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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (KMSP) - A 12-year-old middle school student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota has a message for Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson. Yusuf Dayur wants Carson to know “I will become the first Muslim president, and you will see that when I become president, I will respect people of all faiths, all colors and all religions.”
Carson is facing backlash for comments he made on NBC’s Meet the Press, saying ““I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.”
Yusuf Dayur’s message to Ben Carson quickly gained more than 100,000 views on Facebook:
“President Carson, what if someone told you that you couldn’t become president because of your color? What if someone told you that you couldn’t become president because of your race? What if someone told you that you couldn’t become president because of your faith? And that’s what you did to me.
“I wanted to become president since I was 2, 3 years old, when I barely knew how to walk. I was going to preschool. I would brag to my little tiny friends that I’m going to become president one day.
“You basically shattered my dreams, because you said that a Muslim cannot become president. People back in the 60s, 70s, during slavery – people said that black people couldn’t become president.
“Guess what? I’m black and I’m Muslim. I already broke that black boundary, and I will break the Muslim boundary. I will become the first Muslim president, and you will see that when I become president, I will respect people of all faiths, all colors and all religions. It doesn’t matter if they’re a Jew, if they’re Muslim, if they’re Hindu, if they’re atheist. It doesn’t matter if they’re Christian, it doesn’t matter if they still believe in Greek or Roman mythology. I don’t care. They’re still human beings, and we should treat them with respect. And obviously you don’t know what respect is.
“My name is Yusuf Dayur, and guess what? I don’t care what you say. Because I will become president."
Carson, in a Sept. 21 Facebook post, clarified his comments:
The first issue I want to deal with tonight is the stories today about my comments yesterday when I was asked if I would support a hypothetical Muslim candidate for President. I responded “I would not advocate for that” and I went on to say that many parts of Sharia Law are not compatible with the Constitution. I was immediately attacked by some of my Republican peers and nearly every Democrat alive. Know this, I meant exactly what I said. I could never support a candidate for President of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central tenant of Islam: Sharia Law.
Those Republicans that take issue with my position are amazing. Under Islamic Law, homosexuals – men and women alike – must be killed. Women must be subservient. And people following other religions must be killed.
I know that there are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenants are fully renounced…I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President.