Herman Cain Doubles Down On His Muslim Loyalty Oath Idea

Last night on CNN‘s John King USA, GOP Presidential candidate Herman doubled down on his previous statements that Muslims would have to prove their loyalty to the Constitution before he would appoint them to a government position:

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain stood firm Friday on his promise to make Muslims prove loyalty to the U.S. Constitution before appointing them to his administration – a test, he has said, that would not apply to people of other faiths.

The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza denied that the proposed test is a form of discrimination when pressed Friday by CNN’s John King.

“That’s not discrimination. It’s called trying to protect the American people,” Cain said. “This nation is under attack constantly by people who want to kill all of us, so I’m going to take extra precaution.”

In March, Cain made headlines when he told a Think Progress blogger that he would feel uncomfortable appointing a Muslim as a member of his cabinet or as a federal judge. And while speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, he said there was a “greater dangerous part of the Muslim faith” than other religions.

Cain told King on Friday that he would be comfortable with a Muslim serving in office only if he could gauge the person’s sense of loyalty through a one-on-one conversation.

“I never said I would discriminate against Muslims or any other religion for that matter, but I am going to take extra precautions if a Muslim person who is competent wants to work in my administration,” he said.

Cain stood by this position even when King pointed out that the Constitution forbids religious tests. He also does not seem to be aware of the fact that all people in positions of trust in the Federal Government are required to take an oath to preserve the Constitution. Why he believes that a Muslim who is secretly radically wouldn’t lie to him, or take an oath they don’t actually believe in, is beyond me.

People who say stuff like this simply cannot be taken seriously, and religious intolerance of any kind doesn’t belong the political arena.

Here’s the video:

FILED UNDER: 2012 Election, Religion, US Politics, , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. michael reynolds says:

    The GOP base will love it.

  2. anjin-san says:

    People who say stuff like this simply cannot be taken seriously

    Really? Why then, do Republicans take them seriously?

  3. Grandpa lou says:

    I’m no supporter of Cain in most things, but at this point in time and place, I’d agree with him. For example in 1924 I would not have appointed an openly avoided Communist Party member…. and in 1938 I would not have appointed a supporter or member of the German American Bund. I also doubt if I would have appointed members of the Black Panther Party, the John Birch Society, the KKK or many of the more extreme religious zealots.

    Extreme religious zealotry, while practiced by some, at our core remains an anathema to the ideals most American at their best hold most dear…. as is membership in extremest political organizations. There are few, if any, liberal Muslims. There are only Muslims who are strict adherents and those who live in silent acceptance of the strict.

    Islam isn’t simply a religion…it is a culture, a history, a literature, even a language which accepts no other translations of its holy book…. Islam is a foundation of laws and a fundamental belief without compromises.

    When a Muslim says ” Inshallah…. God Willing” they are saying God Wills Everything. If a Muslim kills a kafir it is Inshallah…..if the victim survives, it is Inshallah….there is no concept of free will in Islam and for this reason there are no liberal or moderate muslims, to be liberal or moderate would be against.. Inshallah “Gods Will.”

  4. Southern Hoosier says:

    @ Grandpa lou

    What is the point in having a Muslim take a loyalty oath? Their religion allows them to break that oath.

    Islam on the Permissibility of Violating Oaths and Covenants

    Freedom from (all) obligations (is declared) from Allah and His Messenger to those of the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), with whom you made a treaty.

    http://goo.gl/Em4Vz

  5. matt says:

    What cracks me up is that most of what lou says can be applied to the bible and Christianity. They are both Abrahamic religions and they both share a lot of stupid…

  6. michael reynolds says:

    Republicans have never met a constitutional right they won’t trash so long as it doesn’t apply to them.

  7. Southern Hoosier says:

    matt says:
    Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 16:06

    What cracks me up is that most of what lou says can be applied to the bible and Christianity. They are both Abrahamic religions and they both share a lot of stupid…

    Just don’t say that in front of a Muslim. They aren’t as tolerant and forgiving as Christians.

