WASHINGTON - US Congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat who was the first Muslim to be elected to the House, blasted Republican presidential candidates— Dr. Den Carson and Donald Trump — Sunday for statements condemning the idea of a Muslim president.
Ellison, an Afro-American who was elected to Congress in 2007, was sworn in on a Holy Quran rather than a Bible as is traditionally done.
“The freedom of religion is a founding principle of our nation. Our Constitution gives this right to all Americans — including elected officials,” Ellison said in the statement. “For Ben Carson, Donald Trump or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people. It’s unimaginable that the leading (Republican) presidential candidates are resorting to fear mongering to benefit their campaigns, and every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry.”
Ellison’s remarks came in response to the controversy that began last week when Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, said nothing when an audience member shouted President Barack Obama is a Muslim.
The audience member also appeared to call for the forcible removal of all Muslims from the United States. Trump’s silence has been compared with an incident during John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 when he took the microphone and corrected an audience member who said she couldn’t trust Obama because he is “an Arab.” “No ma’am. He’s a decent family man and a citizen who I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about,” McCain said.
Carson, the retired Afro-American neurosurgeon who trails Trump in Republican polls, was asked to respond to the controversy during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” he said. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”
Carson also said practicing Islam as a religion is not compatible with the US Constitution. The First Amendment to the US Constitution states, “No religious test shall ever be a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the leading Democratic candidates, also criticized Carson. Still, a recent Gallup poll found 38 percent of US voters wouldn’t vote for a Muslim presidential candidate.
Ellison previously said being the first Muslim to hold congressional office has gotten easier over time. His decision to be sworn in on a Holy Quran triggered a media firestorm nearly 10 years ago, but since then, a second Muslim, Andre Carson of Indiana, has also been elected to the House of Representatives.