Buddhist congresswoman sworn in,
urges tolerance
By Dennis Camire, Gannett News
Service, January 6, 2007
WASHINGTON, USA -- While a new, Muslim member of
Congress sparked a controversy for taking his oath of office with a
Quran instead of a Bible on Thursday, another new member
who is Buddhist was sworn in with no book at all.
Mazie Hirono, sworn into Congress on Buddhist
precepts
Rep. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat who was raised in the Buddhist
tradition, said, "I don't have a book. ... But I certainly
believe in the precepts of Buddhism and that of tolerance of other
religions and integrity and honesty."
Members of the House for the 110th Congress were sworn in en masse,
then had individual swearing-in ceremonies with House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif. In many cases, members rest a hand on a Bible
while taking the oath, but they're not required to do so.
Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, took his oath on a Quran once
owned by Thomas Jefferson. Prior to his taking the oath, he was
criticized by Virginia Republican Virgil Goode, who warned of an
influx of Muslims being elected to public office.
In an op-ed piece in USA Today, Goode wrote, "I believe that if we
do not stop illegal immigration totally, reduce legal immigration
and end diversity visas, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to
infiltration by those who want to mold the United States into the
image of their religion, rather than working within the
Judeo-Christian principles that have made us a beacon for
freedom-loving persons around the world."
Of the controversy, Hirono said, "It's about time that we have
people of other backgrounds and faiths in Congress ... what
happened to separation of church and state and religious tolerance?
I believe in those things."