Perkins clarifies 'evil' Islam remarks

On "Parker Spitzer," conservative Tony Perkins clarifies recent comments on literal teachings of Islam and terrorism. 

Update: NPR 'regrets' how it fired Juan Williams

Here's a transcript of the complete interview:

SPITZER: Our next guest says NPR's decision to fire Juan Williams is political correctness run amuck. Tony Perkins is a conservative activist and the president of the Family Research Council. He joins us tonight from Dallas.

Tony, thank you so much for being with us.

TONY PERKINS, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: Good evening.

SPITZER: Pleasure to have you mere. Now, I think there's a general consensus at this point in time that NPR's actions were in fact wrong and whether it was political correctness or not, we'll have to sort out in due course, but I want to go back a month to a statement you made at the moment of the pastor in Florida was going to burn the Koran, something that was also rejected by many, including you. But in rejecting it, you also said that Islam is evil. And I have the quotation right here in front of me if you want me to give you more of it. Do you stand by that, Islam is evil, perspective?

PERKINS: I think when you look at the teachings of Islam and those who have taken it and its literal interpretation; they have perpetrated great evils upon society. Now, not every Muslim is evil and not every Muslim is a terrorist but if you look at what has happened in our nation in the last 10 years going back, the terrorist attacks that have been perpetrated against our country have been by Muslims.

SPITZER: But I'm asking you, you individually, if you stand by the notion that Islam, the entire religion is evil, which is what you said here, as opposed to the notion that there are certain individuals within who are practitioners who may be extremists and they are evil. Are you saying that about the entire religion? PERKINS: The teachings of Islam, when they're taken as I just said - restate myself - when the teachings of Islam are taken literally, it is not like Christianity to love your neighbor, you're to bring your neighbor into subjection and in those that have literally carried out the teachings of Islam, a great evil has been perpetrated on society.

PARKER: Well, I think we would agree that one can interpret any religion in a way that could be construed as evil if you exercise those things in literal terms. But let's shift gears a minute. When you want to talk about gays in the military? Do you think that's a threat to the national security to have gays openly serving in the military?

PERKINS: What I have said on that was that the ruling by Judge Virginia Phillips, in California, who overstepped a district level judge who ignored the four service chiefs who said don't change this policy, when overstepped Congress and forced the military to begin allowing homosexuality openly in the military, that yes, allowing judicial activism at that level is a threat to national security. What I have said specifically when it comes to open homosexuality in the military is what the military chiefs have said is that they're concerned about what that would do in compromising the military's mission.

SPITZER: Well, let's continue that one step beyond because I think you would agree the likelihood is that the chiefs are going to recommend unless the issue is resolved before then that, certainly by the end of the year. And in fact, the military repeal and can exceed to Congress' request saying "Don't ask, Don't Tell" should be...

PERKINS: I don't agree to that.

SPITZER: You don't think they're going?

PERKINS: I don't agree to that. The four service chiefs have been very resolute in saying that this is not the time in midst of two wars to use the military for some kind of social experiment. That this is not the time to do this, we have too much on the plate. Too much is at risk. So I don't think the chiefs will say that.

SPITZER: We will wait and see. I think the chairman of the joint chiefs has taken a different view and seems to be suggesting that...

PERKINS: Right, is a political appointee.

SPITZER: Well, no, but he speaks for the military. So, I think the military is likely through its senior commander is going to probably say, we should, in fact, do away with don't ask, don't tell. Once he says that will you be happy to go along with the repeal of that policy?

PERKINS: No, because the difference here is that Admiral Mullins does not have operational control of the military. The four service chiefs are the ones who are actually responsible for overseeing the minimum the men and women who server in uniform. Those are the four that have said now is not the time to change this policy. Others have said don't change it, especially those that have frontline responsibilities. So, you've got Admiral Mullins and you have the secretary of state.

SPITZER: Well, was there not - I'm sorry. Wasn't there the same hesitancy when the military was desegregated?

PERKINS: No, it's a totally different issue.

SPITZER: You need to do this.

PERKINS: No, totally different issue. What you have here is you interject into a small unit environment a sexual tension. And we just saw Congress had a hearing last year on sexual assaults in the military. And amazingly, what the data showed was that the homosexuals were three times more likely to be involved in these sexual assaults even though they represented a very small portion of the military.

SPITZER: Well look, I'm not familiar with that data that you were simply referring to, but in every other context in society where we have seen people more willing to be open and forthright about their sexual preference what it has led to is an easing of tensions rather than what you're describing, which is an exacerbation of tensions.

PERKINS: It's a different environment.

SPITZER: Look, we'll go over the numbers some other time and hope you'll join us again. Thank you Tony, for being here.