Newt Gingrich Echoes Donald Trump With Remarks on Muslims and Terrorism

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/us/politics/newt-gingrich-terrorism-muslims.html

Version 0 of 1.

Newt Gingrich is clinging to hopes that he might become Donald J. Trump’s running mate, and on Thursday night he offered a fresh take on one of Mr. Trump’s most provocative proposals for combating terrorism, calling for a religious test for all Muslims who wish to remain in the United States.

In an interview with Fox News, after the terrorist attack that left dozens dead in Nice, France, Mr. Gingrich said that American intelligence agencies need to more closely scrutinize mosques and internet chatter. He also said that any Muslim who believes in Sharia law should be required to leave the country.

“Western civilization is in a war,” Mr. Gingrich said. “We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported.”

He added, “Modern Muslims who have given up Sharia, glad to have them as citizens.”

Sharia is Islam’s legal system and serves as a code that Muslims are supposed to follow. It was not clear how such a test would work, but Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker and Georgia congressman, said that Sharia is “incompatible” with Western civilization.

The remarks from Mr. Gingrich came as Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, delayed the announcement of his vice-presidential pick. Mr. Gingrich, along with Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, are said to be the finalists, with Mr. Pence the presumed favorite to accept the Republican running-mate spot if asked.

The call for a religious test on Muslims in the United States has echoes of Mr. Trump’s previous call for a ban on Muslim migration. Mr. Trump has also proposed a moratorium on immigration from countries where terrorism is prevalent and for greater surveillance of mosques, and Mr. Gingrich said on Thursday that he agreed.

“I mean, if you’re not prepared to monitor the mosques, this whole thing is a joke,” Mr. Gingrich said on Thursday in the interview with the Fox host Sean Hannity.

The former House speaker also offered some insight into how he would clamp down on terrorist plots that formulate on the internet, suggesting that it should be a crime to access jihadist websites. And he said that companies that host such sites should also be prosecuted.

“Anybody who goes on a website favoring ISIS or Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups, that should be a felony, and they should go to jail,” Mr. Gingrich said.

Talk of religious tests and internet censorship drew criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups who argue that such actions would violate the Constitution, and Mr. Trump’s original proposal barring Muslims was met with condemnation abroad.

But Mr. Gingrich said it is important to be as hawkish as possible when taking on terrorism.

“Our forces should be used to systematically destroy every internet-based source,” he said. “And frankly, if we can’t destroy them through the internet, we should destroy them with kinetic power, using various weapons starting with Predators and just — frankly, just killing them.”