Congress and the Quran
Keith Ellison has chosen the right
book--for him--for his swearing-in ceremony.
I'm proud to say that Keith Ellison, the first
Muslim elected to Congress, will be representing a district in my state,
Minnesota. There has been an amazing amount of controversy over his decision to
use a Quran instead of a Bible for his ceremonial swearing-in this week. Today
we learned that Ellison has ingeniously chosen to use a Quran that was owned by
Thomas Jefferson.
As I understand it, the "official" swearing-in ceremony for members of Congress is a collective event in which no Bibles or other books are used. Members often have a separate individual ceremony in which they typically use a Bible.
But let's set aside the question of whether the use of a sacred text has any official role in swearing in members of Congress. After all, even a ceremonial role has symbolic importance.
It seems to me that those who want each member of Congress to use a Bible, regardless of his or her own beliefs, are missing (perhaps deliberately) an important point. We want people to "swear on" texts that they individually hold dear. Because I'm a Christian, it would be appropriate for me to use a Bible. If a Quran is more important than a Bible to Keith Ellison, then his swearing on a Quran is a better indication of his sincerity than would be his swearing on a Bible.
Of course, for many of his critics, Ellison's attachment to the Quran is the real issue. They'd simply rather not see Muslims in Congress--or anywhere, perhaps. The good news is that Ellison's election is one indication that many Americans are becoming more accepting of the religious diversity that is supported by our Constitution.
As I understand it, the "official" swearing-in ceremony for members of Congress is a collective event in which no Bibles or other books are used. Members often have a separate individual ceremony in which they typically use a Bible.
But let's set aside the question of whether the use of a sacred text has any official role in swearing in members of Congress. After all, even a ceremonial role has symbolic importance.
It seems to me that those who want each member of Congress to use a Bible, regardless of his or her own beliefs, are missing (perhaps deliberately) an important point. We want people to "swear on" texts that they individually hold dear. Because I'm a Christian, it would be appropriate for me to use a Bible. If a Quran is more important than a Bible to Keith Ellison, then his swearing on a Quran is a better indication of his sincerity than would be his swearing on a Bible.
Of course, for many of his critics, Ellison's attachment to the Quran is the real issue. They'd simply rather not see Muslims in Congress--or anywhere, perhaps. The good news is that Ellison's election is one indication that many Americans are becoming more accepting of the religious diversity that is supported by our Constitution.
Posted: Wed - January 3, 2007 at 09:21 PM by email
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Published On: Feb 25, 2007 07:18 PM
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Published On: Feb 25, 2007 07:18 PM