![Ellison-20070104](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Ellison-20070104.jpg)
In mid-November 2006, it was reported that
Keith Ellison, the first
Muslim ever elected to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, would take his
oath of office (as a
representative
Representative may refer to:
Politics
* Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
* House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
* Legislator, som ...
for
Minnesota's 5th congressional district
Minnesota's 5th congressional district is a geographically small urban and suburban congressional district in Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey countie ...
) with his hand on the
Qurʻan. In reaction to the news,
right-wing media pundit
Dennis Prager
Dennis Mark Prager (; born August 2, 1948) is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''The Dennis Prager Show''. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which creates five- ...
criticized the decision in his November 28, 2006, column titled "America, not Keith Ellison, decides what book a Congressman takes his oath on," saying, "What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book."
The column attracted national attention from supporters of both Ellison and Prager. Presented with the fact that all members of the House swear in (or affirm) ''en masse'' without the use of any religious text, and that such works are only used in ceremonial reenactments afterwards, Prager stated "That's the whole point: It's exactly because it's ceremonial that it matters."
The controversy became more heated when Rep.
Virgil Goode
Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 5th congressional district of Virginia between 1997 and 2009. He was initially a Democrat, but b ...
(R–VA) issued a letter to his constituents stating his view that Ellison's decision to use the Qurʻan is a threat to "the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America ... if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."
Goode's foray into the controversy caused many other members of Congress to weigh in.
Ellison went on to use the English translation of a Qurʻan owned by
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
,
George Sale's ''Alcoran of Mohammed'', for the swearing-in ceremony.
[
]
Constitutional provisions
The
Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
states "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" (
Article VI, section 3) and at least four Presidents have not been sworn in on a Bible.
In his December 5, 2006 article on the subject Prager denied that he was promoting a de facto religious test, despite his position that Ellison should not be allowed to take his oath on the Qurʻan.
Law Professor
Eugene Volokh
Eugene Volokh (; born February 29, 1968 as Yevhen Volodymyrovych Volokh ( uk, Євге́н Володимирович Волох)) is an American legal scholar known for his scholarship in American constitutional law and libertarianism as well as ...
noted that the Constitution states officials "'shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required ...' The option of giving an affirmation rather than oath ...
howsthe Constitution thus already expressly authorizes people not to swear at all, but to affirm, without reference to God or to a sacred work. Atheists and agnostics are thus protected, as well as members of certain Christian groups
uch_as_Quakers.html" ;"title="Quakers.html" ;"title="uch as Quakers">uch as Quakers">Quakers.html" ;"title="uch as Quakers">uch as Quakers
[Quakers, anabaptists, and a number of other Christian groups refuse to take oaths, based upon the prohibition by Jesus, as reported in Matthew 5:34-37.] Why would Muslims and others not be equally protected from having to perform a religious ritual that expressly invokes a religion in which they do not believe?"
Mazie Hirono
Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of t ...
(D–HI), who is a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, announced that she would use the affirmation option and without the use of any religious text in the swearing-in ceremony.
Use of other texts for oath of office
Although Prager claimed that swearing in with a Bible is a "tradition that has been unbroken since
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
",
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
took the presidential oath on a law volume containing a copy of the Constitution in 1825, and in 1853,
Franklin Pierce affirmed the oath rather than swearing it.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
used no Bible in taking his first oath of office in 1901, but did in 1905.
Other sources have noted that after
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
was assassinated, a Catholic
missal was used, as no Bible could be found when
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
(who was not Catholic, but a
Disciple of Christ) had to assume the Presidency.
[
]
The
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
notes that "As the first
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
-elected president, Kennedy was the first to use a Catholic (
Douay-Rheims) version of the Bible for his oath."
Prager rescinds call for Ellison not to serve
Although Prager previously wrote that Ellison should not be allowed to use the Qurʻan for his swearing-in ceremony and that he should not serve in Congress if he was "incapable of taking an oath on that book
he Bible"
he subsequently stated in a telephone interview with the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
that he did not think Ellison should be banned from serving. "I don't think anything legal should be done about this."
In an interview with ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
''
's Andrea Stone, Prager indicated that he would continue to write and speak about his opinion that Ellison and others should not use the Qurʻan for swearing-in ceremonies while acknowledging that legally preventing Ellison from using the Qurʻan could be unconstitutional. Prager said "I'm not arguing legality. I'm arguing what you should do."
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council's resolution
Because of his part in the controversy, the
Council on American–Islamic Relations
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. It is headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with regional offices nationwide. Through civil rights actions, media relations, civic enga ...
(CAIR) called for Prager to be removed from the council overseeing the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hi ...
. CAIR's executive director said, "No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views should be in a policymaking position at a taxpayer-funded institution that seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has had, and continues to have, on every society".
Some members of the Memorial Council like
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was ma ...
were vocal in advocating his removal. In the end the executive committee of the council issued a resolution that the Council "disassociates itself from Mr. Prager's statements as being antithetical to the mission of the
olocaustMuseum as an institution promoting tolerance and respect for all peoples regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity".
