I’ve been remiss and haven’t blogged about this yet, so I’ll get everyone up to speed. Last week, Dennis Prager wrote the now-famous column, “America, not Keith Ellison, decides what book a Congressman takes his oath on.”
The meat of it:

Keith…

“and institute Sharia.”

How do you feel about that one?

It doesn’t matter how I feel, because it has nothing to do with the matter at hand. Not all Muslims are Islamists, and not all Islamists are terrorists. You’re looking at the Venn diagram inside out.

Stop laying bullshit onto the issue.

1. Lawmakers must swear an oath, or affirm their intentions when coming into office.
2. Of those who choose to swear an oath, some choose to swear on a book.
3. Of those who choose to swear on a book, some choose to swear on the Bible. Others choose something else.
4. Ellison is a Muslim. He wants to swear on his holy book, because that’s the only way the oath will have personal meaning for him.

And now the people on this thread:

Ellison wants to make the USA one nation under Islam. I say “No.” No Koran.

Source?

Practicing islam isn’t freedom of religion. It’s devil worship.

“Worshiping X isn’t freedom to worship. It’s worshiping Y!”

Have your mom check your math again.

Making light and fun of shari’a practices isn’t going to make them go away

Letting Ellison swear on a Qur’an isn’t going to make it arrive.

Tradition is good for society because it instills values that are good for the society.

Tradition isn’t good or bad in and of itself. It’s just that which is handed down. Racism is a tradition. Female circumcision is a tradition. Having a state religion is a tradition.

This is NOT about what makes Ellison feel good, its about what SOCIETY values.

We’ll be right back, with Karl Marx.

[Islam] must be outlawed.

We’ll be right back, with Henry VIII.

Please, get a grip. Freedom of religion is not, and should not be construed to be a national submission to the religion that any single person should choose in exercise of that freedom. Let the man swear on the thing that he thinks lends the greatest gravity to his oath. And feel free to join me in decrying him if/when he violates that oath.

To the Muslim woman in the linked video:

Please, please go to any Muslim nation in the world today and try to be a Christian. Then you can come and preach to us about religious tolerance.

spmat on December 2, 2006 at 4:05 AM

Amen to that. I’ve disagreed with Prager’s views maybe twice since I started listening to his show a thousand years ago, but not on this issue. Recalling the stories of Muslims who refused to perform their duties as ordered (e.g., soldiers, FBI agents) because doing so meant that they would “betray their fellow Muslims,” I’m curious as to where the observant Keith Ellison’s allegiance actually lies.

Ellison wants to make the USA one nation under Islam. I say “No.” No Koran.

Jen the Neocon on December 1, 2006 at 7:52 PM

He does? Can you cite your reference on this? You know, you’re entitled to your own opinion, you’re not entitled to your own facts.

Please, please go to any Muslim nation in the world today and try to be a Christian. Then you can come and preach to us about religious tolerance.

Well I appreciate the concern sweetie. But I’m not ready to go screaming into the night just yet!! ;^)

honora on December 1, 2006 at 12:28 PM

Making light and fun of shari’a practices isn’t going to make them go away or make them any less harrowing…We already know of instances of clitorectomies on young girls, rape charges brought, and enforced marriages here in America and in the UK, as well as all the other places Islam is dug in plus the 55 countries they already control.
Ellison wants to make the USA one nation under Islam. I say “No.” No Koran.

1. The country was founded upon Judeo-Christian VALUES (not faith).
2. This issue has NOTHING to do with government establishment of a state religion.
3. This issue has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with singling out muslims.
4. As most everyone knows, or should know, Muslims are encouraged to practice taqiyyah (lie). So, swearing an oath is irrelevent to them.
5. This is NOT about what makes Ellison feel good, its about what SOCIETY values. Our society values the morals based on Judeo-Christian values, not the values in the koran.
6. Since this is a symbolic ceremony based on tradition, what will be the damages to Ellison if he uses a Bible??? Nothing.
7. Liberals love to fuck with traditions because they want to feel good. Thus, this is the same reasoning behind the need to redefine marriage. Tradition is good for society because it instills values that are good for the society.
8. This has NOTHING to do with diversity. Diversity only works when diverse people share the same values. This would be an excellent opportunity for Ellison to show non-muslims, that he respects and upholds this country’s values.

You’re a bit confused. Muhammed is not God to the Muslims, and he didn’t create the universe. They believe that God created the universe, just like Christians do. 13:16 in the Qur’an: “God is the creator of everything.”

I should have written Allah. but the point is, in order to defeat America the first step is to remove GOD and replace him with Something else.
Allah has not endowed ALL men with inalienable rights.

