James Talarico Declines to Say Whether Allah Is Non-Binary Also
AUSTIN — U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico declined Tuesday to state whether Allah is non-binary like the Christian God is, according to him.
The question was posed by a reporter after a campaign event. Talarico paused, then said he would not characterize the matter. He looked around for any signs of Muslims in the crowd before providing a non-answer.
“I am not going to speak to that,” Talarico said. “People have different understandings.”
His campaign later issued a written statement confirming that Talarico does not take a position on the gender of Allah. The statement noted that he supports the right of individuals to hold varying views and does not intend to issue further clarification. It did not address whether the question had been anticipated.
Talarico has previously answered questions on other topics during the Senate race. In those cases he provided short descriptions of his positions. Aides said the current subject falls outside the issues he has chosen to discuss in detail.
Opponents circulated the exchange within hours. One rival account posted the video with the caption that Talarico had been asked a direct question and had not supplied a direct answer. Talarico’s office did not respond to that post.
The candidate is scheduled to appear at two additional events this week. Staff said questions on the same subject will be referred to the written statement. Talarico has not indicated whether his position will change before early voting ends. He remains on the Senate ballot.
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