Editorial: If in Allah he trusts, on the Koran he should swear

For opponents of future congressman Keith Ellison, it
isn’t a question of which bills he supports. It’s a
question of which book.

Conservative political pundits are finding another inane issue
to fret over by attacking Ellison’s wish to use the Koran for
his swearing-in instead of the traditional Christian Bible.

“Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve
America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested
in only one book, the Bible,” wrote columnist Dennis Prager
for Townhall.com.

But if Prager actually takes the time to glance at this
country’s religious landscape, he would find that some
Americans have more to be concerned about than the Bible. According
to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2006, nearly 20 percent of the nation
is not Christian, including 14 percent who do not specify adhering
to any religion.

Regardless, America is supposed to shun any sort of
state-sponsored religion, and requiring congressmen to take an oath
on a particular religion is wrong.

If those attacking Ellison do so to protect the interests of the
nation, they should think about exactly what nation they are
protecting.

The best solution would be to swear Ellison into Congress in
whatever religion he wants instead of requiring him to adhere to
the forced standard of a Christian nation.