  8. TG Chicago says:

    I’m no supporter of Cain in most things, but at this point in time and place, I’d agree with him. For example in 1924 I would not have appointed an openly avoided Communist Party member…. and in 1938 I would not have appointed a supporter or member of the German American Bund. I also doubt if I would have appointed members of the Black Panther Party, the John Birch Society, the KKK or many of the more extreme religious zealots.

    Most of those organizations you listed are groups with explicit political motives. Islam (like Christianity, Judaism, etc.) does not have a specific political stance.

    Islamism does, and thus I would agree about keeping Islamists away. If you’re talking about a member of Al-Qaeda, then okay: Herman Cain would be wise not to put him on the cabinet. But if it’s just a garden variety American Muslim, then there’s no reason to fear them.

  9. G.A.Phillips says:

    Islam is more of a political movement then a religion. It is Allah approved to lie to spread it. A loyalty test/pledge will do no good against a true believer.

  10. G.A.Phillips says:

    Same goes for liberals! But liberalism is more of a religion then a political movement.

  11. An Interested Party says:

    There are certain people who must have their bogeymen, whether they are scared of blacks, Nazis, Communists, Red Chinese, and now, Muslims…

    If we are going to have loyalty oaths, why not require Jews to sign them vowing loyalty to our country rather than Israel? Or Mormons vowing loyalty to our country rather than their religion? Or Christian fundamentalists vowing loyalty to our country rather than their faith? We could do this all day…

  12. Southern Hoosier says:

    @ TG Chicago

    Islam, Islamism , and garden variety American Muslim are all the same. They hold to a belief system that all non-Muslims are inferior and need to be enslaved, converted or killed.

    So you think it is OK to hire a garden variety American Muslim who’s loyalty lies with their religion and not to their oath of office?

    Early 1999-March 21, 2000: Muslim FBI Agent Refuses to Wear Wire in Meeting with BMI Head; FBI Infighting Follows

    http://goo.gl/j5tfx

  13. Southern Hoosier says:

    An Interested Party says:
    Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 17:22

    There are certain people who must have their bogeymen

    They are bogeymen only if they aren’t real

  14. matt says:

    Just don’t say that in front of a Muslim. They aren’t as tolerant and forgiving as Christians.

    I’ve said it in front of plenty of Muslims and they whole heartily agree that there’s too many extremists out there in general.

    Christian, Christianity , and garden variety American Christians are all the same. They hold to a belief system that all non-Christians are inferior and need to be enslaved, converted or killed.

    So what?

  15. matt says:

    SH : We’ve gone through this time and time again. I’m friends with some practicing Muslims and my fiancee is half Iranian. NONE of them are anything like you’re trying to paint them as being. Yeah there’s some nutcases in their religion but that exists everywhere. I’ve ran into some Christians that would happily kill every non believer if they thought they could get away with it. Talk about an awkward conversation with those people..

  16. Southern Hoosier says:

    @ matt

    Ignore the the real world and believe what you want to believe.

    Since : We’ve gone through this time and time again., save your breath. Your not going to change me and I’m not going to change you.

  17. matt says:

    Sure lecture me about the “real world” as I’m providing real world examples time and time again versus your small minded hatred.

  18. Southern Hoosier says:

    @ matt

    I’m not going to lecture you. What would be the point?

  19. Tano says:

    matt,

    you cannot reason a bigot out of their beliefs. It has to be a personal evolution, and only a fraction of bigots ever take the journey.

  20. matt says:

    Tano : I kind of understand your point. I was a fairly hardcore conservative bigot (those were mutually exclusive things for me) back in the Reagan days. As I grew up I began to see the supposed conservative movement for what it is. I also had a chance to travel out over seas which further opened my eyes. Personal experience has caused me to drop most of my bigotry but I will tell you it’s daily process and sometimes it’s really hard to not be a bigot.

  21. jukeboxgrad says:

    SH:

    Ignore the the real world and believe what you want to believe.

    That’s exactly what you’re doing. Tell us how you know this is wrong:

    Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustifiable.

