Why is Giuliani still popular with rank and file evangelicals? Whether by design or a happy byproduct, part of the reason is that Giuliani has compensated for his liberalism on abortion and gay rights through attacks on Islamofascism. They may seem unrelated but here’s my logic
For many Christians, the war on terror is not just a fight against terrorists. It’s part of a much larger global struggle between Christianity and Islam for the souls of the world’s population. Privately, many evangelicals were appalled that President Bush declared Islam to be a “religion of peace.” They preferred the construction of Franklin Graham, who said the Qur’an “doesn’t teach peace, it teaches violence.”
With his strong rhetoric on Islamofascism, Giuliani is signalling that he’s on the right side of that divide.