Inspired by reports that the African nation of Angola had outlawed the religion of Islam and begun dismantling mosques, Bryan Fischer called for similar steps to be taken in America.

Though the claims turned out to be false, Fischer said on his radio program yesterday that under the Constitution as it was originally written, individual states have the freedom and power to declare Islam to be illegal and prohibit Muslims from practicing it or building mosques.

“Angola has made Islam illegal in the country,” Fischer said, “and they are dismantling mosques. Mosques are illegal and they are dismantling the mosques that already exist; they’re taking them down … And you ask yourself the question, well, can we do that here? Could we do that in the United States? Could we make Islam illegal, could we prohibit the building of mosques, and the answer is yes!”