[
]
Impact of Rep. Virgil Goode
A new level of gravity came to the controversy when responding to "a flood of e-mails from constituents"
about Ellison's oath, fifth term Representative
Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R–VA) issued a letter on the matter. Goode wrote "When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran ... I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped."
Goode's letter generated much criticism from Muslim-American advocacy groups and from his fellow United States legislators. Among those critical of Goode, were Reps.
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D–NJ),
Jim Moran
James Patrick Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, and as the U.S. representative for (including the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington ...
(D–VA),
Mike Honda
Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda (born June 27, 1941) is an American politician and former educator. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017.
Initially involved in education in California, he first became active in ...
(D-CA),
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...
(D–IL), and
Nancy Pelosi (D–CA) plus Senators
Bob Menendez (D–NJ) and
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on ...
(R–SC).
Goode's spokesman, Linwood Duncan, said "no apology was forthcoming, and that the congressman stands by the letter."
Thomas Jefferson's Qurʻan
On January 3, 2007, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' announced that Ellison "will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson" lent to him by "the rare book and special collections division at the Library of Congress".
Mark Dimunation, head of the rare book and special collections division at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
(and former resident of the Congressional District Ellison now represented) said he was contacted early in December 2006 by Ellison, who told him "He wanted to use a Qur'an that was special."
Ellison spokesman Rick Jauert said "Keith is paying respect not only to the founding fathers' belief in religious freedom but the Constitution itself."
Ellison, who was originally told about the Qurʻan from an anonymous letter, spoke to the Associated Press in a phone interview. He said that using Jefferson's Qurʻan makes a point:
Opening day of the 110th Congress
Ellison at interfaith service
On January 4, 2007, before the first session of the 110th Congress, Ellison at a multi-faith prayer service recited verse
al-Hujurat
Al-Hujurat ( ar, الحُجُرات, The Chambers) is the 49th chapter (''surah'') of the Quran with 18 verses ('' āyāt''). The chapter contains etiquette and norms to be observed in the Muslim community, including the proper conduct towards ...
49:13 : "O People! Behold, We have created you male and female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing."
Ceremonial reenactment
After the members of the 110th House of Representatives were sworn in ''en masse'', Ellison was the first Representative scheduled to have his picture taken with the new Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi. Though the Library of Congress is directly across the street from the Capitol, Thomas Jefferson's Qurʻan took fifteen minutes to arrive as it was brought through "a long, winding underground route via tunnels ... to protect the Quran from the elements".
Once inside the Capitol, the Qurʻan was placed in a rectangular box, and handled with a green felt wrapper when guards ran the book through security x-ray machines.
Ellison was impressed by the two-volume set, saying "Look at that. That's something else. Oh my God. This is great." A few minutes later, Nancy Pelosi arrived and photos of a ceremonial reenactment oath were taken. There were so many of Ellison's family in attendance that the ceremony was done in two takes. Among his family was his mother Clida Ellison who thought that the controversy had a positive effect, "because many people in America are going to learn what the diversity of America is all about". Clida Ellison noted that she is a practicing Roman Catholic who goes to Mass every day. Ellison expressed his satisfaction that the controversy was behind him:
Aftermath
On December 12, 2017,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
Senate candidate
Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fr ...
's spokesman, Ted Crockett, was interviewed on
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, defending Moore's statement that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
based on the inaccurate belief that all incoming members of Congress are legally required to swear their oath of service on a
Christian Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. The interviewer,
Jake Tapper
Jacob Paul Tapper (born March 12, 1969) is an American journalist, author, and cartoonist. He is the lead Washington anchor for CNN, hosts the weekday television news show '' The Lead with Jake Tapper'', and co-hosts the Sunday morning public a ...
, informed Crockett that this is not true and incoming members may choose to swear their oath on a
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' elaborated that "Mr. Ellison, or anyone else, could have also used a comic book, a lesser Shakespeare play, or nothing at all."
On January 3, 2019,
Ilhan Omar, Ellison's successor as representative from Minnesota, and
Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi Tlaib (, ; born July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the ...
, the newly elected representative from
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, were both sworn into Congress using copies of the Qurʻan. Tlaib used a copy given to her by a close friend, while Omar used a copy originally owned by her grandfather.
On January 27, 2021, video footage was published of
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and an avowed supporter of
QAnon
QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...
and other right-wing
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
, walking through the
U.S. Capitol Building on February 22, 2019 (prior to her own election to Congress), arguing that Omar and Tlaib should be required to re-swear their oaths on a Christian Bible, or else they could not be considered "legitimate" members of Congress. Similar to Ted Crockett, Greene was arguing, incorrectly, that a U.S. law requires the use of a Christian Bible, when in fact no such law exists.
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qur'an Oath Controversy Of The 110th United States Congress
110th United States Congress
2006 controversies in the United States
2006 in American politics
Congressional controversies in the United States
Islam in the United States
Islam-related controversies in North America
Separation of church and state in the United States