Romney: No Muslims in Cabinet

Tuesday November 27, 2007

Categories: Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney, the presidential candidate most disadvantaged by his personal religious faith, said earlier this month that "based on the numbers of American Muslims [as a percentage] in our population, I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified."...

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Comments (7)

Filed Under: cabinet, casting stones, Islam, Muslim, Republicans, Romney

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 1:18pm Permalink email icon

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TrueHawk

November 27, 2007 2:09 PM

Mitt is a Mormon, not a Muslim. But the parallels are striking between the two faiths. They both in their origin had a prophet that was their founder, Mohammed and Joseph Smith. Both had visions. Both said a book was given to them by divine means, the Koran and the Book of Mormon. Both of the prophets had multiple wives. So maybe Mitt, if not a Muslim in his cabinet, has one in his closet.

George

November 27, 2007 5:32 PM

I can't believe he's so unpolished as a politician that he missed the opportunity to claim that "cabinet positions will be filled by the best qualified people, regardless of religious faith."

Alicia

November 27, 2007 6:27 PM

I guess Mitt wet his finger and held it up to see which way the wind was blowing, and decided to play to the sentiments of those who fear Muslims. A shame.

I believe we have reason to fear radical Islam, but we must constantly distinguish between radical Muslims or Islamists and moderate Muslims (of which, I believe, there are many, even if they are far too silent).

Mitt blew an opportunity to make that distinction, which could apply equally to his own faith. Extremist polygamists like Warren Jeffs don't represent mainstream Mormons; neither do Islamists like Tariq Ramadan represent the mainstream Muslim community even though they might claim to do so.

(I'm not comparing Ramadan to Jeffs completely, Jeffs is a criminal, but Ramadan does have some extremist beliefs even if he does come across as a harmless professor from Switzerland -- that's why he was denied entrance to the United States.)

Michele McGinty

November 27, 2007 11:00 PM

I'm shocked that he said this at a fundraiser. I wonder if this was before or after he took the guys money.

AlHaj

November 28, 2007 3:35 AM

TrueHawk,

I am aghasted when you westerners always charged that Prophet Muhammad was the founder of Islam. He was not. To us the first Muslim was Adam, even Christ was also a Muslim.

I am more aggrieved when some of you make a similitude of Mormon (Christianity) belief with Islam. The two are of no comparison. I have a nose you have a nose but I am not a Western.

This age is an age of information. Christ himself is never a founder of Christianity. Historically, others called you a Christian and you accepted it.

No offence intended, just to set the record right.

Alicia

November 28, 2007 9:50 AM

Good points, AlHaj, that Christ was not a Christian, and Muhammed didn't come to found a new religion, either, but to return people to what he regarded as the true religion.

However, the founders of Mormonism were influenced by Islam, so the similarities between the two faiths is not accidental, but intentional (on the part of the founders of Mormonism).

Mike

November 30, 2007 1:10 PM

Until there is a video or recording of the exact details of this conversation between Mitt Romney and Ijaz, this story is suspect. It appears that Mr. Ijaz may have a hidden agenda. Latter-day Saints have been working with Muslims for years as friends together on numerous humanitarian projects throughout the world. It is possible for honest people of different faiths to work together for the good of mankind. However, it is a shame that the political process can bring out the worst of man's intentions.