One of the Republican Party’s most-prominent figures blamed the Nice terror attack on gutless Western elites and called for the deportation of every Muslim in the U.S. who supports shariah law.

In an interview Thursday night on Fox News’ Channel’s “Hannity” show, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for the monitoring of mosques and said America’s ruling class is too afraid to do this.

“This is the fault of Western elites who lack the guts to do what is right, to do what is necessary,” he said. “We better rethink the rules, or we’re going to lose the war.”

“You have to monitor the mosques,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is? We should … test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in shariah, they should be deported.”

Shariah is a comprehensive system of laws spelled out in the Koran and other Islamic holy books, theoretically binding on all Muslims. Its application in majority-Muslim countries varies widely, but some, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are overt theocracies. Even in more-secularized countries such as Malaysia, corporal punishments are widely used, the death penalty is common, and criminal offenses include adultery and homosexuality.

Mr. Gingrich is reportedly on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s short list of vice-presidential possibilities. Mr. Trump has also called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration.

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