Rep. Ellison becomes first Muslim U.S. congressman.

On January 4, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) became the first Muslim U.S. congressman. After the official oath of office with the other representatives in the House chamber, he used the Koran, the holy book of Islam, in an individual ceremonial oath with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House.

Ellison used the Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson--thanks to the Library of Congress. But although the book Ellison used has, in the words of the Washington Post, "an unassailably all-American provenance," and provided him with "a savvy bit of political symbolism," it is probably safe to say that Jefferson never swore an oath on the Koran.

Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, Ellison's announcement that he would use the Koran provoked a strong reaction from Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.), who is concerned about the effects uncontrolled immigration, including large numbers of Muslim immigrants, is having on our country and values. "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," he warned last month in a letter to constituents.