For a while, it seemed like GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain may be backing away from his controversial assertion that he would not employ Muslim-Americans in his administration and his suggestions that the US government should hold followers of Islam in a high state of suspicion. Yesterday's interview on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, however, puts to rest that notion, as Cain raised the ante, with the outrageous and completely unconstitutional notion that Americans should be able to ban mosques in their neighborhoods.
WALLACE: So, you're saying that any community, if they want to ban a mosque.
CAIN: Yes, they have the right to do that. That's not discriminating based upon religion — against that particular religion. There is an aspect of them building that mosque that doesn't get talked about. And the people in the community know what is it and they are talking about it.
WALLACE: All right. I don't want to beat a dead horse about one mosque, but I just want to ask you one more question on this and we'll move on. This gets back to an early controversy where, as you know, you said that you're not comfortable with the idea of appointing a Muslim for your cabinet.
As someone who I'm sure who faced prejudice growing up —
CAIN: Yes.
WALLACE: — in the '50s, '60s, how do you respond to those who say you are doing the same thing?
CAIN: I tell them that that's absolutely not true, because it is absolutely totally different. I grew up, like you said, in the '50s and the '60s. I grew up before civilian rights movement, during the civil rights movement and after the civil rights movement.
I went in to corporate America when the openness to putting blacks and minorities and corporation and I was able to move up the corporate ladder. We had some laws that were restricting people because of their color and because of their color only. That's what that situation was.
WALLACE: But aren't you willing to restrict people because of their religion?
CAIN: I'm willing to take a harder look at people that might be terrorists. That's what I'm saying.
That a major news network is still willing to entertain the "sharia law" nonsense as if it is a legitimate story and threat to our judicial system is truly astounding. What Cain is advocating here is overt religious discrimination, and a divisive strategy that would create a climate of fear for millions of Americans. If the latest news surrounding the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is any indication, there's fear enough as it is.
