Last week in the local newspaper, a man wrote a Letter to the Editor criticizing Keith Ellison for using the Koran for his swearing-in ceremony. He then went on to call the religion of Islam "the enemy." Fed up with bigots like this who have never even read the Constitution, I decided to write a response letter back to him. Here it is. I will be sending it in probably by mid-week.
Freedom of Religion
This letter is in response to Neil Geyer who recently characterized the new representative from Minnesota, Keith Ellison, as opening the door for the enemy to move into our government, because he is the first Muslim in Congress. Mr. Geyer says Islam is an evil religion that wants to take over our country and see all of us dead. Well, Mr. Geyer, your understanding of Islam and of our Constitution is both ignorant and sad.
Let’s start with your concept of Islam as the enemy. Right now we have well over 2 million Muslims in this country (many of whom serve bravely in our armed forces). Tell me, Mr. Geyer, how many of these people have attacked the country or have advocated for the conversion of the U.S. into an Islamic theocracy? How many times have famous American Muslims such as Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Hakeem Olajuwon called on their fellow Muslims to rise up against the government? None would be the answer.
You say the true followers of Islam are these extremists who call for we "infidels" to die. Tell me, was Adolf Hitler a true follower of Christianity? Because as he has been quoted ("I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord"), Hitler believed he killed six million Jews for God. And what about the Puritans who killed over 20 million Indians in the creation of this great country? Were they consistent with the teachings of Jesus? I think not. We Christians denounce these killings because we see that they were wrong and inconsistent with the true meaning of Christianity. So if self-proclaimed Christians can show a history of death and murder, yet Christianity can still remain a religion of peace and brotherhood, why can’t Islam for Muslims? As you see, there are extremists in every walk of life, and hardly ever are they the true representation of a group.
We are not a theocracy, where all of our laws are based on one religious text. There are only 3 places in the Constitution that deal with religion: the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment and Article 6. The Free Exercise Clause means that individuals are free to practice their faith. The Establishment Clause means that Congress cannot favor one religion over another, that Congress cannot set up a state church, and that Congress cannot force believe or disbelieve of a religion. And Article 6 states, "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office under the United States." Thus as you can see, Mr. Geyer, a person is free to practice whatever religion they desire without government interference and there is no religious test when it comes to holding public office. So Mr. Ellison (who can trace his family in America back to the 1700s) has all the right in the world to be a member of Congress.
So next time you spread your hate, Mr. Geyer, you need to do 3 things: 1. Actually meet a Muslim, because they are just as patriotic as you are, 2. Read the Constitution, because we are a democracy where all men are created equal, 3. Read the New Testament, because Jesus taught us to forgive and to treat others as your brother. The cross I wear around my neck doesn’t make me anymore American than the Muslim who wears a hijab or the atheist who wears no religious garb at all.
Everybody, let's do our part to correct ignorant people like this who try to ruin our country. Make them realize America is everybody's country.