Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday rejected Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) call for police to patrol Muslim neighborhoods in the wake of the attacks in Brussels, arguing that “the last thing we need is more polarization,” according to the New York Times.
Kasich told reporters at a press conference that “we don’t want to create divisions where we say, ‘O.K., well your religion, you’re a Muslim, so therefore we’re going to keep an eye on you,'” according to the New York Times.
“We are not at war with Islam; we’re at war with radical Islam,” Kasich said, according to the Times.
Kasich said that the United States cannot alienate Muslims.
“Frankly, for those who want to preserve Islam as a religion that is not at war with the West, we alienate them, how are we supposed to ever get the information we need?” he asked at the press conference, according to the Times.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cruz released a statement calling for “law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
