BCT Editorial – 12/26/06

This page was last updated on December 26, 2006.

Trading places; Editorial; Beaver County Times; December 26, 2006.

This editorial shows either incredible ignorance of the Islamic world or incredible naïveté.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Imagine you’re a Christian living in an overwhelmingly Islamic country.

“Despite your difference of faith, your fellow citizens think so much of you that they elect you to represent them in the national legislature.”

[RWC] Ask yourself why the editorial didn’t mention a specific “overwhelmingly Islamic country” as the setting for this fantasy.

“When it comes time for you to be sworn into office, other legislators object because you want to use the Bible instead of the Quran [sic], as is the custom.”

[RWC] If the Times is going to try and ingratiate itself to Muslims by writing “Quran” instead of “Koran,” at least the editorial author could have spelled it correctly. It’s “Qur’an.”

Earth to the Times. Simply possessing a Bible is a crime in some Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia is only one example.

“If you are a believing Christian, you have no choice. After all, you believe in the Trinity, something Islam denies. To take an oath of office with your hand on the Quran [sic] is nothing short of a sin.

“Why can’t some Americans see that when it comes to U.S. Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who plans to use the Quran [sic] at his ceremonial swearing-in next month?”

[RWC] I don’t know if the editorial author knows it or not, but the official U.S. swearing in ceremony doesn’t use any book. As a group, members simply recite the oath.

Here’s the oath as per the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

“I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Further, Article VI of the Constitution states, “… no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” I could be wrong, but try to find these words in the constitution of “an overwhelmingly Islamic country.”

Perhaps a better question would be, how could an atheist take the oath?

“Why can’t they understand that his request is perfectly acceptable?

“Put yourself in his shoes, and act accordingly.”

[RWC] I could be wrong, but I suspect it’s impossible to put ourselves in Mr. Ellison’s position. How many “overwhelmingly Islamic” countries don’t treat non-Muslims as second-class citizens?

The editorial author also seems to ignore the fact that Islam is not simply a religion; it’s also an economic, political, and social ideology.