Carson: US shouldn't have a Muslim president

  • 22/09/2015
Ben Carson (Reuters)
Ben Carson (Reuters)

Muslim leaders in the US are calling for Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson to drop out of the race after he said he didn't think a Muslim should ever be president.

A retired paediatric neurosurgeon, Mr Carson is the quiet, softly-spoken Republican presidential candidate who has been polling second behind Donald Trump.

Until now, he has remained largely under the radar. His answer about whether a Muslim could one day become president raises the question of whether Islamophobia has entered the US political mainstream.

"I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation," Mr Carson said. "I absolutely would not agree with that."

Unsurprisingly this has outraged Muslims, who point to the US Constitution which states there can be no religious test to holding office.

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