Nation

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson withdrawn controversial comments involving Muslim to be US President.

Tuesday, the 64 year-old American author, retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson appeared on public, withdrawn comments involving Muslims to be US President. His controversial comment went viral, calling Muslim as inconsistent with the values and principles of America. Carson announced to run for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, 4 May 2015 at his own hometown Detroit.

Monday night in his Facebook post, he wrote: “I could never support a candidate for president of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central (tenet) of Islam: Sharia Law,” “I know that there are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenets are fully renounced … I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President.” He also said that a Muslim could serve as president if they disavow Sharia law in order to get his support.

After his controversial comment, Ben Carson stressed that he is more interested in the president prioritizing U.S. Constitution over his or her faith. In a news conference in Sharonville, Ohio, he said: “I don’t care what a person’s religion beliefs are or religious heritage is. If they embrace our Constitution and are willing to place that above their religious beliefs, I have no problem with that.”

During an interview with Chuck Todd, Ben Carson stated, “I guess it depends on what that faith. If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem,” when asked about his views on whether a person’s faith should be considered by voters during an election.

His comment caught the attention of many, specially Muslim nationals as he pointed he would not advocate and would not agree for Muslim to be in charge in their nation but noted that he would consider voting for a Muslim for Congress, depending on the candidate’s policy views. Ben Carson said, “If you’re a Christian and you’re running for president and you want to make this into a theocracy, I’m not going to support you. I’m not going to advocate you being the president.”

Carson also added, “Now, if someone has a Muslim background and they’re willing to reject those tenets and to accept the way of life that we have, and clearly will swear to place our constitution above their religion, then, of course, they will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least I would then be quite willing to support them.”

The head of the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group been alarmed about what Ben Carson said. Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic relations stated, “Not long ago, some people thought that a Catholic cannot be a president, an African-American cannot be a president. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.” He pointed out that article six of the US constitution states “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States”.

Upon hearing Carson’s controversial statement, Justin Barrett, a religion scholar at the Fuller Theological Seminary said, “It is likely that most Christian traditionalists in America have more in common concerning foundational values with Muslims than they do with progressives. Differences are real between people of various faiths and ethnicities, but they often mask deeply important similarities, and variation within a group may be greater than differences between the groups.” IMAGE/ Richard Ellis/Corbis

In a survey issued by Social Weather Stations, Senator Grace Poe leads on top outranking administration standard-bearer Mar Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay.

The 47-year-old, aspiring for Philippine president’s position Senator Grace Poe placed first on a survey issued by Social Weather Stations conducted last September 2 to 5. She maintained being on top among other prospective presidential bet since the second quarter. In June 2015, she also placed first
on a presidential preference poll issued by Pulse Asia with a rating of 30%.

She declared her intention to run for the upcoming 2016 presidential election in front of hundreds of supporters, family and friends at the Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 16 September 2015. With the new presidential survey, former interior minister under Aquino and administration standard-bearer Mar Roxas placed second and Vice President Jejomar Binay who first to declare his intention to seek the presidency last July 1 on third, while Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who had announced that he would not seek the presidency placed fourth.

Despite issues faced by Senator Grace Poe involving her residency and citizenship, she never stopped aiming to continue her father’s battle. She repeatedly insisted that she is a Filipino and that she has fulfilled the 10-year residency requirement, when she returned in the Philippines following her father’s death in 2004. She is reportedly left at the Jaro Church in Iloilo, before being adopted by Fernando Poe and wife Susan Roces.

She felt happy and humbled upon hearing the latest Social Weather Station survey. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank the Filipino people for their support and trust. I am again humbled that our kababayans continue to appreciate our hard work and the brand of governance that we are upholding and pushing. As a public servant, I will continue to carry out our mandate and serve the people. Our people’s unwavering support remains an inspiration,” Senator Grace Poe stated, Monday.

“As expected, Sen. Grace leads the pack. Note however that the eight percent[age point] difference between her and Sec. Mar is immaterial as those who chose Sen. Grace would most likely also choose Sec. Mar,” said Edmund S. Tayao, political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas.

Being on third place, Vice President Binay also reacted on said survey. In an interview, Binay stated, “I think the 35% is still my core group. These are the people who voted for me in 2010. They voted for my daughter Senator Nancy Binay in 2013. And depending on who does the survey, there are surveys where my core group is 33% to 35%, some have 25% to 30%. But here in SWS, my score is 30% plus so my core group is still there. You should remember that in a survey, the question has a big influence. For example, if someone does a survey and asks respondents to give 3 names, you see, they are already cornering the person. And then the result would be more than 100%. So the question is a big deal.” IMAGE/ RYAN LEAGOGO