AAI Condemns Prejudiced Attacks on Ellison, Asks Congressional Leaders to Come to His Defense

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Posted Dec 5, 2006      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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AAI Condemns Prejudiced Attacks on Ellison, Asks Congressional Leaders to Come to His Defense

WASHINGTON ─ Dec. 5, 2006 ─ The Arab American Institute (AAI) condemns attacks regarding Rep.-elect Keith Ellison’s (D-Minn.) decision to take a ceremonial oath of office with his hand on the Quran and called on Congressional Democratic and Republican leaders to openly support Ellison in the face of blatant anti-Muslim prejudice.  AAI defends the right of any member of Congress to take the unofficial oath on a sacred book of his or her choosing, whether it is the Christian Bible, Jewish Torah, Muslim Quran or any other religious text. 

Townhall.com commentator Dennis Prager fueled the debate when he wrote that Ellison should not be allowed to take an oath on the Quran “because the act undermines American civilization.” 

Prager goes on to incorrectly argue that Jewish and nonreligious members of Congress have taken their oath of office on the Bible. In fact, House members are sworn in en masse in the chamber and no Bible or other religious text is used during the actual swearing in. The ceremony to which Prager refers is an optional individual ceremony that takes place after members have already taken the oath.  Furthermore, some Jewish members of Congress have taken this ceremonial oath on the Torah rather than the Bible, while many do not use any holy book at all.

“Objections to Ellison’s desire to use the Quran during a personal, unofficial and optional event are outright displays of anti-Muslim bias and are contrary to the core values of individual freedom upon which our nation was founded,” said AAI President Dr. James Zogby. 

“Rather than protecting American values, these comments send a message to all non-Christian Americans that they are not and cannot be a vital part of this country,” Zogby added.  “The House Democratic and Republican leadership should defend their fellow Congress member in the face of these baseless attacks.”


About the Arab American Institute
Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent.  AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities. For more information on AAI, please visit http://www.aaiusa.org or call 202-429-9210.

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