A Republican U.S. Senate candidate who's also a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice called Islam a "false" religion during a speaking engagement Monday — and the state's Council on American-Islamic Relations was none too pleased.
After a question about concerns that Shariah law could become a reality in the United States, Roy Moore pulled no punches, AL.com reported.
"False religions like Islam, who teach that 'you must worship this way,' are completely opposite with what our First Amendment stands for," he told attendees at the North Jefferson County Republican Club gathered at Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q in Gardendale, AL.com added.
But once CAIR found out, they fired right back.
"Statements that espouse Islamophobia and cast out fellow Alabamians, implying that they do not have the same rights under the law, are un-American," CAIR-Alabama Executive Director Khaula Hadeed said in a statement Tuesday, the outlet reported. "We invite Judge Roy Moore to visit a mosque, meet with Alabamian Muslims, and learn about their Islamic faith and about the Muslim constituents he intends to serve as a representative. As a candidate for Senate, this is perhaps the best time for him to do so."
She also cited a verse from the Quran that she said called on Muslims to answer hurtful acts with kindness, AL.com said, and insisted that those who follow Islam are no different than Americans who adhere to other religions.
"We wake up every morning wanting the same things as our fellow citizens of other faiths. We work hard, raise families, give back, and watch football (in that order)," Hadeed added, the outlet said. "We are not ashamed to be Muslims or follow the teachings of our faith, a right guaranteed under the Constitution."
