Can Tolerance be Tolerated?
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Sean Thibault is the publicity and new media director at the Religious Action Center. He joins us from the great white north, and is proud to represent Canada's frozen chosen. |
Rep-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to ever be elected to congress, has requested to take his individual oath on the Koran. Conservative commentators are less than pleased . Somehow, even Jewish ones (read: Dennis Prager), think that the Christian bible is the only valuable holy text in America .
He also forgets that secularism is a hallmark of democracy; as article VI of the U.S. constitution clearly states: “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Indeed, democratic thought for centuries has espoused religious tolerance, from Locke’s Letter on Toleration to Rousseau’s idea of an additional “civil religion.” The RAC’s press release more eloquently engages this idea.
Even other conservatives, like Eugene Volkh , are distancing themselves from Prager’s all out attack on Islam.
For, when Prager writes: “If Keith Ellison is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11,” he not only undermines and demeans the tragedy that was September 11 th, he alleges that Rep.-elect Ellison is at least a supporter of terrorism and violence.
What seems most clear is that when Prager endorses ‘moral’ violence it is acceptable, but if an elected official were to merely suggest they take an honest oath of office, this amounts to an endorsement of violence so dangerous, that, how do you say, the basics of American democracy (read: “Constitution?”) are apparently at risk.
There's also more at the Jewish Journal.