For the sanctity of religion and the integrity of our democracy, religious leaders should avoid entangling houses of worship with partisan politics. Clergy must be free to speak about important issues of the day, and they should provide moral guidance to their congregations, but they lose credibility when they tie themselves to specific candidates.

The Framers of the Constitution had learned the hard way that establishing official religions in nations or colonies was bad for religion and bad for government. That’s why they established religious freedom and separation of religion and government as our First Freedom. Mixing religion and public policy is bad for both, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. If a “spiritual guide” or extremist religious organization influences a candidate’s foreign policy—or any public policy—that becomes the concern of citizens and the voters have a right to know that before voting.

In October 2002, five months before President George W. Bush chose to preemptively invade and occupy Iraq, I wrote to him with my concerns about the influence of Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell on his foreign policy. In visits to the White House and elsewhere, both Graham and Falwell made disparaging, hateful remarks regarding the American Muslim community, the religion of Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed.

In my letter, I humbly made two requests of President Bush: “First, please divorce yourself from Muslim-bashing rhetoric and assure American devotees of Islam and other members of the interfaith community that you do not condone nor will you tolerate such hate-laced and erroneous speech.

“Second, please assure the American people that you are not developing foreign policy on the basis of a fundamentalist biblical theology that requires cataclysm in Israel in order to guarantee the return of Christ and the conversion of Jews. If you do not take the initiative in offering such assurance, a linkage between you and the kind of radical thought related to Islam, Israel, and a particular interpretation of Christian apocalyptic scriptures will continue at the expense of weakening the moral authority of the White House.”

The White House did not respond to my letter.

Because the extremist beliefs of Hagee and Parsley are in line with those of Graham and Falwell, it is imperative that Senator McCain reject their endorsements and reassure the American people that he would not allow them or anyone else to move him toward an apocalyptic foreign policy.

And no, Islam should not be an issue in this presidential campaign, nor should Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion.