Jan 16, 2007 keith ellison was sworn in the other day as the first muslim elected to congress. With his unique perspective on uniting a disparate community and speaking to a common goal, ellison takes a provocative look at america in his new book, my country tis of thee, and what needs to change to accommodate different races and beliefs. Dec 02, 2012 christian science monitor keith ellison and the quran saudi aramco world thomas jefferson quran this informative article seeks to provide answers on why jefferson purchased the quran, what use he made of it, and why he included it in his young nations repository of knowledge. Keith ellison made history in the nations capital yesterday, becoming the first islamic member of congress and punctuating the occasion by using a koran once owned by thomas jefferson during his ceremonial swearingin. Ellisons controversial request to take the ceremonial oath on a twovolume copy of the quran that belonged to thomas jefferson and now resides in the rare book and special collections division of the library of congress. Veteran dispatch, january 2007 democrat keith ellison is now officially the first muslim united states congressman. Ellison, who was born in detroit and converted to islam while in college, said he chose to use jeffersons quran because it. When keith ellison was sworn into office as a congressman, he wanted to swear on a koran instead of a bible, so they used thomas jefferson s koran, which they borrowed for the occasion from the library of congress. Mark dimunation, the chief of the library of congress rare book and special collections division walked the quran. What thomas jefferson learned from the muslim book of jihad by. The truth about the oath keith ellison and the quran.
Ellison, a muslim, is sworn in using thomas jeffersons koran. The very existence of this book a translation of the quran jefferson owned. Congressman keith ellison took his oath of office on jeffersons koran in 2007. Keith ellison, the quran, and thomas jefferson things. Thomas jefferson owned a copy of the quran, which was the second edition of a 1734 translation by george sale, a twovolume set published in london in 1764. One of many muslim, hindu and buddhist texts that the author of the declaration of independence donated to the library of congress at its founding, the jefferson koran has been loaned to ellison. Jefferson bought a second copy sometime after 1770, when a fire destroyed his house and books. On thursday, january 4, 2007, keith ellison from the 5th congressional district of minnesota was sworn in as a democrat member of the 110th congress amid the media fanfare of being the first muslim elected to congress. Capitol hill staff said ellison s swearingin photo. Quran oath controversy of the 110th united states congress jump to. Winter 2006 wallbuilders wallbuilders wallbuilders.
Islam and the founders kindle edition by spellberg, d. Mar 20, 2009 thomas jefferson owned a copy of the quran, which was the second edition of a 1734 translation by george sale, a twovolume set published in london in 1764. January 3, 2007 thomas jefferson s copy of the koran to be used in congressional swearingin ceremony rep. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the quran, the muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the united states during his ceremonial swearingin. Also, of course, thomas jeffersons quran was used by our first muslim congressman, keith ellison, in his private swearing in ceremony. The daybook of the virginia gazette records the purchase of this edition by jefferson in williamsburg in 1765. Thomas jefferson had a vast personal library reflecting his enormous curiosity about the world. Ellison to take oath on thomas jefferson s quran newly elected rep. Andre carson, democrat from indiana, and keith ellison, democrat from minnesota, the latter of whom took his oath on thomas jeffersons copy of the quran, which has. Readers like thomas jefferson were curious to learn about the ottoman empires religion and laws.
Why the quran was a bestseller among christians in 18th. As the quran is the holy book for muslims, it would stand to reason that ellison would want to use his religious scriptures when he was sworn in. It once belonged to thomas jefferson, third president of the united states and one of americas founding fathers. Congressman keith ellison, the first muslim congressman in us history, was sworn in on. A new book argues that to understand the debate over church and state, we need to look to the founders views on islam, writes r. Today, keith ellison, democratic congressman from minnesota was sworn in using the quran rather than the bible. Washington keith ellison made history thursday, becoming the first muslim member of congress and punctuating the occasion by taking a ceremonial oath with a quran once owned by thomas jefferson. Ellison is an afroamerican who converted to islam during his college years. Bookprinted material the koran, commonly called the alcoran of. At the time jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about muslims because he was about to advocate war against the islamic barbary states of morocco, algeria, tunisia, and tripoli. Ellison to be sworn in using quran once owned by thomas.
