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Muslims question GOP silence on VA Rep's Islamophobic remarks
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 21, 2006 - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on state and national GOP leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim remarks made by a Republican congressman in Virginia.
In a recent letter to constituents, Rep. Virgil Goode slammed the planned use of a Quran for the ceremonial swearing-in of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress. (No religious texts of any kind are used for the official swearing-in ceremony.) Goode also decried the growth of the American Muslim community and expressed concern that "many more Muslims" may be elected to public office.
"We are deeply troubled by the failure of state and national GOP leaders to clearly distance themselves from Representative Goode's intolerant remarks," said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. He said Republican leaders in Virginia should have learned a lesson in tolerance from the controversy over Senator George Allen's "macaca" episode.
Saylor said incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Goode's remarks "offensive." New Jersey Democrat Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. yesterday urged Goode to reach out to Muslims in Virginia and "to dispel misconceptions instead of promoting them."
In a statement issued today, Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) said: "The seven million Muslim-Americans living in the U.S. are an integral part of American society. Our country is a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs. This diversity is a strength, not a weakness. . .Bringing more Muslim-Americans into the political process is a goal, not something to be avoided."
No similar statements have come from GOP leaders. CAIR has offered to arrange a meeting between Goode and Virginia Muslims.
The controversy over Representative-elect Ellison's use of the Quran for the ceremonial oath began with a recent commentary by Dennis Prager, a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, in which he wrote that swearing an oath on the Quran "undermines American civilization." CAIR has asked that Prager be removed from the taxpayer-supported council.
The Washington Post - December 21, 2006
VA. lawmaker's remarks on Muslims criticized
Republican had decried the use of the Koran for congressman's oath of office
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) is coming under sharp criticism for lashing out against the decision by Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who will become the first Muslim member of Congress next month, to use the Koran during a swearing-in ceremony.
In a recent letter to constituents, Goode, a five-term congressman from Rocky Mount, wrote that he does "not subscribe to using the Koran in any way" and added: "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned Goode's remarks and called on him to apologize. "Congressman Goode's ignorant and divisive statements are an affront to Muslims in his district and to Americans of all faiths who believe in our nation's longstanding traditions of religious tolerance and diversity," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the council.
Goode wrote the letter to constituents who had e-mailed him with concerns about Ellison using the Koran, he said in a written response to questions from The Washington Post. That letter was obtained by the C-Ville Weekly, a Charlottesville newspaper, and posted on its Web site.
"We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy . . . allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country," Goode said in the letter. "I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America."
In his written response, Goode said he will not apologize and does not see why his comments could be offensive to some Muslims. "The voters of each Congressional district select the representative that they choose to represent them, and perhaps voters in all districts will now ask prospective candidates whether they will use the Bible, the Koran, or anything else," Goode said.
Rep. William J. Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.), who represents a congressional district with a large Muslim community, yesterday sent Goode a letter challenging his remarks.
"I was greatly disappointed and in fact startled by your recent constituent letter addressing the issue of Representative-elect Keith Ellison using a Koran for his swearing-in ceremony," Pascrell said in the letter. "Your letter also wrongfully equates the issue of immigration with a fear of Muslim integration in our society. I take your remarks as personally offensive to the large community of Muslim-Americans I represent."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001318.html
New York Times - December 21, 2006
Congressman criticizes Election of Muslim
By Rachel L. Swarns
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2006 — In a letter sent to hundreds of voters this month, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia, warned that the recent election of the first Muslim to Congress posed a serious threat to the nation’s traditional values.
Mr. Goode was referring to Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat and criminal defense lawyer who converted to Islam as a college student and was elected to the House in November. Mr. Ellison’s plan to use the Koran during his private swearing-in ceremony in January had outraged some Virginia voters, prompting Mr. Goode to issue a written response to them, a spokesman for Mr. Goode said.
In his letter, which was dated Dec. 5, Mr. Goode said that Americans needed to “wake up” or else there would “likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.”
“I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped,” said Mr. Goode, who vowed to use the Bible when taking his own oath of office.
