Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress who was under attack by Republicans and far right wing commentators for taking his ceremonial oath on the Koran. Not just any Koran, however:
Yet the holy book at tomorrow’s ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We’ve learned that the new congressman — in a savvy bit of political symbolism — will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
“He wanted to use a Koran that was special,” said Mark Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at the Library of Congress, who was contacted by the Minnesota Dem early in December. Dimunation, who grew up in Ellison’s 5th District, was happy to help.
That’s a great idea.
(via Obsidian Wings)
Categories: In the News, Politics
12:09 am | 3 comments
January 17th, 2007 at 10:41 am
The moron doesn’t even know history; Jefferson used the book to know his ENEMY and how to destroy him!!! Electing people who no understanding of history dooms us to repeat it!
January 17th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Right… this is the same Jefferson that said this:
“Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting “Jesus Christ,” so that it would read “A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;” the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”
From: Autobiography (1821), in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom
Sourcing is available at: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
Nice try CJ.
January 17th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
It’s a pretty impressive document: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/42.htm