  22. Southern Hoosier says:

    Islam is peace
    G.W. Bush

    Gallup Poll: Barely Half Of Americans Think American Muslims Support the U.S.

    http://goo.gl/i7ehD

    Muslim American Support for Terrorism (Public Opinion Poll)

    http://goo.gl/LhNWH

    Islamic Terror Caused by Small Minority of Muslims? Facts Prove Opposite

    http://goo.gl/V7IwF

    July 27, 2008
    A third of Muslim students back killings
    Radicalism and support for sharia is strong in British universities

    http://goo.gl/koqLq

    Fully 12% of Muslim Canadians polled by Environics said the alleged terrorist plot—that included kidnapping and beheading the prime minister and blowing up Parliament and the CBC—was justified.

    http://goo.gl/gH640

    in a recent YouGov poll in which 53 per cent of respondents felt they thought Islam was a threat to Western liberal democracy.

    \
    http://goo.gl/cIJSZ

  23. Southern Hoosier says:

    I am looking at 1400 years of history and curent events.
    http://www.actforamerica.org/

  24. Southern Hoosier says:

    Islam is peace, think happy thoughts

    Islam’s Latest Contributions to Peace
    “Mohammed is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another” Quran 48:29

    2011.06.11 (Kandahar, Afghanistan) – Eight children and four women are among those ripped apart by a Taliban bombing of their minivan.

    2011.06.11 (Khost, Afghanistan) – A 12-year-old boy is among three people murdered by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.

    2011.06.10 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – al-Shabaab gunmen shoot vendors at a market who ignore their orders to stop selling khat.

    2011.06.10 (Mogadishu, Somalia) – A local official is murdered by a suicide bomber who was his niece.

    2011.06.10 (Kunduz, Afghanistan) – A Shahid suicide bomber takes down four police officers saying prayers at a mosque.

    2011.06.09 (Hatra, Iraq) – A taxi driver is kidnapped and shot in the head and chest by ‘insurgents’.

    http://goo.gl/xS8vD

  25. Southern Hoosier says:

    I know, you are going to tell me that these aren’t American Muslims. And somehow coming to America makes Muslims kind, gentle and peace loving.

    Honor killings are terrorist atttacks?

    Honor Killing in America

    http://goo.gl/H6JNe

    Honor Killing in Texas

    http://goo.gl/Ri3OZ

  26. Southern Hoosier says:

    Customer Reviews
    Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

    http://goo.gl/j38aI

    My favorites reviews

    The really CRUCIAL question is one the Gallup poll wasn’t designed to ask — what do the IMAMS really think? They’re the people with the real power, after all; how many are honest men doing their jobs, and how many are duplicitous ideologues?

    The authors appear to have a strong bias for Islam and an equally strong bias against Christianity, Judaism and the “West”. This bias first demonstrates itself on page 7 when they say that Islam means “a strong commitment to God” The quotes were theirs but no show is shown for this quote. On page 8 the Quran is quoted, “For we submit to God.” Most experts acknowledge that Islam is based on submission and obedience to God. It is not a religion based on love of God.

    Just as the purpose of his pre-9/11 book THE ISLAMIC THREAT: MYTH OR REALITY? was to convince readers that Islam posed no threat to the West, the new book sought to use Gallup poll results to assure them that the overwhelming majority of Muslims in the West were moderate.

    About 93 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are moderates and only seven percent are politically radical, according to the poll, based on more than 50,000 interviews.
    Wow. Only seven percent. That’s fantastic. Nothing to worry about, then.

    As I write this review ( On July 28 2008) the first headline of Google is about three women Sunni suicide bombers who have just murdered in Iraq fifty Shiite religious pilgrims. No doubt these three suicide bombers are a minority among the Sunnis of Iraq and the Sunnis of the world, who disapprove of murdering other Muslims. But the minority sets the tone and creates the reality.
    This fact points out the weakness of this present book.

    Didn’t mean to get carried away on my anti-Islamic tirade, but there is so much anti-Islamic material to choose from and so little pro-Islamic material.

