Tenn. politician calls Islam a ‘cult’

I sometimes miss news happening in the middle of our nation. Tennessee pops up from time to time. Steve McNair’s deadly affair. Anti-Semitism in a Memphis congressional race. Religion NIMBYs around Nashville.

This story from Politics Daily is along the line of the NIMBYs who didn’t want a mosque in their backyard. It concerns comments made by Tenn. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey:

During a campaign stop in Chattanooga earlier this month, Ramsey, a Republican candidate for governor, 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.”

“Now certainly, we do protect our religions, but at the same time this is something we are going to have to face,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey’s comments, which were recorded on video, were made as he answered a question about a proposed mosque and Islamic community center in the town of Murfreesboro, The Associated Press reported.

“Now, you know, I’m all about freedom of religion. I value the First Amendment as much as I value the Second Amendment as much as I value the Tenth Amendment and on and on and on,” Ramsey said. “But you cross the line when they try to start bringing Sharia Law here to the state of Tennessee, to the United States. We live under our Constitution and they live under our Constitution.”

Real nice, Ron. Read the rest here.