Congressman to take oath on Jefferson's Quran

[Alonzo]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will use a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson during his ceremonial swearing-in Thursday.

The chief of the Library of Congress' rare book and special collections division, Mark Dimunation, will walk the Quran across the street to the Capitol and then walk it back after the ceremony.

Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, contacted the library about the book last month, Dimunation said.

Some critics have argued that only a Bible should be used for the swearing-in. Last month, Virginia Republican Rep. Virgil Goode warned that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims" will be elected and follow Ellison's lead. (Full story)

Ellison was born in Detroit, Michigan, and converted to Islam in college.

Ellison spokesman Rick Jauert said the new congressman "wants this to be a special day, and using Thomas Jefferson's Quran makes it even more special."

"Jefferson's Quran dates religious tolerance to the founders of our country," he added.

An English translation of the Arabic, it was published in 1764 in London, a later printing of one originally published in 1734.

"This is considered the text that shaped Europe's understanding of the Quran," Dimunation said.

It was acquired in 1815 as part of a 6,400-volume collection that Jefferson sold for $24,000, to replace the congressional library that had been burned by British troops the year before, in the War of 1812.

"It was a real bargain," Dimunation said.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/03/congressman.quran.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[ECW]

What a fabulous touch. I wonder if Congressman Goode will be calling out the ICE on Ellison as he takes the oath?

[Buck Laser]

Ellison made a very smart move there, all right. Oughta make the Numps and the Knownothings mad enough to bite themselves.:cool:

[lily]

Brilliant!

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

As all liberals know, an english translation of the holy Quran is an affront to Islam!

While I support the idea, this is a slap in the face to many many muslims right on the tail of Bush picking a holiday to hang Saddam!

[Buck Laser]

I'm not so sure a translation of the qu'ran is an affront to all Muslims. When I was in seminary, we had various xlations of the qu'ran available in the library, some of them laid out in synoptic style with the Hebrew scriptures to facilitate comparing the documents. I didn't get nearly as far in that aspect of my studies as I would have liked to, but the general course of study for a terminal theology degree is three years beyond the baccalaureate level. Once you've learned a bit of Hebrew, the Arabic isn't too difficult to master: they belong to the same language family, and despite the differences in appearance, the Hebrew and Arab alphabets are quite similar.

Back in the late 50s-early 60s, we had a few Muslim scholars who visited the seminary occasionally, but not nearly the contact we had with Jews and with Christians from different confessions. But I suspect the Mangy Simian doth exaggerate.

[Alonzo]

English versions of the qu'ran are recognized, unlike translations of the bible, as being problematic due to the difficulty of keeping the same meaning when translated. Therefore, qurans you buy won't be called simply a quran, but will be named things like "meaning of the Qu'ran".

But there are multiple places giving out free english translations of the quran, including cair. It's not an affront to Islam.

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

It is an affront to some muslims, and as such should be avoided!

I don't think it was deliberate or malicious, but it should be corrected asap!

Any translation of the Quran is no longer the literal word of Allah, and as such is no longer the quran. To treat it as such is an affront!