By the book

Virgil Goode, a Republican Congressman from Virginia, has it all wrong. Not only are his comments about Keith Ellison, America’s first Muslim elected to the House of Representatives, intolerant, but they don’t make much sense, either. When he found out that Ellison was going to swear his oath today on a copy of the Qur’an, Goode went off about tightening immigration laws to prevent too many Muslims being elected to Congress.

First, Ellison was born in Michigan and can trace his roots in the US back to the 1700s, and second, there is no regulation about having to swear an oath on a Bible to serve in the federal government. There are, however, prohibitions in the Constitution against any kind of religious test being used to prevent people from holding office.

Beyond all of that, Ellison -- elected by the people of Minnesota's fifth Congressional district, which includes Minneapolis -- is a Muslim who believes in America. He wants to go to Washington and to be a part of the political process that keeps our democracy safe and orderly. Shouldn't we applaud someone who embraces both Islam and America? Don't many of our troubles in Iraq stem from the refusal of Sunni Muslims to take part in the democratic process?

Goode represents a district in Virginia with progeny that include Thomas Jefferson, who listed among his most important accomplishments writing the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In fact, the Qur'an that Ellison rested his left hand on today came from the Library of Congress, which received the book from Jefferson himself.