Ellison, a Muslim, Is Sworn In Using Thomas Jefferson's Koran
WASHINGTON — Rep. Keith Ellison made history in the nation's 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 swearing-in.
Lawrence Jackson / AP
Keith Ellison puts his hand over the Koran that was owned by Thomas Jefferson for his mock swearing-in at the Capitol yesterday.
"Look at that. That's something else," Mr. Ellison, a Democrat of Minnesota, said as officials from the Library of Congress showed him the Koran, which was published in London in 1764. "Oh, my God. This is great."
A few minutes later, Mr. Ellison took the ceremonial oath on the two-volume Koran with the House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat of California, at his side. So many of Mr. Ellison's family members came for the occasion that the ceremony was done in two takes.
Mr. Ellison, who had already planned to use a Koran for the ceremony, learned last month about Jefferson's Koran, and made arrangements with the Library of Congress to borrow it for his ceremonial oath.
Although the Library of Congress is right across the street from the Capitol, library officials protected the book from the elements by taking a long, winding underground route via tunnels. When they got there, a crowded room of reporters, photographers, and videographers was waiting.
The Koran was acquired in 1815 as part of a more than 6,400-volume collection that Jefferson sold for $24,000 to replace the congressional library that had been burned by British troops the year before, in the War of 1812. Jefferson, the nation's third president, was a collector of books in all topics and languages.
Some critics have argued that only a Bible should be used for the swearing-in. Last month, Rep. Virgil Goode, a Republican of Virginia, caused controversy when he said that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims" would be elected and follow Mr. Ellison's lead. Mr. Ellison was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college.
Mr. Ellison, the first black member of Congress from Minnesota, said earlier this week that he chose to use this Koran because it showed that a visionary like Jefferson believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources, including the Koran.
Mr. Ellison's mother, Clida Ellison, said in an interview that she thought the controversy was good, "because many people in America are going to learn what the diversity of America is all about."
She described herself as a practicing Roman Catholic. "I go to Mass every day," she said.
