From Letters to the Editor – Waco Tribune Herald - Wednesday, December 06, 2006
‘In Allah, we trust’?
As the first Muslim elected to Congress, Keith Ellison, D-Minn., has chosen to be sworn into office Jan. 7 on the Koran instead of the Bible. Even though he has previously chosen to downplay his religious beliefs, this is a slap in the face for Americans. Some background: In 1992, Ellison helped organize a demonstration against Minneapolis police. He represented a group called United for Peace — consisting of “vice-lords” whose leader was a convicted murderer. In 2000, he gave a speech to the National Lawyer’s Guild speaking favorably of police killers Mumia Abu-Jamal and Assata Shakur. Last year, Shakur was placed on the FBI’s terrorist list with a $1 million reward. Ellison has received funds and support from the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), some of whose members have been convicted, of supporting terrorists. Many Jews and Mormons have taken oaths of public office using the Bible, though they have their own sacred literature. When all elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the very same book, they all affirm that some unifying value system underlies American civilization. This is America, and Ellison is swearing to protect this country — not Islam. When does political correctness end? Although we are made up of many cultures, we should come together as one nation if we are going to survive.
Now I am curious, what do you think about this? I for one, do not take it as a ‘slap in the face’ if this person wants to swear in with his hand on the Koran, nor am I particularly comforted by the knowledge that so many people would take an oath and pledge on the Bible, if they truly do not believe it.
OK, I posted, so what do you have to say?
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6 comments:
My opinion is....
It's called Separation of Church and State.
The fact that someone is sworn in using the Bible has nothing to do with Christianity. How many congressman have been sworn in on the Bible...yet they cheat on their wives, molest young boys, steal money, and break laws! Our government is separate (or is supposed to be) from church, as is church from the government. He could be sworn in on a copy of Bathroom Reader II...either way it makes no difference on what his job is and how it should be performed.
The "slap in the face of for Americans" should be that so many people are sworn in using a holy book and then they act very very "unholy."
And it's about time you blogged. I was tired of seeing "Update" for the past eighty thousand years!!!!
I don't care what book a person uses to be sworn in. As long as it is a book that denotes seriousness and importance to that person, it's fine with me. There's a contingency of Americans that think that anything Muslim is anti-American. That ticks me off. American doesn't equal Christian. So, why should being something other than Christian or Jewish equal non-American or offensive?
What I find offensive and a slap in the face of justice is this man's background (if that is true). Frankly, I don't care that he's Muslim. If he truly did support murderers then that's what should anger people. Just like the child-molesters, law-breakers, embezzlers, and whatever else that is in our government should anger people, regardless if the perpetrators are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Athiest, or Zoroastrian.
(And, welcome back to blogging! I appreciate whatever you find to blog on, be it serious or comic.)
@mab - I agree wholeheartedly with what you said. There are things in the letter that concerned me, but the swearing in on the Koran/Quran was not one of them. The people that the writer alleges he supports are some pretty well-known causes that a lot of celebrity types and Amnesty International have been talking about, so there are a lot of other people who have said things in support of these people. In fact, Assata Shakur was the Godmother and Aunt of Tupac Shakur, the rapper that was gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996.
@Cliffy-poo - Sorry that I did not respond to you, but you do have a point about the separation of church and state, and it goes hand-in-hand with MAB's about the U.S. as a Christian nation. We hear a lot of commentary anymore about this country being a Christian nation, and while it is true that around 80% of U.S. citizens identify themselves as Christian, you sure don't see us acting that out.
Clarification - MAB actually said that "American does not equal Christian". I read into that what I said about U.S. as a Christian nation, etc.
Assata Shakur is on the FBI's fugitive list, see the following link. She is currently living in Cuba under political asylum. But just because the congressman from Minnesota bleieves her to be innocent doesn't make him unfit for office.
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/fugitives/dt/chesimard_jd.htm
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