This editorial at the Seattle PI captures a note, and a reminder from the notes we carry in our pocket:
Next month, Keith Ellison, a 42-year-old lawyer elected to Congress from Minnesota, will take his oath of office with a Quran instead of a Bible.
We cannot think of a more inspiring application of the First Amendment because this demonstrates, in a practical way, how this country truly reflects what a congressional committee pegged in 1776 as “E Pluribus Unum” or “Out of many, one.”
This is an important time for such symbolism. Ellison, a Muslim, is part of a fast-growing U.S. population. There are now around 5 million Muslims who deserve a say in our democracy.
Some critics see this as an assault on what never was, America as an official Christian nation. In fact, Ellison will be sworn in in a private ceremony — as is the practice for other members of Congress. It’s the Constitution, not any religious scripture, that’s the sacred democratic text.