“It is farcical that Trump and Carson are leading the GOP race.”

Dr. Ben Carson, the second most popular Republican presidential candidate, said he would not advocate for a Muslim president because Islam’s teachings are inconsistent with the Constitution. The statement showed an astounding amount of hate and ignorance. 

But what is even more dangerous is that Carson stands where he is in public opinion polls.

Carson is only second to Donald Trump, another candidate with a history of bigoted remarks against immigrants, minority groups and women.  

The Republican Party and its supporters are increasingly resembling a cult void of intellect, which thrives on hate and fear. The party of Lincoln is becoming the party of Palin.

For a man who is vying to lead the nation and the “free world,” Carson’s comments are bewilderingly unintelligent. To say that sharia law is not compatible with the Constitution is true. But neither is Carson’s own Christian faith. The United States is a secular democracy. The religious beliefs of political leaders does not affect the separation of church and state, which is mandated by the First Amendment.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” reads the first sentence of the First Amendment of the law of the land. 

That means a Muslim president cannot open sharia courts and dismiss the Supreme Court for an imams’ council, as much as Carson cannot make the teachings of his Protestant church the official religion of America. Just like when John F. Kennedy, a catholic, was elected president, the pope did not become the spiritual leader of the United States. 

Would Carson be concerned that a Christian president would replace the Bill of Rights with the Ten Commandments? 

The thought is fairly simple and should be grasped easily by a neurosurgeon. But elections lately have not been about ideas but about ratings. Popular statements are favored against factual statements by candidates. Politicians’ anti-Muslim remarks not only fuel Islamophobia, they also mirror it. 

Discounting a candidate’s credentials because of his faith is an insult to our American values. 

If Carson had said he would have reservations about a Jewish president because of concerns about Jewish religious law, Halakha, the retired doctor’s campaign would be over. 

However, Muslims are popular targets for xenophobia.

Carson’s attack on Muslims paid off fast.

Responding to a question on whether his comments have affected donations, the Republican candidate told Fox News, “The money has been coming in so fast; it’s hard to even keep up with it.”

But playing politics with people’s civil rights is a dangerous game that harms our nation. Hate inevitably turns violent, and the damage is the moral responsibility of those who fuel it.

Carson tried to clarify his position after facing a backlash from politicians and media personalities, but his Facebook post addressing the controversy made matters worse. 

“I could never support a candidate for President of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central tenant of Islam: Sharia Law,” Carson said.

Outside Islamic theocracies, sharia is an ethical framework that Muslims perceive as a lifestyle. The interpretations of Muslim religious rules vary greatly between communities, individuals and scholars.

Islam is not unique in having religious rules. For example, Christianity has the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments (inherited from Judaism), as well as the teachings of Christ, which are known as the New Covenant. Judaism has Halakha. Hinduism has the Manu Smriti, a book that governs society.

“Under Islamic Law, homosexuals – men and women alike – must be killed,” added the Republican candidate, who once dubbed homosexuality a choice because people “go into prison straight, and when they come out, they’re gay.”

However, it might be already too late for Carson’s sharia law concerns — 43 percent of Republicans believe President Obama is Muslim. And when Trump was asked about what he will do about the terrorist training camps and the faith of our foreign-born Muslim president, the leading candidate nodded in approval and said: “We are going to be looking at different things.”

It is farcical that Trump and Carson are leading the GOP race. Their unintelligent statements, bigotry and fear-mongering reflect the frightening hatred that is on the rise in our country.