For nearly 50 minutes, Greenberg, a candidate in the Connecticut 5th District congressional race, chatted with a radio interviewer about his campaign and his beliefs. His remarks on Islam came in the last few minutes of the interview.
Greenberg said he believes the United States is a melting pot of different cultures, but added that Judeo-Christian values are the fiber of the country and what made it great. “They came to the country for what made it great,” Greenberg, 58, said of immigrants.
When the interviewer asked Greenberg if people who don’t share those beliefs also change the country and help make it great, Greenberg said, “perhaps, to a certain extent” and went on to talk about aspects of a religion that found objectionable.
For example, he said he doesn’t believe a mosque should be built near Ground Zero in New York City, and he questioned whether Islam was a religion of peace. “We have to be able to be real about the fact that some folks in that religion are out to kill us,” he said.
When the tadio interviewer questioned his views, Greenberg said people need to be careful. “I think it’s more a blueprint for living one’s life — a cult in many respects,” he said of Islam. “It’s a religion, but it’s also a way of living.”
Although agreeing with the interviewer that Judaism and Christianity are also ways of living, Greenberg said there is a difference. “Judaism and Christianity are very peaceful religions,” he said. “I think they are more peaceful than Islam.”
In a statement issued after Thursday’s interview, Greenberg said that during the interview he was referring to groups and individuals who have interpreted Islam in a way that allows them to commit violence in the name of their religion, such as Al-Qaeda.
“My intent was in no way to disparage millions of peace-loving Muslims who completely reject the actions of extremists and terrorists,” he said.
Heidi Hadsell, president of Hartford Seminary, told The Hartford Courant that Green-berg’s comments go against what the seminary tries to teach its students and the community — tolerance and religious understanding. “I think it is uninformed to call one of the largest religions in the world a cult,” she said.
Hadsell said it would be unfortunate if Greenberg were using Islam to score political points, which she said appears to be common in other parts of the country. If a person is ignorant, that’s one thing, Hadsell said. It is a different story if the person is purposely denigrating the religion, she said.
Mark Silk, director of Trinity College’s Leonard Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, listened to that portion of the interview and said is sounded as if Greenberg’s comments were not well thought out. They could soon be forgotten, he said.
Religion isn’t something that is often used in New England political races any more, Silk said. “It’s pretty much a no-no in Connecticut politics,” he said.
Greenberg will face Justin Bernier, Andrew Roraback and Lisa Wilson-Foley in the 5th District Republican primary August 14.
Roraback and Bernier commented on the statements Greenberg made in the interview.
“I disagree profoundly with Mark Greenberg’s characterization of a religion whose members constitute almost a quarter of the world’s population,” said Roraback, who listed to the interview as it aired. “Rhetoric such as this has no place in local, state or national dialogue.”
Bernier’s comment was similar: “Mark Greenberg sounded ignorant on multiple issues today…. The Republican Party needs a nominee who can speak to the issues beyond vague platitudes and name-calling.”