GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said on Sunday he is open to considering religion as a probable cause to search the emails and phone calls of Syrian refugees entering the United States.
"I personally don’t feel that way, but I would certainly be willing to listen to somebody who had evidence to the contrary," Carson told ABC's
"This Week." "I think that’s one of the problems: We get to our little corners, and we don’t want to listen to anybody."
As the United States prepares for an influx of Syrians fleeing the conflict in their country, many critics have expressed fears that terrorists from the Islamic State (ISIS) or other groups could be infiltrating legitimate refugees.
Last Sunday on
"Meet the Press" Carson said he doesn't believe a Muslim should be elected president. He has since clarified that he wouldn't be concerned if a person with a Muslim background was president if he or she renounced Islamic religious law, known as Sharia. He also said he would be opposed to a Christian who wanted to impose a theocracy as president.
"What we should be talking about is Islam and the tenets of Islam and where do they come from? They come from Sharia," Carson told "This Week" guest host Marth Raddatz. "They come from the Quran. They come from, you know, the life works and examples of Mohammed. They come from the fatwas, which is the writings of scholars."
Carson said he would be open to altering his thinking on the issue, but added, "when you have something that is against the rights of women, against the rights of gays, subjugates other religions and a host of things that are not compatible with our Constitution, why in fact would you take that chance?"
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