--- title: Ben Carson Muslim Comments: Campaign Defends Statements description: Carson's campaign spokesman said the candidates words should be "watched or read carefully." canonical: https://time.com/4042347/ben-carson-muslim-president-defense/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-21T11:45:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T11:06:18.077Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson Muslim Comments: Campaign Defends Statements og:description: Carson's campaign spokesman said the candidates words should be "watched or read carefully." og:url: https://time.com/4042347/ben-carson-muslim-president-defense/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc37757ba5a916eb4/69886477f887dc0dece92728/ben-carson2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Ben Carson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson Muslim Comments: Campaign Defends Statements twitter:description: Carson's campaign spokesman said the candidates words should be "watched or read carefully." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc37757ba5a916eb4/69886477f887dc0dece92728/ben-carson2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson's Campaign Defends Muslim President Remarks by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 21, 2015 11:45 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a presidential forum sponsored by Heritage Action at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Sept. 18, 2015, in Greenville, S.C. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a presidential forum sponsored by Heritage Action at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Sept. 18, 2015, in Greenville, S.C.Richard Shiro—AP by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 21, 2015 11:45 AM UTC Officials from Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s campaign defended the retired neurosurgeon’s statement Sunday that he would not support a Muslim U.S. President, telling [NBC](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/spokesman-ben-carson-thinks-people-would-decide-muslim-president-n430656?cid=sm%5Ftw&hootPostID=683421fa009ffd7dc8d68ad7354615ec) that the candidate’s words should be “watched or read carefully.” Carson has been under fire since saying he would “not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation” during an interview with NBC’s _Meet the Press_ on Sunday. The candidate later said in response to a question that he did not think Islam is consistent with the U.S. constitution. Carson’s spokesperson Doug Watts, according to [_NBC News_](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/spokesman-ben-carson-thinks-people-would-decide-muslim-president-n430656?cid=sm%5Ftw&hootPostID=683421fa009ffd7dc8d68ad7354615ec), said Carson did not mean Muslims should in any way not be allowed to run for president. “He \[Carson\] just doesn’t believe the American people are ready for that,” Watts said. “Dr. Carson is a strict adherent to the First Amendment — freedom of religion. That includes people of all faith,” Watts said. “He has great respect for the Muslim community, but there is a huge gulf between the faith and practice of the Muslim faith, and our Constitution and American values.” Several candidates, including fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, distanced themselves from Carson’s statement. “I think Dr. Carson needs to apologize,” Graham said, according to [_Al Jazeera_](http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/9/20/GOP-hopeful-ben-carson-says-muslim-should-not-be-president.html). Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders slammed Carson’s statements while talking to reporters later on Sunday. “Look, you judge candidates for president not on their religion, not on the color of their skin, but on their ideas on what they stand for,” Sanders said, according to the [Washington _Post_](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/20/bernie-sanders-knocks-ben-carson-for-saying-he-wouldnt-support-a-muslim-president/). “That’s what democracy is supposed to be about. So I was very disappointed in Dr. Carson’s statement and I disagree with him.” _Watch the full interview at_ [_Meet the Press_](http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/ben-carson-does-not-advocate-a-muslim-as-president-528790083718) \[[_NBC_](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/spokesman-ben-carson-thinks-people-would-decide-muslim-president-n430656?cid=sm%5Ftw&hootPostID=683421fa009ffd7dc8d68ad7354615ec)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4042347/ben-carson-muslim-president-defense/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4042347/ben-carson-muslim-president-defense/"},"headline":"Ben Carson's Campaign Defends Muslim President Remarks","datePublished":"2015-09-21T11:45:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:06:18.077Z","description":"\"He just doesn't believe the American people are ready for that\"","url":"https://time.com/4042347/ben-carson-muslim-president-defense/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Religion","Muslim","presidential election","Lindsey Graham","Dr. Benjamin S. 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