  27. Southern Hoosier says:

    @ jukeboxgrad & matt

    I found your website

    Muslim Bridges
    Welcome Sisters and Brothers. This is your site, where you build Bridges and spread the Peace with “People of the Book” (Jews, Christians, Muslims), and others who are also our brethren in humanity.

    http://goo.gl/oAzv8

  28. An Interested Party says:

    Sadly, Grand Dragon Southern Hoosier strikes again…whether it be the Muslim menace or the Mexican menace, he’ll always be there to warn us…no wonder this person used to hang out at Stormfront…

  29. jukeboxgrad says:

    SH, in your usual style, you’re ignoring the question I asked you.

  30. Southern Hoosier says:

    jukeboxgrad says:
    Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 22:50

    SH:

    Ignore the the real world and believe what you want to believe.

    That’s exactly what you’re doing. Tell us how you know this is wrong:

    Who said it was wrong? You can ignore everything I post and believe whatever you want.

  31. matt says:

    Leviticus 20:9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death.
    20:10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
    20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death.

    Deuteronomy 22:20-1 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house.

    Exodus 35:2 : for six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.

    Deuteronomy 7:1-2 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations . . . then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

    20:10-17 When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. . . . This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
    However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.

    Ezekiel 20:25-26 I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by; I let them become defiled through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD.

    Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
    Exodus 21:20-21 If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
    1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.
    2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

    Leviticus 25:44-45
    Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property.

    OOOH look I can post scarey quotes from your holy book too..

  32. matt says:

    I can also spam this place with links to the bombs and killings in Northern Ireland that was done in the name of the “Christian” religion.

    I could also spam links to the Christian terrorist groups operating around the world from India to the United States. What would be the point though? We already know there are extremely stupid and violent people out there and that they can and will use religion to excuse their violence and stupidity.

  33. matt says:

    Just a FYI I’m aware that some of those quotes are probably not in the book you read because you seem to be one of the newer age Christians that reads from a heavily edited and modified bible

  34. Southern Hoosier says:

    matt says:
    Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 14:41

    I can also spam this place with links to the bombs and killings in Northern Ireland that was done in the name of the “Christian” religion

    No you can’t. The killing in Northern Ireland was done in the name of Irish Independence. I don’t recall too many Irish invoking the name of Mother Mary as they blew themselves up.

  35. matt says:

    No you can’t. The killing in Northern Ireland was done in the name of Irish Independence. I don’t recall too many Irish invoking the name of Mother Mary as they blew themselves up.

    Ah yes you’re conveniently ignoring the Protestants killing the Catholics and vice versa based purely on their religious choice..

  36. jukeboxgrad says:

    SH:

    Who said it was wrong?

    You did, by citing the sources you’re citing. All the bigoted sources you’re citing take the position that Muslims are more violent than non-Muslims. Too bad the available evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

  37. Southern Hoosier says:

    matt says: Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 14:41

    I could also spam links to the Christian terrorist groups operating around the world from India to the United States. What would be the point though? We already know there are extremely stupid and violent people out there and that they can and will use religion to excuse their violence and stupidity.

    Go for it. Just make sure they are doing it in the name of Christianity and not just because they just happened to be Christians.

    Weekly Jihad Report
    May 28 – Jun. 03
    Jihad Attacks: 29
    Dead Bodies: 169
    Critically Injured: 413

    http://goo.gl/xS8vD
    Show me similar numbers for other religions.

  38. Southern Hoosier says:

    jukeboxgrad says:
    Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 15:30

    SH:

    Who said it was wrong?

    You did, by citing the sources you’re citing. All the bigoted sources you’re citing take the position that Muslims are more violent than non-Muslims. Too bad the available evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

    What evidence is that? Nothing wrong with having your own opinion. even if it is erroneous.

  39. Southern Hoosier says:

    matt says:
    Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 15:28

    No you can’t. The killing in Northern Ireland was done in the name of Irish Independence. I don’t recall too many Irish invoking the name of Mother Mary as they blew themselves up.

    Ah yes you’re conveniently ignoring the Protestants killing the Catholics and vice versa based purely on their religious choice..

    No I didn’t conveniently ignore anything. I just thought it was a given that everyone knew.

    Where the Irish killing Protestants here in America? We had a large Irish population and they would have had plenty of opportunities?

    matt give it up. If the Pope himself would have been sitting on the throne of England the Irish would still have fought for their freedom.

