A different view

A Jefferson Twist

There's an intersting twist in the brouhaha over new Congressman Keith Ellison's intention to use the Qur'an for the unofficial swearing in photo opportunity.

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, will use a Qur'an once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Well, it's an English version of the Qur'an originally published in 1764. It's believed that Jefferson used the Qur'an as an alternative text on early law.

Bigot in chief Virgil Goode continues to proclaim his "stop them over there so they don't get over here" tired old WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) message. This is the same thing we've heard about Chinese workers, Irish Catholics, and Vietnamese immigrants. He wants to stop Muslims from immigrating into the US.

Since Ellison's family has been in the US since the 1700's I guess we'll need to close all of the mosques and stop allowing conversions too.

So far Virginians seem to support him, which to me just means some people in the state are still smarting over the civil rights act.

One of my best friends is a Pakistani muslim and holds a high level position in a high tech company. He's also one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. Other than not drinking and answering his phone "Selam aleykum" at home you'd never know his religion. With about a fifth of the world Muslim it is blatant bigotry to paint the entire religion as terrorists.

And as a nation founded on the right of religous freedom it seems really hypocritical to condemn Ellison for practicing his own faith. Religion doesn't mean just your particular flavor of protestantism.

posted by don1one @ 4:16 PM