AJC Outraged by Prager Rebuke of Muslim Congressman
December 5, 2006 ? New York ? The American Jewish Committee views as outrageous and religiously intolerant Dennis Prager's critical remarks regarding newly elected Congressman Keith Ellison?s decision to use a Koran when taking the private, ceremonial oath of office that will follow the official oath in the House of Representatives. "Keith Ellison's choice to use the Koran at his personal swearing-in ceremony in fact celebrates the religious liberty embodied in our Constitution," said Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, AJC's U.S. Director of Interreligious Affairs. "We support the right of Jewish elected officials to use the Hebrew Bible rather than the Christian Scriptures. Indeed, in our increasingly multi-religious society we are likely to see elected officials from a variety of faiths, and each may choose to use different holy books or none at all." On the first day of the 110th Congress, all representatives will take the oath of office, a declaration without use of religious texts, asserting support and defense of the U.S. Constitution. The personal swearing-in ceremony, not required by the Constitution, has long been an accepted custom in American political life, and some have used the Bible for those rituals. "Let?s remember that Mr. Ellison's validation for elective office comes from the voters from his district in Minnesota, not from his religious beliefs," said Greenebaum. "His election to the House of Representatives as the first Muslim Member of Congress is significant as it exemplifies America's religious pluralism."
Ari M. Gordon Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org