Lawmaker to take oath on Jefferson’s Koran
A Michigan lawmaker is set to be sworn into office as a US congresswoman while holding a copy of a Koran once owned by former US President Thomas Jefferson.
Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian heritage, is also expected to wear traditional Palestinian clothing during the swearing in ceremony.
Ms Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar will become the first-ever Muslim female members of Congress on Thursday.
She will also make history as the first Palestinian-American congresswoman.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Ms Tlaib, 42, said: “My swearing in on the Koran is about me showing that the American people are made up of diverse backgrounds and we all have love of justice and freedom”.
“It’s important to me because a lot of Americans have this kind of feeling that Islam is somehow foreign to American history,” she said.
“Muslims were there at the beginning… Some of our founding fathers knew more about Islam than some members of Congress now.”
Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian American elected to Congress, poses with supporters outside the Capitol. She will be sworn in wearing a traditional Arab thobe pic.twitter.com/yK5Rs5sgyE
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Ms Tlaib will use the Koran during the ceremonial swearing in at the House Speaker’s office on Thursday.
Although no text is required for the oath, many US lawmakers have traditionally held the Bible as they vowed to protect the US Constitution from “all enemies, foreign and domestic”.
Minnesota’s Keith Ellison held the same 1734 copy of Jefferson’s Koran when he was sworn in as the country’s first Muslim congressman 12 years ago. His decision was fiercely opposed at the time by some conservative Christian lawmakers.
Jefferson’s two-volume copy of the Koran, which was translated into English by George Sale in 1734, is currently housed in the US Library of Congress.
The text, which Jefferson sold to the Library after its contents were burned by the British in 1814, has been loaned to Ms Tlaib for the day.
New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland, who is one of two first female Native American members of Congress, is also wearing her traditional clothing for the occasion.
According to the New York Times, she chose to wear traditional dress of the Pueblo tribe, including silver and turquoise jewellery and moccasins.
Ms Tlaib, a Democrat representing Detroit, told the Free Press that she chose to wear a traditional Palestinian garment, called a thobe, which was made by her mother who came to the US from the West Bank when she was 20 years old.
Ms Tlaib is a mother of two boys and is the oldest of her 14 siblings.
Her grandmother still lives in the West Bank and she has said that she hopes to lead a US delegation there after beginning her term.
On social media, she shared images of the dress and asked others to #TweetYourThobe, inspiring followers to share pictures of their dresses.
Sneak peek: This is what I am wearing when I am sworn into Congress. #PalestinianThobe #ForMyYama
A post shared by Rashida Tlaib (@rashidatlaib) on
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Congrats @RashidaTlaib! From the Milbes family, with love. This photo was taken at a cousin's wedding a couple of months ago. #TweetYourThobe #TweetYourThob pic.twitter.com/wxpKN6kKY5
End of Twitter post by @alaamilb
So proud to be a Palestinian-American woman today #TweetYourThobe @RashidaTlaib pic.twitter.com/jbGDHD4fuG
End of Twitter post by @Zkahuk
While celebrating the Democrats’ newest members, some on Twitter pointed out a lack of diversity among Republicans.
Watching the 116th Congress mill around from up in the press gallery, the visual difference between the Republican side and the Democratic side is noticeable. On one side, mostly white men in suits. On the other, more women wearing all colors and more diversity of skin tone.
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Rep. Liz Cheney, speaking now, is one of 13 Republican women in the House. Looking at the two parties side by side on the House floor right now – the lack of diversity (gender / ethnic/ racial) on the Republican side is quick stark.
End of Twitter post by @JFKucinich
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