op ed
Jan. 7, 2007, 10:27PM
LEONARD PITTS JR.
I swear, what kind of country is this?
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
On Monday, Keith Ellison took his ceremonial oath of office as a Democratic representative from Minnesota using Thomas Jefferson's Quran. From this, we learn this surprising fact: Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran.
Which probably shouldn't surprise us at all. Jefferson was renowned for his restless intellect and wide-ranging interests. Still, one hopes the tacit reminder that Jefferson didn't fear the Quran will silence those who have condemned Ellison's decision to use that book for his swearing-in. One hopes, but one doesn't expect.
After all, the objections raised by the congressman's critics aren't exactly steeped in logic. Conservative columnist Dennis Prager, claiming that Ellison's decision "undermines American civilization," said people of other faiths have taken their oaths using Christian Bibles. If you can't do that, he said, you shouldn't be allowed to serve in Congress.
Prager was echoed by a blowhard chorus. Virgil Goode, R-Va., warned constituents that unless we get tough on immigration, we'll see many more Muslim congressmen demanding to use Qurans. The American Family Association called for a law requiring the use of Bibles at swearing-in ceremonies.(I see that beyond hampering GLBT rights they are also more general bigots)
Roy Moore, known for the Ten Commandments rock at the Alabama courthouse, topped them all. He cited the constitutional principle of freedom of religion "without interference by government" in demanding Congress prevent Ellison from taking the oath on a Quran.
In the first place, Moore's argument refutes itself so effectively he must have been drinking when he wrote it.
Second, what does immigration have to do with it? Ellison was born in Detroit.
Third, I doubt his election presages a flood of Muslims in Congress, but if that happened, it would be because a majority of voters wanted it. Isn't that the very definition of democracy?
In the fourth place, this isn't the first time a politician has declined to take his oath on a Bible. Presidents John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover opted not to use Bibles. Jewish lawmakers have used Jewish holy books (the Tanahk). Gordon Smith of Oregon, carried a volume of Mormon scriptures that included the Bible and the Book of Mormon at his swearing-in ceremony in 1997. Prager has said nothing about Hawaii’s Rep-elect Mazie Hirono decision not to use the Bible or any sacred book in her oath ceremonies. (Hirono alongside Georgia’s Hank Johnson are the first Buddhists elected to the US Congress.) President Franklin Pierce declined an oath altogether.
In the fifth place, it's stupid to require a man to take an oath on a book that has no meaning for him.
In the sixth place, what does it tell you that we're even having this conversation?
It tells me that there has always been a strain of intolerance in the American character, a reactionary streak that denies American values under the guise of defending them. That strain rises periodically, inflamed by demagogues and opportunists like Charles Coughlin in the '30s and Joe McCarthy in the '50s, but it feels stronger and less abashed now than it has in years. It's paradoxical that the same nation that speaks of electing Condoleezza Rice or Barack Obama to the presidency can also speak of denying Ellison his office because he is a Muslim. That's just the kind of country we are, I'm afraid. Not always sufficiently brave. So Muslims - doesn't matter whether we're talking Middle East crazies or a Midwest politician - become the latest brand name of our fears. Some people claim to defend American values they're too fainthearted to even understand.
And yet, this week, a Muslim put his hand on Jefferson's Quran and swore to serve the people of his district. Then he shook Goode's hand and invited him to have coffee.
Thank goodness we're that sort of country, too.
lpitts@herald.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_Oath_Controversy_of_the_110th_United_States_Congress
LEONARD PITTS JR.
I swear, what kind of country is this?
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
On Monday, Keith Ellison took his ceremonial oath of office as a Democratic representative from Minnesota using Thomas Jefferson's Quran. From this, we learn this surprising fact: Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran.
Which probably shouldn't surprise us at all. Jefferson was renowned for his restless intellect and wide-ranging interests. Still, one hopes the tacit reminder that Jefferson didn't fear the Quran will silence those who have condemned Ellison's decision to use that book for his swearing-in. One hopes, but one doesn't expect.
After all, the objections raised by the congressman's critics aren't exactly steeped in logic. Conservative columnist Dennis Prager, claiming that Ellison's decision "undermines American civilization," said people of other faiths have taken their oaths using Christian Bibles. If you can't do that, he said, you shouldn't be allowed to serve in Congress.
Prager was echoed by a blowhard chorus. Virgil Goode, R-Va., warned constituents that unless we get tough on immigration, we'll see many more Muslim congressmen demanding to use Qurans. The American Family Association called for a law requiring the use of Bibles at swearing-in ceremonies.(I see that beyond hampering GLBT rights they are also more general bigots)
Roy Moore, known for the Ten Commandments rock at the Alabama courthouse, topped them all. He cited the constitutional principle of freedom of religion "without interference by government" in demanding Congress prevent Ellison from taking the oath on a Quran.
In the first place, Moore's argument refutes itself so effectively he must have been drinking when he wrote it.
Second, what does immigration have to do with it? Ellison was born in Detroit.
Third, I doubt his election presages a flood of Muslims in Congress, but if that happened, it would be because a majority of voters wanted it. Isn't that the very definition of democracy?
In the fourth place, this isn't the first time a politician has declined to take his oath on a Bible. Presidents John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover opted not to use Bibles. Jewish lawmakers have used Jewish holy books (the Tanahk). Gordon Smith of Oregon, carried a volume of Mormon scriptures that included the Bible and the Book of Mormon at his swearing-in ceremony in 1997. Prager has said nothing about Hawaii’s Rep-elect Mazie Hirono decision not to use the Bible or any sacred book in her oath ceremonies. (Hirono alongside Georgia’s Hank Johnson are the first Buddhists elected to the US Congress.) President Franklin Pierce declined an oath altogether.
In the fifth place, it's stupid to require a man to take an oath on a book that has no meaning for him.
In the sixth place, what does it tell you that we're even having this conversation?
It tells me that there has always been a strain of intolerance in the American character, a reactionary streak that denies American values under the guise of defending them. That strain rises periodically, inflamed by demagogues and opportunists like Charles Coughlin in the '30s and Joe McCarthy in the '50s, but it feels stronger and less abashed now than it has in years. It's paradoxical that the same nation that speaks of electing Condoleezza Rice or Barack Obama to the presidency can also speak of denying Ellison his office because he is a Muslim. That's just the kind of country we are, I'm afraid. Not always sufficiently brave. So Muslims - doesn't matter whether we're talking Middle East crazies or a Midwest politician - become the latest brand name of our fears. Some people claim to defend American values they're too fainthearted to even understand.
And yet, this week, a Muslim put his hand on Jefferson's Quran and swore to serve the people of his district. Then he shook Goode's hand and invited him to have coffee.
Thank goodness we're that sort of country, too.
lpitts@herald.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_Oath_Controversy_of_the_110th_United_States_Congress