An Historical Perspective on a Muslim Being Sworn into Congress on the Koran – David Barton

An Historical Perspective on a Muslim Being Sworn into Congress on the Koran

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. The following day, in a swirl of national controversy, Ellison has the usual private swearing-in ceremony, but this time on a 1764 Koran owned by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. There is an historical backdrop to this controversy, with many salient elements in American history that are largely unknown today. This booklet presents some of this forgotten history.