Pastor At McCain Rally Says "Millions Praying To Allah For McCain's Opponent To Win"

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The atmosphere in Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) rallies are causing more controversy on the campaign trail. A civil rights icon on Saturday accused McCain of "sowing seeds of hatred." The same day, a pastor at a McCain rally called on the "Lord [to] guard your own reputation" because millions of people are praying "to their god - whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah that his [McCain's] opponent wins."

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a leading figure in the American civil rights movement and someone McCain has praised in the past, told Politico, "What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."

Lewis added that George Wallace, a segregationist and former Alabama governor, "never threw a bomb... never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans... Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."

In response, McCain called on Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to condemn the "outrageous and divisive" remarks. The Arizona senator said Lewis's comments were a "a character attack" against him and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "that is shocking and beyond the pale." He added that it was "unacceptable" that "legitimate criticism of Senator Obama's record... could be compared to Governor George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement McCain "or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies." But Burton also added, "John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked... as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for President of the United States 'pals around with terrorists.'"

Burton was referring to the McCain campaign's rejection of remarks by a pastor during a rally in Davenport, Iowa. Pastor Arnold Conrad of the Grace Evangelical Free Church had said during an invocation, according to the Atlantic, "There are millions of people around this world praying to their god - whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah - that his [McCain's] opponent wins... Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day."

Obama has had to fight off persistent rumors that he is a radical Muslim.

Wendy Riemann, McCain's midwest regional communications director, has said in response, "While we understand the important role that faith plays in informing the votes of Iowans, questions about the religious background of the candidates only serve to distract from the real questions in this race about Barack Obama's judgment, policies and readiness to lead as commander in chief."

McCain has launched aggressive attacks on Obama's character in the past week, repeatedly mentioning the Democrat's ties to former 1970s radical Bill Ayers, and asking the question, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" in speeches, interviews and TV ads.

Critics have said such attacks incite supporters to anger, and several reports have documented such incidents. The Wall Street Journal said someone had yelled "Off with his head" during a McCain-Palin rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. It added that in an Ohio rally the same day, a man stood holding a sign saying, "Obama, Osama."

Politico has posted video of a man during a McCain rally in Wisconsin on Thursday saying, "I'm mad. I'm really mad, and what's going to surprise you, it's not about the economy. It's about the socialists taking over our country." A Florida county sheriff also mentioned Obama's middle name, Hussein, during remarks at a Palin rally last week.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds has told ABC, "The tone of this election is not fueling voter outrage... it's that Americans are frustrated knowing that Barack Obama's plans to raise taxes during a down economy."