Ellison should not be allowed special treatment because he is Muslim. He either chooses 1. no bible or 2. bible. Those are the choices. I guess if he wanted he could swear by just the old or new testaments, but like Prager put it, we make a symbolic statement by allowing him to swear by the Koran.

Volokh is right in pointing out the way the law is set up.

The issue is NOT whether Ellison will take his oath more seriously or be more inclined to honor it if it is on a book he believes in.

The ISSUE IS he is demanding special treatment for him/muslims. Look all around the world and you will see that this is the MO of Islam.

They demand special treatment and any and all accomodation simply invites more demands. They then respond to any challenge by calling Islamophobia and racism and keep on pushing.

Ellison should be told to take his Oath on the Bible and if he is uncomfortable with that he may affirm with no book at all. If he cannot handle that, he should step down.

and institute Sharia.

How do you feel about that one?

Where do YOU (Mark Jaquith) stand on the “immigration issue”???

Tall fence, wide gate. There’s no sense trying to stop the free flow of labor. We don’t have the resources, and even if we did, it’s bad for the economy. The only reason that illegal immigration is bad is that it’s a giant loophole for terrorists and other violent criminals. A fence by itself won’t work. You need to simultaneously decrease the barrier and cost of legal immigration if you want that to be the avenue that laborers choose. With labor choosing legal immigration, we’d know who is coming in, and border resources would be freed up to chase down people illegally crossing the border. And, of course, the people crossing the border would be much more likely to be criminals or terrorists, else why didn’t they choose the wide gate?

The only way you’re against that is if you’re nativist, racist, or genuinely think that an increase in the number of Piñatas or Spanish speakers is going to ruin American culture.

Erm is a really stinkypussy internet word these days.

It’s a buffer. I use it to avoid sounding like a harsh buzzer on a game show, soullessly and loudly proclaiming the error of the incorrect party.

or are you to busy pontificating to answer a simple question?

I shall deign to answer your question, Sir Bumps-a-lot.

And, for the record, I’d be all for having our officials swear on the Constitution. That’s far more of a definitive American document than is the Bible. The Fountainhead would also be a good choice. ;-)

step 3) replace the “Creator” with Muhammed and institute Sharia.

You’re a bit confused. Muhammed is not God to the Muslims, and he didn’t create the universe. They believe that God created the universe, just like Christians do. 13:16 in the Qur’an: “God is the creator of everything.”

But I’m not ready to go screaming into the night just yet!! ;^)

honora on December 1, 2006 at 12:28 PM

I just join my dogs and howl at the moon. :)

Honora,

While I don’t agree with everything that LZVandy said, many Muslims are pushing for an implementation of Sharia in the countries they have migrated too.

Depending on how strict the implementation, you could end up with such backward practices as required the 4 witness for rape.

E L Frederick (Sniper One) on December 1, 2006 at 12:03 PM

Well I appreciate the concern sweetie. But I’m not ready to go screaming into the night just yet!! ;^)

The folks here in out state Minnesota are livid about this. But what can they do? Ellison was voted in by the Minneapolis Moscow on the Mississippi liberals. He is a CAIR supporter and a cop killer defender. The Dhimmicrats here knew this and of course played the racist card.

Calling evil evil is not PC which is a shame and will be the undoing of the West. Should Ellison swear on a book written by a 54 year old man that buggered a 9 year old little girl? The answer is an obvious no. With any luck Ellison will be thrown out on his asshat in the next election.

While I don’t agree with everything that LZVandy said, many Muslims are pushing for an implementation of Sharia in the countries they have migrated too.

Depending on how strict the implementation, you could end up with such backward practices as required the 4 witness for rape.

**Wispers to Honora*** Sharia Law

E L Frederick (Sniper One) on December 1, 2006 at 10:28 AM

Interesting link, especially this part:

There is tremendous variance in the interpretation and implementation of Islamic law in Muslim societies today. Liberal movements within Islam have questioned the relevance and applicability of sharia from a variety of perspectives. Several of the countries with the largest Muslim populations, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have largely secular constitutions and laws, with only a few Islamic provisions in family law. Turkey has a constitution that is officially strongly secular, but where the state systematically favours Sunni Islam.[citation needed] India is the only country in the world which has separate Muslim civil laws, framed by Muslim Personal Law board, and wholly based on Sharia. However, the criminal laws are uniform.

I’m with Dennis Prager, who crazily suggests that America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on:Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take hi …….

According to the US Military motto/slogan: God, Family, Country

WHERE did you get THAT piece of misinformation? There is NO such thing and NEVER has been.