Lindsey Graham tells Muslims: 'You are not the enemy, your religion is not the enemy'

Sen. Lindsey Graham.
(Image credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

During the Republican presidential candidate undercard debate Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) had a message for Muslims in the U.S. military.

"There are at least 3,500 American Muslims serving in the armed forces," he said. "Thank you for your service. You are not the enemy, your religion is not the enemy." Graham made his comments after former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he believes law enforcement officials should go into mosques to listen to what is being said, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum announced: "Islam is different. Islam is not just a religion. It is also a political governing structure. The fact of the matter is that Islam is a religion, but it is also Sharia Law. It is a civil government, and it is also a form of government. So the idea that that is protected under the First Amendment is wrong, and in fact, the political structure is what is the big problem."

Graham said that Muslim soldiers are "the solution, not the problem," and that people need to leave "the faith alone, and go after the radicals that kill us all." Earlier in the debate, Graham said that fellow candidate Donald Trump was wrong when he called for a ban on letting Muslims into the United States. "Donald Trump has done the one single thing you cannot do: declare war on Islam itself," he said. "[ISIS] would be dancing in the streets, they just don't believe in dancing." 


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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.