The Wired Word for 14 January 2007

Reps. Ellison and Goode Meet in "Bridge-Building" Act

The Wired Word for January 14, 2007

In the News

A handshake made news last Thursday, when, on his first day in Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, sought out Rev. Virgil Goode, R-Virginia, on the House floor. The two men, who previously had not met, shook hands and exchanged greetings.

What made this handshake newsworthy was that last month, Goode had issued a letter critical of Ellison's plan to use the Muslim holy book, the Quran (also spelled "Koran"), during his private ceremonial swearing-in, an event that would follow the official group swearing-in that occurs without any religious texts. Most members of Congress use a Bible for their private ceremonies.

In early December, after learning of Ellison's intention to use the Quran, Goode sent a letter to hundreds of voters warning that the election of the first Muslim to Congress was a threat to the nation's traditional values. He wrote that Americans need to adopt strict immigration policies or there would "likely be more Muslims elected to office and demanding use of the Koran."

Ellison is not an immigrant. He was born in the United States and traces his American ancestry back to 1742. He converted to Islam while in college. "I'm an African-American," Ellison said.

Goode's letter was greeted by criticism from some congressional democrats and Muslim Americans, who accused him of bigotry and intolerance. Several pointed out that the Constitution prohibits any religious screening of lawmakers.

On learning of Goode's letter, Ellison refused to be rattled and said, "I'm looking forward to making friends with Rep. Goode, or at least getting to know him."

When the private swearing-in occurred, Ellison used a Quran, on loan from the Library of Congress, that had belonged to Thomas Jefferson. " Jefferson 's Quran dates religious tolerance to the founders of our country," said Ellison spokesman Rick Jauert.

After Thursday's handshake, Ellison asked Goode to join him for a cup of coffee soon and Goode accepted.

"By reaching out to Congressman Goode I'm not trying to be accepted; I'm trying to build bridges," Ellison said. "In this world there are too many misunderstandings. I want to put a human face on things."

Ellison is not the first elected official to use a volume other than the Bible for a swearing-in. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz took her oath in 2005 on a Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Madeleine Kunin placed her hand on Jewish prayer books in 1985 when she was sworn in as governor of Vermont . In 1825, John Quincy Adams took his presidential oath of office on a law book. Two of our presidents were Quakers and only affirmed the oath. Teddy Roosevelt did not use a Bible in his first presidential oath, but did in his second.

More on this story may be found at these links:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/04/congress.muslim/index.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/03/AR2007010300075.html
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/21/quran.congress/index.html
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=7348
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/us/21koran.html?ex=1324357200&en=aaacb563abfea4f2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss