most voters will stear clear of voting for Cain because they have had enough with Mr Obama and would prefer to get things back on the road and vote in to the Oval Office a pure WASP representative like the tradition has it, right or not
Bachmann and Caine looking like a great ticket to knock out the current occupants of the white house.a woman and an articulate ,sharp african-american will send the current administrationn back to chicago.
A true friend of Jews and Israel, this Herman Cain. So of course it is time to start bashing him (leftist, lib Jews unite) We as Jews have an obligation to hate our friends and love our enemies?? Same reason why there are so many Glenn Beck bashers……..inability to distinguish “friend or foe”
The ideal ticket- Bachmann/Cain ’12
PMO….When was the last time you lived on a college campus? in fact when was the last time you spent any time living in other states around the country? This past week I was at Penn State again, one of my sons just graduated from another college and we were visiting. There is a fixture called the “wall of lies” that we have appropriately named it, you really should see it. The campus has a large Muslim population that is pro-Palestine anti Israel and this campus sign explains exactly how Israel has and is killing and abusing people in Gaza. Professors are adamantly baking class discussions the rights of Palestinian citizens. PMO….maybe YOU would like to go see for yourself and check the facts in person for a change….live it!!!!!!!!!!
PMO…”Some work on college campus”…now you are the one that needs to give FACTS! You know nothing about American colleges, I have spent the last 3 decades with the emphasis of the past 8 years, living on a nd around college campus’. If you can make statements as the above fantasy messages you regurgitate from goodness knows where, then absolutely nothing you have EVER said is viable….especially since the other VIN poster agrees with you…he believes America is the root of all evil!