  40. jukeboxgrad says:

    The Gallup poll I cited is not an “opinion.” It was “based on six years of research and more than 50,000 interviews representing 1.3 billion Muslims who reside in more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have sizable Muslim populations. Representing more than 90% of the world’s Muslim community, it makes this poll the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind.”

    Now tell us about the study which was just as large and found contrary results.

  41. matt says:

    Orange Volunteers
    Ulster VOlunteer force
    Loyalist VOlunteer force

    National Liberation Front of Tripura
    Manmasi National Christian Army
    Lord’s Resistance Army

    Here in the good ol USA we still have the KKK which was a protestant white supremacist group that equally hated jews and Catholics along with blacks.

    The Knights Party has been pretty quiet these days
    The ARmy of God has been quite active still
    There’s a ton of various Christian Patriot movements too including the Lambs of Christ and the group called the Concerned Christians (deported from Isreal on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks).
    I still consider the Hutaree to of been somewhat of a problem too

    Surely you’re familiar with the Christian identity movement which includes such wonderful actors such as the Aryan Nations, Aryan Republican Army, Army of God, Phineas Priesthood, and The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord.

    So I mean really you can find all kinds of whack jobs in every religion. What blows my mind is your complete refusal to acknowledge such a simple fact. Instead you slime all Muslims as being the exact same as their extremists while ignoring the fact that there’s just as many if not more extremists in your own religion.

    Seriously stop for a moment and think about the fact that there are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. If all Muslims acted like you claimed the entire world would of been engulfed in fighting long ago..

  42. matt says:

    Just remember kids when ethnoreligious fighting occurs in Ireland they are freedom fighters. IF similar events occur in Iraq they are all terrorists!!!

  43. Southern Hoosier says:

    You two are free to believe whatever you want.

    There is no manne so‥blynd as he that will not see, nor so dull as he that wyll not vnderstande.

    [1551 Cranmer Answer to Gardiner 58]

    Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/there-s-none-so-blind-as-those-who-will-not-see#ixzz1P61d4pBT

    The biggest threat to all civilizations is Islamic liberalism because Islamic liberals fully understand Islamic history but like the deceivers they are; they still desire to Islamize but by Islamic dawah, stealth jihad, and Islamic kitman.

    http://goo.gl/24JNj

  44. jukeboxgrad says:

    SH, it’s funny that you said this: “What evidence is that? Nothing wrong with having your own opinion. even if it is erroneous.”

    Because what I’ve shown is data, and all you’ve shown is opinions. So let us know when you can find a poll larger and more authoritative than the one I cited.

  45. Neil Hudelson says:

    Instead you slime all Muslims as being the exact same as their extremists while ignoring the fact that there’s just as many if not more extremists in your own religion.

    I don’t think Grand Dragon Southern Hoosier is ignoring the Christian extremes. I think he doesn’t believe them to be extreme enough. That is, he’s fine with Christians killing non-Christians. All those groups you posted? The aryan nation, arm of the lord, etcetera? SH has no problem with them, so he doesn’t see them as extremist or terrorists.

  46. CB says:

    The biggest threat to all civilizations is Islamic liberalism because Islamic liberals fully understand Islamic history but like the deceivers they are; they still desire to Islamize but by Islamic dawah, stealth jihad, and Islamic kitman.

    you can write the same distorted, inflammatory polemic about virtually every ideology on this earth, religious or not. despite the occassional nuggets of half truth in these screeds, they are fundamentally prejudiced and deceiving. im not sure why i continue to take you seriously.

  47. Southern Hoosier says:

    im not sure why i continue to take you seriously.

    Because you know I am right and you can’t stand it.

  48. Southern Hoosier says:

    Neil Hudelson says:
    Monday, June 13, 2011 at 11:12
    But I’ve been told that democracy and Islam are anathemas…

    Tell me again about Islam and democracy. LOL

  49. matt says:

    Great you provide a link from PakistanChristian as proof that Islam is the problem yet that very same website is claiming that Srebrenica was really a massacre of Christians….

    So basically what Neil said is true..