During a recent interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson claimed that he “absolutely would not agree with” putting a Muslim president in charge of the United States. Later, he said religion could be “probable cause” for domestic surveillance, before lambasting the religion of Islam as being un-American. Carson’s statement reflects concerns of the general public’s concerns about the possibility of a Muslim leader; for years, people have been questioning President Barack Obama’s religious practices, suggesting that he is secretly a Muslim. Perhaps to their disappointment, none of those conspiracy theories were proven to be true, but the visceral reaction to the mere possibility of having a Muslim president reflects the deep-seated Islamophobia that still runs through American politics.

Despite Carson’s appalling remarks, the Constitution clearly states that religion should not be a qualification for any elected officials. Everyone, including Obama, is free to choose any religion, and their right to do so is protected by the Constitution. The real threat to the constitution is Tea Party demagoguery against Muslims and their hostility towards the very freedom they claim to “protect”. For years, those pundits are continuously misleading the American public into focusing on the president’s religious affiliation, which is the last thing to which people should pay attention. Focusing on more important issues, such as economic development, social security and education, is what a responsible citizen and voter should do.

The fear of a Muslim president  also reflects the extent of Islamophobia in our society. When one of John McCain’s supporters labeled Obama an “Arab” during his rally, John McCain responded “no” to her, and said that Obama is “a decent family man.” Senator McCain had done a good job in telling the truth that Obama is not a Muslim — or an “Arab” — but on the other hand, his suggesting that being a Muslim is inconsistent with being a “decent family man” is inappropriate, to say the least. Bigots and ungrounded hostilities towards the Muslim community has been growing constantly during recent years, and especially during election seasons. Contrary to what Peter King says, there are not too many mosques in this country; rather, there are too many politicians such as King and Sarah Palin conflating Islam with violence and using the same old rhetoric to slander Muslims to appeal to people’s emotions. These acts Islamophobia should neither be blindly accepted nor ignored.

The president surely can be a Muslim and that does not matter. What matters is the president’s ability to bring positive changes to the nation. What matters is society’s inclusion and acceptance of different cultures that may be drastically different from its own. What matters is, as educated and responsible citizens, our affirmation of the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal,” regardless of what they believe in.

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Email Haomiao Han at [email protected].