Posted by
PoliCzar on Monday, December 04, 2006 4:14:56 PM
As we all know, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, Keith
Ellison, wishes to take his oath of office with his hand on a Koran as
opposed to the customary Bible. Many conservatives in Congress are
trying to block these proceedings. The irony here is that these
conservatives, who are rather well known and respected, are not
following the Constitution they have already sworn to uphold. We know
that our Constitution allows freedom of religion. Not allowing Mr.
Ellison to use his religion’s book for the oath is a direct violation
of the rights that are given to every American in the First Amendment.
The oath does not require you to pledge allegiance to any God or deity.
You are pledging to upload the Constitution of the United States.
Why
should it matter what book he puts his hand on? Since when do someone’s
religious views affect their ability to make decisions on behalf of the
community that elected him or her? It would be the same thing as if you
would not allow an atheist or agnostic to take the oath if they refused
to use any book at all. Why wouldn’t they just put their hand on a copy
of the Constitution and swear to uphold it? I understand that the Bible
is an important part of these ceremonies. It is not as if he is being
asked to quote from it. It is hard to say why there is so much emphasis
placed on what book you use. There are many different editions of the
Bible and different people use different ones, Catholics, Protestants,
and even Jews select their own version. Why should it be a problem for
Mr. Ellison to use his religion’s holy book?
The
problem here is that these conservatives are trying to decide what is
and what is not a ‘holy book’ and are using religion as a basis to
discredit an obvious qualified individual. It also helps that he is a
democrat apparently. As a conservative and as an American, I am rather
disappointed with their actions. This proves yet another point, certain
Republicans cannot seem to grasp the concept that the election is over
and that they must work with the other side of the aisle if they wish to
gain respect among their fellow Americans. By disregarding a man’s
Constitutional right to religious freedom, they are proving their own
ambitions and personal beliefs are more important than the laws of our
country.