Guardian: Ben Carson's narrow view of Islam is widely shared – by ISIS and other Islamic extremists
All holy texts make claims about crime, punishment, war, human relationships and a whole host of other facets of social and political life that, if interpreted literally, cannot help but clash with the freedoms and frameworks of governance set out in the US constitution. A literal, fundamentalist reading of Islam – like Christianity, Judaism, or any other revealed faith – is thoroughly incompatible with the founding documents of this country.
Seemingly in Bennett (Carson's campaign manager) and Carson’s world, there are only two Islams: real Islam, which is violent and fundamentalist; and “Islam-lite” which is westernized, pleasant and diluted into inauthenticity. That is a position Carson actually shares with Isis and Islamic extremists around the globe. But whether voiced by violent extremists or US presidential candidates, that view of Islam is an ahistorical and lazy reading of both faith and history – and one that’s been increasingly, tragically popular in neoconservatives circles since September 11, 2001.
Pundits won’t be shy about drawing the connection between Carson’s comments and the saga of Kim Davis, whose willful disregard for the constitution on religious grounds and as an elected official been met with fawning adoration by many in the Republican field. To an extent this actually includes Carson, who offered Davis his support – however tepid and dissembling – in an appearance on The Kelly File.
Except there is, of course, no immediate danger of a Muslim fundamentalist becoming president of the US – but the same can’t be said for fundamentalist Christianity, which has deep and enduring roots in Carson’s Republican party.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/23/ben-carson-islam-shared-extremists