The Southern Poverty Law Center has
removed Dr. Ben Carson from its "Extremist Files," citing "intense criticism" in recent days.
A statement on the group's website now replaces Carson's "Extremist File" page, where quotes he made opposing same-sex marriage were cited as the reason for including him with Ku Klux Klan members, skinheads and other white supremacists.
"In October 2014, we posted an 'Extremist File' of Dr. Ben Carson. This week, as we've come under intense criticism for doing so, we've reviewed our profile and have concluded that it did not meet our standards, so we have taken it down and apologize to Dr. Carson for having posted it," the statement on the group's website reads.
But the group didn't completely back down, noting "We've also come to the conclusion that the question of whether a better-researched profile of Dr. Carson should or should not be included in our 'Extremist Files' is taking attention from the fact that Dr. Carson has, in fact, made a number of statements that express views that we believe most people would conclude are extreme."
The statements in question are then listed.
"We laud Dr. Carson for his many contributions to medicine and his philanthropic work, and we, like so many others, are inspired by his personal story," the statement reads. "Nevertheless, particularly because Dr. Carson is such a prominent person, we believe that his views should be closely examined."
Carson is widely expected to run for president as a Republican in 2016.
"I want to thank all the people who have spoken up in my behalf," Carson said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's
"The O'Reilly Factor." "I think it's obviously quite ridiculous.
The SPLC, based in Montgomery, Alabama, describes itself as a civil rights organization, and includes on its "Hate Map" what many on the right consider to be simply conservative groups, including the Family Research Council.
The SPLC's list has worked to shut people up because they are afraid they might end up on their list, Carson told Fox News.