Report: Cain pulled controversial pastor from campaign event

{mosads}The Rev. O’Neal Dozier, the pastor of the Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano Beach, has in the past warned about the dangers of Islam, Mormonism, women in leadership positions, same-sex marriage and abortion.

When Hillary Clinton was campaigning for the Democratic nomination in late 2007, Dozier said a Clinton presidency would weaken marriages by bolstering feminism.

“This is a bad time for America to appoint a woman as president of the United States of America,” he added. “And the reason this is a bad time is because we’re fighting Islamic fascism. And Islam has absolutely no respect for women. And to have a woman in that position, as a commander in chief of the military and the head of the free world, I’m afraid would cause the Islamic fascists, and the Islamic community to look at America as a weak nation.”

Cain has been under fire for his views on Islam. In an interview published on Monday in GQ, Cain said he believed a majority of Muslims hold “extremist views,” and earlier this year he said he wouldn’t be “comfortable” appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet.

He’s also had to defend himself against sexual harassment allegations made by four women from his time as president at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, as well as some questionable jokes that followed.

In the same GQ interview, Cain said that if his GOP presidential opponent, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), was an ice cream, her flavor would be “tutti-frutti.” He also referred to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as “Princess Nancy” during a debate, but later apologized.

Dozier told the Sun-Sentinel that “a woman from the Cain campaign” informed him at the last minute that he wouldn’t be giving the invocation, but said that he wasn’t given a reason for the switch.

“Why was I kicked to the curb?” Dozier said. “I want to find out if it came directly from Herman Cain … If it came from Herman Cain, I’m not going to be supporting him anymore.”

Cain’s Florida campaign spokesman Ignacio Ortiz told the Sun Sentinel that Dozier was likely invited by local supporters, but that the national campaign had different ideas.

An email to the Cain campaign and a phone call to the Worldwide Christian Center were not returned.