In the wake of intolerant statements about Rep.-Elect Keith Ellison’s desire to use a Quran at his swearing in, Dr. Welton Gaddy wrote to him to express his support and welcomed him to Washington. An op-ed, expressing the same sentiments as the letter, was published by the website for ABC News on Monday. Excerpts of the letter and a link to ABCnews.com follow:
On behalf of The Interfaith Alliance (TIA), and our 185,000 members nationwide, I write to congratulate you on your election to Congress and to welcome you to Washington. . . . I am saddened and angered—but, unfortunately, not surprised—by the turmoil touched off by Dennis Prager’s self-righteous screed titled “America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book a Congressman Takes His Oath On.” As you well know, upon hearing the news that you will take your oath of office on the Quran, Mr.[Dennis] Prager said that your act “undermines American civilization,” and that when a Congressman is taking an oath of office, “America is interested in only one book, the Bible.” . . . Our members look forward to your swearing in as a great moment in American history, and I hope we will be able to find ways to work together to protect the religious liberties of all Americans.
Read the full letter (PDF)
Read Dr. Gaddy’s op-ed at ABCnews.com