And thomas jefferson just happens to be a virginian. Just recently, democrat keith ellison was sworn in as a democrat congressman by putting his hand on thomas jeffersons quran, which, in my opinion, is a testimony to ellisons great patriotism and knowledge of american history. The complicated history of thomas jeffersons koran the. Recently, a flurry of news articles appeared alleging the right of newlyelected keith ellison, who is the first muslim to be elected to united states congress, to take the oath of office with his hand upon thomas jefferson s quran. History does not tell us exactly when jefferson picked up that copy of the koran that keith ellison would later hold while being sworn in as a united states congressman, but the shock he expressed at the words of ambassador rahman adja would seem to imply jefferson had not yet read the book when he had that 1786 meeting. January 4, 2007, was anything but a slow news day, with the swearing in of. Jan 08, 2007 there is a new war going on, a war over history. Spellberg explores what founders like thomas jefferson thought of islamand what that might teach us about the culture wars still raging today. The congressman the president is referring to is representative keith ellison of minnesota, who first took the oath of office in january of 2007. When ellison takes the oath with his hand on thomas jeffersons copy of the quran, he will reaffirm our most basic values as a country and, in a single elegant moment, defeat those who use but do not live the tenets of faith. Ellison had explained the importance of this ceremony in an interview the day before, in a private ceremonyill put my hand on a book that is the basis of my faith, which is islam keith ellison and the jefferson koran, the nation the beat blog, january 3, 2007. Jan 03, 2007 ellison to take oath on thomas jefferson s quran newly elected rep. The koran, commonly called the alcoran of mohammed library of. Democrat from indiana, and keith ellison, democrat from minnesota, the latter of whom took his oath on thomas jefferson s copy of the.
Keith ellison made history in january 2007 by becoming the first muslim member of congress of usa and embellishing the occasion by taking a ceremonial oath on the copy of the holy quran once owned by the third president of usa thomas jefferson. Philosophy and religion government congressional representatives elections privileges and immunities religious aspects legislators oaths. Andre carson, democrat from indiana, and keith ellison, democrat from minnesota, the latter of whom took his oath on thomas jefferson s copy of the quran, which has. Among the 6,487 books that soon traveled north, jeffersons 1734 edition of the.
The story behind jefferson s koran, and what he did with it, is an instructive look at the power of accurate knowledge. Muslim congressman takes oath of office on jeffersons quran. But what really sent the news media into a frenzy was rep. Ellison s photoop reenactment of his swearing in ceremony with thomas jefferson s quran in midnovember 2006 it was reported that keith ellison, the first muslim ever elected to the united states congress as a representative for minnesota s 5th congressional district, would take his oath of office with his hand on the quran. There is no doubt ellison was right about jefferson believing wisdom could be gleaned from the muslim quran. Just recently, democrat keith ellison was sworn in as a democrat congressman by putting his hand on thomas jefferson s quran, which, in my opinion, is a testimony to ellison s great patriotism and knowledge of american history. Jan 17, 2014 at his ceremonial swearingin, keith ellison of minnesota, the first muslim elected to congress, placed his hand on an islamic holy text, a twovolume quran once owned by thomas jefferson. Jan 02, 2019 rashida tlaib will be sworn into office this week, but unlike other members of congress, shell take her oath on the koran, islams holiest book. And good to his word, he took the oath of office with his hand on the quran. Apr 04, 2011 thomas jefferson read the quran april 4, 2011 at 2. The swearing in of keith ellison is a classic example.
Yet the holy book at tomorrows ceremony has an unassailably allamerican provenance. For some critics, a muslim holding elected office constitutes a fundamental threat to american identity, an anathema to its founding values. I knew that jefferson had a quran, but when there was the media attention over its actual use by an american congressman, i couldnt believe it had survived. It was one of the 6,500 jefferson books archived in the library. Representative for minnesotas 5th congressional district from 2007 to 2019. Keith ellison, a democrat from minnesota, took his symbolic oath of office with his hand on a twovolume english translation by george sale of the quran. Thomas jefferson s quran took fifteen minutes to arrive as it was brought through a. It was no ordinary copy of the quran but rather the one owned by thomas jefferson, one of the founding. The following day, in a swirl of national controversy, ellison had the usual private swearingin ceremony, but this.
To make it even more interesting, he used thomas jefferson s own copy, which was a nice touch. This copy now resides with the rest of jeffersons books in the library of congress. Keith ellison, a democrat from minnesota places his. Asian pacific american labor alliance endorses congressman keith ellison for dnc chair president thomas jeffersons koran and rep. Ellison s wife, kim, holds thomas jefferson s quran. Jan 25, 2007 it was one of the 6,500 jefferson books archived in the library. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Ellison to use thomas jeffersons quran javed of all. This set was sold to the library of congress in 1815, and rebound by the library in 1918. Oct 12, 20 the surprising story of thomas jeffersons quran.
Congress, will use a quran once owned by thomas jefferson during his ceremonial swearingin on thursday. Sep 08, 2010 in the course of his flattering remarks about the great contributions of muslims to america, the president mentioned the presence at the banquet of two muslim members of congress. Ellison went on to use the english translation of a qur. Speaker nancy pelosi swears in the first muslim member of the house of representatives, keith ellison of minnesota, on a twovolume quran once owned by thomas jefferson and now housed at the library. In midnovember 2006 it was reported that keith ellison, the first muslim ever elected to the. Not meant to be the big news story it turned out to be, ellison is a muslim, and it just makes sense.
