I struggled with the decision to write a response to Herman Cain’s recent appearance on Fox News Sunday in which he declared that local communities across the U.S. have the right to ban the construction of mosques. His statements were so ludicrous, so bigoted and so fundamentally at odds with contemporary understandings and applications of the First Amendment that, on one level, they hardly merit a response. But I also recognize that Islamophobia is a growing problem in the U.S. and comments like Cain’s do resonate with some Americans.
In the end, Cain’s political Islamophobia cannot go unchallenged.
Responding to questions from Chris Wallace on Sunday concerning a planned Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., the Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza argued that local communities like Murfreesboro can and should ban the construction of Islamic houses of worship in light of their legitimate concerns about Islam. “Our Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state,” noted Cain. “Islam combines church and state. They’re using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their morals in that community, and the people in the community [of Murfreesboro] do not like it.”
Tags: first amendment, Herman Cain, murfreesboro, political islamophobia, Todd Green, Tox News
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