One last post about Rep.-elect [tag]Keith Ellison[/tag] (D-Minn.) and his use of a Koran during his ceremonial swearing-in photo-op.
If you’re just joining us, right-wing talk-show host and writer Dennis Prager got the ball rolling about a month ago, arguing that Ellison, Congress’ first Muslim, will literally “undermine American civilization” and “embolden Islamic extremists” if he takes the oath of office on a Koran instead of a Christian Bible. A wide assortment of right-wing critics came forward with similar denunciations, including Rep. [tag]Virgil Goode[/tag] (R-Va.), who argued that Ellison is proof that we need immigration reform to prevent Muslims from entering the United States.
To his credit, Ellison has handled all of this with class and the aplomb his bigoted critics lack. Today we learn that the Minnesota lawmaker has come up with a trump card that should effectively end this silly debate.
We’ve learned that the new congressman — in a savvy bit of political symbolism — will hold the personal copy [of the Koran] once owned by [tag]Thomas Jefferson[/tag].
“He wanted to use a Koran that was special,” said Mark Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at the Library of Congress, who was contacted by the Minnesota Dem early in December. Dimunation, who grew up in Ellison’s 5th District, was happy to help.
Jefferson’s copy is an English translation by George Sale published in the 1750s; it survived the 1851 fire that destroyed most of Jefferson’s collection and has his customary initialing on the pages.
Just for added fun, it’s worth noting that Jefferson was a native of, you guessed it, Goode’s congressional district.
No word from the right on whether use of Jefferson’s Koran will “undermine American civilization” and “embolden Islamic extremists.”