Keith Ellison to be sworn in on Thomas Jefferson's old Koran.
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Sweet
03 Jan 2007 03:30 pm
Comments (11)
That's pretty cool. I'm kind of jealous MOCs get to borrow those rare books for things like that. And the whole guy being from his district thing is a nice story.
Per wido's comment, has anyone ever been sworn in on a Jefferson Bible?
Per wido's comment, has anyone ever been sworn in on a Jefferson Bible?
I dunno, but this bit from the Wiki article you link should be more widely known:
For many years copies were given to new members of Congress.
I just learned that the other day from Jaroslav Pelikan's Whose Bible Is It?, and wondered when the practice stopped. I'm guessing the Eisenhower administration ....
It's my understanding that Muslims generally do not regard a translated version as being a Koran at all.
Speaking in Dearborn late Sunday night, the first Muslim elected to Congress told a cheering crowd of Muslims they should remain steadfast in their faith and push for justice.
"You can’t back down, you can’t chicken out, you can’t be afraid, you got to have faith in Allah, and you got to stand up and be a real Muslim," Detroit native Keith Ellison said to loud applause.
"Allahu akbar" — God is great — was the reply of many in the crowd.
Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat elected to the U.S. House, has been the center of a national debate in recent weeks over Islam and its role in politics. Ellison has said he would take his oath of office on the Quran, the Muslim holy book, igniting a storm of criticism from some commentators. And U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, a Republican from Virginia, said in a letter to constituents this month that the election of Ellison and other Muslims poses a danger to the country.
But Ellison said in Dearborn that Muslims can help teach America about justice and equal protection, suggesting that Muslim activists may be part of God’s plan. He spoke at the annual convention of two Muslim groups, the Muslim American Society and the Islamic Circle of North America The convention ended Monday morning.
"Muslims, you’re up to bat right now..." he said. “How do you know that you were not brought right here to this place to learn how to make this world better? How do you know that Allah, sallalahu aleyhi wasallam," (meaning peace be upon him) "did not bring you here so that you could understand how to teach people what tolerance was, what justice was?... How do you know that you’re not here to teach this country?"
The convention, which ends today, drew more than 3,000 Muslims from across the country for an event aimed at revival and reform. It featured workshops and panels on a range of topics from civil rights to politics to how to spread Islam in the U.S. ...
"We had faith in Allah," Ellison said. "And we patiently endured this adversity. And facing adversity bravely and with patience in the faith in Allah is an Islamic value. ... That’s what it means to be a Muslim."
He cautioned though that there might be more anti-Muslim attacks in the future.
"We’re going to continue to face them," Ellison said. "They’re not going to stop right away. But if you, and me too, stick together, if we believe in Allah, sallalahu aleyhi wasallam, if we turn to the Quran for guidance, we’ll find an answer to the questions we have. And we will find that we are an asset and a plus not only to our own community, but to this country, and to this whole world."
Sweet.
How sweet it will be to have a Muslim caucus!
This fucking cult won't be satisfied until it has destroyed everything, with gibbering assholes like Matthew Yglesias nodding their heads and saying, "sweet."
First the war on Christmas, now this Jane. Will the siege ever end?
This swearing in (including full explanation of the provenance of the copy of the Koran used) sounds like ideal fodder for a savvy Middle East public diplomacy piece. One hopes that Karen Hughes's people are trying to get a 60 second slot on al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya etc
Like this solves anything.
Jefferson was a Democrat, you know.
The funny thing is that Jefferson was far too intelligent and well read to be elected in Virginia now, the state of Virgil Goode and George Allen.
I wish the war on Xmas had won. I'm a staunch atheist. Allah is for dickheads, like you.
It must be hard going through life thinking that 97% of people are dickheads. Maybe if you took the love of Jesus Christ into your heart, or submitted to Allah, you wouldn't be so angry all the time, jane.
Comments closed January 17, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
It's J's copy of the meaning of the Koran, not a de-fideized abridged version like his Gospels. Onto self-promotion, all you need to know about this topic can be found at widosnewestblog.blogspot.com
Posted by Wido | January 3, 2007 3:50 PM