Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson sees upside from Muslim criticism

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 215 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks in Greenville, S.C. Carson is refusing to back off his weekend charge that Muslims shouldn’t serve in the presidency. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File) (The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON – As his critics grew louder, Republican White House contender Ben Carson refused Monday to back off his weekend charge that Muslims shouldn't serve in the presidency.

The intensifying political fallout is a distraction at least as the retired neurosurgeon tries to capitalize on recent momentum in the unruly GOP field. But it also highlights a sentiment among voters in both parties who agree with Carson's reluctance to elect a Muslim to the nation's highest office.

Carson's campaign reported strong fundraising and more than 100,000 new Facebook friends in the 24 hours after he told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation."

His campaign manager Barry Bennett told The Associated Press on Monday: "While the left wing is huffing and puffing over it, Republican primary voters are with us at least 80-20."

"People in Iowa particularly, are like, 'Yeah! We're not going to vote for a Muslim either," Bennett said. "I don't mind the hubbub. It's not hurting us, that's for sure."

The head of the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group called on Carson to drop out of the 2016 presidential contest during a Capitol Hill press conference on Monday, declaring him "unfit to lead because his views are in contradiction with the United States Constitution."

"Not long ago, some people thought that a Catholic cannot be a president, an African-American cannot be a president," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic relations. "They were wrong then, and they are wrong now." He cited Article 6 in the Constitution, which states, "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

At least one Republican joined a chorus of Democrats condemning Carson's statement.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that the comment "shows that Dr. Carson is not ready to be commander in chief." The leading Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, addressed the issue Monday on Twitter: "Can a Muslim be President of the United States of America? In a word: Yes. Now let's move on."

While the law is clear, the politics of Muslim culture in America are not. Fourteen years after Islamic extremists executed the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history, a suspicious stance resonates with some voters despite the fact that — as Democratic Sen. Harry Reid put it Monday — "they teach in our schools, fight in our military and serve in Congress."

The U.S. Muslim population is growing, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center, which found the group represented just under 1 percent of the U.S. population.

A June Gallup poll found that 54 percent of Republicans would not vote for a well-qualified Muslim nominee from their own party; 39 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats said the same.

"Carson is not going to lose any votes in a GOP primary with those comments," said GOP strategist John Feehery. "He could probably gain a few."

Indeed, conservatives have repeatedly embraced anti-Muslim sentiment in recent years.

Nineteen states introduced legislation in 2015 to restrict the use of foreign law in state courts, Republican-backed steps largely designed to block the influence of Shariah — the legal framework that regulates many aspects of life based on the Quran and Islamic tradition in some Muslim countries. Nine states have already implemented such laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

And conservatives have consistently tried to link President Barack Obama to Islam throughout his presidency, using imaginary religious ties.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump declined last week to correct a voter who inaccurately stated that Obama is a Muslim. For Trump, the election of a Muslim president was "something that could happen. Would I be comfortable? I don't know if we have to address it right now."

Carson's campaign has no plans to back down from the weekend comments as he returns to the campaign trail on Tuesday.

Asked whether Carson would apologize for offending Muslims, Bennett did not hesitate.

"Good Lord, no," he said.

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AP News Survey Specialist Emily Swanson contributed to this report.