Carson: Only ‘schizophrenic’ Muslims practice Sharia, believe in democracy

GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said Tuesday that Muslims are “schizophrenic” if they believe Sharia law is compatible with American democracy.

“Do you think that Muslims that are Sharia-adherent can actually be part of a society, be integrated into a society where you have the rule of law and you are a democratic republic and you believe in the rule of law and separation of church and state no matter what your religious beliefs are?” host Stephen K. Bannon asked on Sirius XM’s “Breitbart News Daily.” “Do you believe that Sharia-compliant Muslims can do that?”

{mosads}“Only if they’re schizophrenic,” Carson responded. “I don’t see how they’re going to do it otherwise. You have two different philosophies warring which are in constant distinction from each other. So, no – that would be very difficult.”

Carson also rejected critics who charge that his skepticism of some Muslims’ intentions constitutes Islamophobia.

“When I say things like that, some people say, ‘Oh, you’re Islamophobic,’” he said. “It’s not Islamophobic at all. I grew up in Detroit and had playmates [and] schoolmates who were Muslims.

“There’s a difference between Muslims who accept America and accept our Constitution and accept our ways and those who want to continue a different method of living. If we’re not sophisticated enough to understand that, then we will lose that war.”

Carson added that Sharia law dispels the notion that Islam is a religion that co-exists harmoniously with other faiths worldwide.

“If you accept all the components of Islam, including Sharia, then it is not a religion of peace, it is a religion of domination.”