What thomas jefferson learned from the muslim book of. Washington keith ellison made history in the nations capitol thursday, becoming the first muslim members of congress and punctuating the occasion by using a quran once owned by thomas jefferson during his ceremonial swearingin. The koran aka quran, aka quran is the central document of islam, written by the prophet muhammad in the. This was the volume on which newly elected representative keith ellison mn5, the first muslim congressman in. Keith ellison will be using a quran once owned by thomas jefferson. Also, of course, thomas jefferson s quran was used by our first muslim congressman, keith ellison, in his private swearing in ceremony. Keith ellison dmn keith ellison chair of the democratic national committee why are adlother jewish groups silent ab. Even in a nation where only nonmuslims like thomas jefferson were. Keith ellison sworn in using jeffersons quran lpsg. Aug 20, 2007 just as fascism is the ugly face of nationalist politics, judeochristofascism is the ugly face of faithbased politics.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading thomas jeffersons quran. A member of the democraticfarmerlabor party dfl, ellison. Ellison borrowed it from the rare book section of the library of congress. Jan 09, 2007 the quran ellison used was no ordinary book. No one is more experienced than congressman ellison when it comes to challenging religious bigotry and misunderstanding of the basic premises of our constitution. Obama, jefferson, and the holy koran the other half of. Congressman keith ellison took his oath of office on jeffersons. Ellison used a copy of the quran once belonging to former president thomas jefferson. At his ceremonial swearingin, keith ellison of minnesota, the first muslim elected to congress, placed his hand on an islamic holy text, a twovolume quran once owned by thomas jefferson. The chief of the library of congress rare book and special collections division, mark dimunation, will walk the quran.
A spokesman for ellison said the new congressman wants this to be a special day, and using thomas jefferson s quran makes it even more special. Keith ellison was sworn in the other day as the first muslim elected to congress. Thomas jeffersons copy of the koran to be used in congressional. Is keith ellison actually the first muslim to serve in the u. Ellison had explained the importance of this ceremony in an interview the day before, in a private ceremonyill put my hand on a book that is the basis of my faith, which is islam keith ellison and the jefferson koran,the nation the beat blog, january 3, 2007. Congressman, was sworn in, he started a firestorm of controversy when he requested to be sworn in using the quran. Thomas jefferson read the quran april 4, 2011 at 2. In the course of his flattering remarks about the great contributions of muslims to america, the president mentioned the presence at the banquet of two muslim members of congress.
This translation was the standard for more than 200 years and was the translation owned by thomas jefferson. In 2007, jeffersons copy of the quran was used by united states representative keith ellison dmn to take his oath of office. Keith ellison announced last month that he planned to take the oath of office with his hand on the quran. The very existence of this booka translation of the quran jefferson owned. Jan 04, 2007 congressman uses quran once owned by thomas jefferson in ceremony ap report 142007 emphasis added. Why thomas jefferson owned a quran at the smithsonian. The said quran was previously owned by early predecessor past president thomas jefferson. Congressman keith ellison took his oath of office on jefferson s koran in 2007.
S3 1764 copy 1 is the koran used in private swearing in ceremony for keith ellison, congressman. Rashida tlaib to take oath on thomas jeffersons koran the. Congressman uses thomas jeffersons quran at swearing in. Thomas jefferson and the koran the american vision. This copy now resides with the rest of jefferson s books in the library of congress.
Veteran dispatch february, 2007 democrat keith ellison is now officially the first muslim united states congressman. Keith ellison is the first muslim elected to congressfrom a district with fewer than 1 percent muslims and 11 percent blacks. The column attracted national attention from supporters of both ellison and prager. Keith maurice ellison born august 4, 1963 is an american politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of minnesota. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the quran, the muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the united states during his. Muslim congressman takes oath of office on jefferson s quran. It may have been thomas jeffersons koran, but jefferson was. The library of congress lent the quran for his oathtaking ceremony. Then, this morning, the punchline appeared in the form of a washington post article.
Lc copy is thomas jeffersons, with his initials at signatures i and t in both. Quran oath controversy of the 110th united states congress. Keith ellison, the quran, and thomas jefferson things not seen. What many do not know is that he used a copy of the quran which came from the personal library of one of the nations founding fathers thomas jefferson. Ellison chose jeffersons quran because it demonstrated a visionary like jefferson. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the quran, the muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the united states during his ceremonial. Muslim american society and the islamic circle of north america. By denise spellberg in 40 acres, research, special on october 21, 20 at 2. The english translation of the quran that thomas jefferson. Ellison calls roy moore completely unfit to serve in the. The complicated history of thomas jefferson s koran. In 2006, keith ellison, a newly elected congressman from the state of. What thomas jefferson learned from the muslim book of jihad posted gmt 1182007 17.
What thomas jefferson learned from the muslim book of jihad. A member of the democraticfarmerlabor party dfl, ellison was the u. On his inauguration day, ellison was the spark of controversy for his use of the muslims holy book, the koran, instead of using the holy bible. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading thomas jefferson s quran. Ellison chose jefferson s quran because it demonstrated a visionary like jefferson. When thomas jefferson saw there was no negotiating with muslims, he formed what is now the marines sea going soldiers.
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