ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE – Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Ramsey is being criticized by a national Muslim rights group for positing that Islam may be more of a cult than a religion.
At an event in Chattanooga earlier this month, Ramsey said: “You could even argue whether that being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult or whatever you want to call it?”
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Ramsey’s comments are a sign of “a disturbing trend in our nation in which it is suggested that American Muslims should have fewer or more restricted constitutional rights than citizens of other faiths.”