Keith Ellison Plays a Trump Card

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), much criticized for his decision to take his oath of office using a Qur'an, has decided that the Qur'an used in the ceremony will be one belonging to founding father Thomas Jefferson. From The Washington Post:

"He wanted to use a Koran that was special," said Mark Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at the Library of Congress, who was contacted by the Minnesota Dem early in December. Dimunation, who grew up in Ellison's 5th District, was happy to help. . . .

Jefferson's copy is an English translation by George Sale published in the 1750s; it survived the 1851 fire that destroyed most of Jefferson's collection and has his customary initialing on the pages. This isn't the first historic book used for swearing-in ceremonies -- the Library has allowed VIPs to use rare Bibles for inaugurations and other special occasions.

Unfortunately, while Ellison's Qur'an of choice has patriotic origins, it is also an English translation, meaning that it lacks the divine nature of an Arabic version.