Mr. Goode declined Wednesday to comment on his letter, which quickly stirred a furor among some Congressional Democrats and Muslim Americans, who accused him of bigotry and intolerance.
They noted that the Constitution specifically bars any religious screening of members of Congress and that the actual swearing in of those lawmakers occurs without any religious texts. The use of the Bible or Koran occurs only in private ceremonial events that take place after lawmakers have officially sworn to uphold the Constitution.
Mr. Ellison dismissed Mr. Goode’s comments, saying they seemed ill informed about his personal origins as well as about Constitutional protections of religious freedom. “I’m not an immigrant,” added Mr. Ellison, who traces his American ancestors back to 1742. “I’m an African-American.”
Since the November election, Mr. Ellison said, he has received hostile phone calls and e-mail messages along with some death threats. But in an interview on Wednesday, he emphasized that members of Congress and ordinary citizens had been overwhelmingly supportive and said he was focusing on setting up his Congressional office, getting phone lines hooked up and staff members hired, not on negative comments.
“I’m not a religious scholar, I’m a politician, and I do what politicians do, which is hopefully pass legislation to help the nation,” said Mr. Ellison, who said he planned to focus on secular issues like increasing the federal minimum wage and getting health insurance for the uninsured.
“I’m looking forward to making friends with Representative Goode, or at least getting to know him,” Mr. Ellison said, speaking by telephone from Minneapolis. “I want to let him know that there’s nothing to fear. The fact that there are many different faiths, many different colors and many different cultures in America is a great strength.”
In Washington, Brendan Daly, a spokesman for the incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, called Mr. Goode’s letter “offensive.” Corey Saylor, legislative director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized what he described as Mr. Goode’s “message of intolerance.”
Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., Democrat of New Jersey, urged Mr. Goode to reach out to Muslims in Virginia and learn “to dispel misconceptions instead of promoting them.”
“Keith Ellison serves as a great example of Muslim Americans in our nation, and he does not have to answer to you, to me or anyone else in regards to questions about his faith,” said Mr. Pascrell, whose district includes many Arab-Americans……
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/us/21koran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
December 21, 2006
Rep. Honda's letter to Rep. Goode
Dear Congressman Goode:
I was surprised and offended to hear about a constituent letter you wrote in response to Representative-elect Keith Ellison’s intention to use a Koran during his ceremonial swearing in ceremony. In your letter, you warned that “if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.”
You know first hand that no religious text is used during the official swearing in of Members of Congress. Moreover, the Constitution explicitly demands that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” No person should be labeled as un-American based upon his or her religion, and it is outrageous to cast aspersions on Representative-elect Ellison purely because of his religious background.
Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Muslims have been the subject of profoundly warped stereotypes in this country; stereotypes that are largely derived from a small percentage of extremist practitioners. An entire religious group has become scapegoats for the actions of a few fanatics whose beliefs they do not subscribe to. As one of the many Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II because of war hysteria and racial prejudice, I find it particularly offensive that you are equating Representative-elect Ellison’s beliefs with those of radical extremists and condemning him based on their actions.
In your letter, you suggested that all Muslims in this country are immigrants and that immigration laws must be changed to “preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America” by stopping Muslims from entering. Representative-elect Ellison was born in the United States, and his family has lived here since 1742. He was raised Catholic before becoming a Moslem during college. The spread of ideas and philosophies cannot be stopped by barricading our borders, nor should it be.
Keith is a respected member of his community, and a personal friend of mine. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and I’ve grown to admire his strong moral fiber and his commitment to tolerance and progressive American values. He has said himself that he believes in “a value system that invests in people and asks citizens to work for the common good.” In my mind, those are the values and beliefs traditional to the United States, and I believe that Keith will make a welcome addition to a Congress that has lost its moral compass.
Instead of fearing our diversity, Americans, and Members of Congress in particular, must embrace it. America became a great nation through the collaboration of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and other religious and ethnic groups working together to advance our culture and economy. Following in that great American tradition, I would invite you to meet with me to discuss these issues in greater depth. America’s strength lies in its diversity, and together we can stand as a symbol of that strength.
Sincerely,
Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress
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