Jody Hice, a Republican candidate for a U.S. House seat from Georgia, does not believe that Islam is truly a religion and doesn’t think it should be protected under the First Amendment.

In his book published in 2012, “It’s Now Or Never,” Hice made some anti-Islamic statements, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Although Islam has a religious component, it is much more than a simple religious ideology,” he wrote. “It is a complete geo-political structure and, as such, does not deserve First Amendment protection.”

Hice, a Baptist minister and talk-radio host, also wrote that he believes the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to infiltrate the U.S. to impose Sharia law on the country, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

And in 2011, he made similar anti-Islamic statements during an event with the Coweta County Tea Party Patriots, according to The Citizen.

“Most people think Islam is a religion, It’s not. It’s a totalitarian way of life with a religious component. But it’s much larger. It’s a geo-political system that has governmental, financial, military, legal and religious components. And it’s a totalitarian system that encompasses every aspect of life and it should not be protected [under U.S. law],” he said.

“This is not a tolerant, peaceful religion even though some Muslims are peaceful. Radical Muslims believe that Sharia is required by God and must be imposed worldwide. It’s a movement to take over the world by force. A global caliphate is the objective,” Hice continued.

Hice is running in the Republican primary to replace Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), who ran for the vacant U.S. Senate seat, but lost during the initial primary. Hice placed first in the Republican primary by a narrow margin, and faces Mike Collins in a July runoff election, according to the Journal-Constitution.

[H/t Raw Story]