Ben Carson Says Muslim Would Need to Renounce Some Aspects of Faith Before Becoming President

2016 presidential hopeful Ben Carson has clarified his recent comments regarding a Muslim president, saying in a recent interview that a Muslim would have to "subjugate" some aspects of their Islamic faith to adhere to the U.S. Constitution.

Carson made his recent comments in an interview with ABC News, saying that if a Muslim were to become president, the politician would have to "subjugate" some Islamic teachings that don't fall in line with the values of the U.S. Constitution.

The retired neurosurgeon told the media outlet that there are tenants of Islam that are "against the rights of women, against the rights of gays," adding that the religion "subjugates other religions, and [advocates] a host of things that are not compatible with our constitution." 

Carson came under fire recently for saying that the American people should not elect a Muslim president. The 2016 presidential hopeful then followed up on his comments in a subsequent Facebook post, saying "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 was asked if his recent comments extend to all Muslim Americans at a recent weekend event in Northern Virginia.

"In our system, we get a chance to evaluate people, frequently over a long period of time, so anybody has the right to advocate for anybody they want to, based on their own judgment. There is nothing that says you must advocate this person or that person; we get to choose who we want to advocate for," Carson responded.