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AMP Report - January 4, 2007
First Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison sworn in
WASHINGTON, January 4, 2007 - Keith Ellison, the first Muslim Congressman, was sworn today, holding his left hand on a leather-bound volume of a Qur'an that was once owned by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. He was sworn in by Nancy Pelosi of California, the first woman House speaker.
Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, held his right hand in the air, placed his left hand on two brown leather-bound volumes of the Qur'an, which were held aloft by his wife, Kim. The historic moment was played out in wood-paneled chamber of the Capitol before hundreds of journalists from around the world.
He learned last month about Jefferson's Quran, with its multicolored cover and brown leather binding, and arranged to borrow it.
Although the Library of Congress is right across the street from the Capitol, library officials took extra precautions in delivering the Quran for the ceremony. To protect it from the elements, they placed the Quran in a rectangular box and handled it with a green felt wrapper once inside the Capitol. Instead of using surface streets, they walked it over via a series of winding, underground tunnels _ a trip that took more than 15 minutes. Guards then ran the book through security machines at the Capitol.
The Quran was acquired in 1815 as part of a more than 6,400-volume collection that Jefferson sold for $24,000 to replace the congressional library that had been burned by British troops the year before, in the War of 1812. Jefferson, the nation's third president, was a collector of books in all topics and languages.
Moments earlier, the 110th Congress was sworn in en masse on the House floor, where Ellison shook hands with Rep. Virgil Goode, a Virginia Republican, who had criticized Ellison for using the Qur'an. In a sharp letter last month that warned of Muslims being elected to office.
Ellison, the first black member of Congress from Minnesota, was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college. He said earlier this week that he chose to use this Quran because it showed that a visionary like Jefferson believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.
In a brief interview with Associated Press today on his way to a vote, Ellison suggested he had tired of the whole issue of his using the Quran.
"It was good, we did it, it's over, and now it's time to get down to business," he said.
Asked if he was relieved to have it behind him, Ellison said, "Yeah, because maybe we don't have to talk about it so much anymore. Not that I'm complaining, but the pressing issues the country is facing are just a little bit more on my mind right now."
"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Congressman Keith Ellison," U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn), whose district has one of the biggest Muslim communities in the U.S., said in a statement. "Being the first Muslim-American to serve is quite a distinction and he will be a good addition to the House membership. The institution will be stronger having him and his voice in the 110th Congress."
In an editorial entitled, “Religious tolerance means allowing oath on Quran,” Indianapolis Star commented today:
“History will be made today when the 110th Congress is sworn in and Keith Ellison of Minnesota becomes the first Muslim member. But some Americans have been outraged by the idea that he will take his oath on the Quran -- even if only in a private ceremony for family and friends.
“Radio talk show host Dennis Prager wrote on townhall.com that Ellison should not be allowed to swear on the Quran "because the act undermines American civilization." Prager declared, "If you are incapable of taking an oath on (the Bible), don't serve in Congress."
“Prager's column reflected not just bigoted ignorance but outright hysteria. If Ellison were allowed to use the Quran, Prager wrote, "he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11."
“Bigotry and hysteria also characterized the words of Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., in his widely publicized letter to a constituent. America is being invaded by Muslim hordes, Goode intimated, and Ellison's use of the Quran will be only the tip of the sword. Goode predicted there will be "many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the (Quran)."….
“Both Prager and Goode demand precisely that which is barred by the Constitution -- a religious test. Fundamentally misunderstanding both the meaning and reasons for religious tolerance, it is they, not Ellison, who undermine the noble values upon which this country was founded,” Indianapolis Star concluded. (Source: Media Reports)
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