I don't know if anyone has heard of the following case, but it is very disturbing.... Unfortunately, there are a lot of elected officials out there who behave in such an unprofessional and bigoted manner.
firstamendmentcenter.org: news
At least 2 dozen Okla. lawmakers to return copies of Quran
By The Associated Press
10.25.07
OKLAHOMA CITY — The number of Oklahoma lawmakers who plan to return copies of the Quran to a state panel on diversity climbed to at least 24 yesterday after a Tulsa-area legislator claimed the Muslim holy book condones the killing of innocent people.
The books were given to Oklahoma's 149 senators and representatives by the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council.
"Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology," state Rep. Rex Duncan said.
He said yesterday that he had researched the Quran on the Internet and believed it supports such killing.
"That's exactly what it says," Duncan said. "I think it's pretty straightforward. By their own admission, those are the exact words. They don't all practice that."
Duncan, R-Sand Springs, first expressed his feelings about the Quran in an Oct. 22 letter to colleagues.
Marjaneh Seirafi-Pour, chairwoman of the council and a Muslim, said she continued to be disappointed by Duncan's assessment of Islam.
She said some sites on the Internet that talk about the Quran "appear to be authentic but they are not done by Muslims. They are done by people who want to devalue Islam."
She earlier criticized Duncan's reference to Islam as an ideology. "That is not a fact. It is a religion. It is very peaceful, very inclusive," she said.
Seirafi-Pour said yesterday that one reason the decision was made to distribute the Quran was to give lawmakers accurate information.
"I still hope to go to the offices and shake their hands and tell them about all the projects and programs we do," she said.
She said some members of her council also are members of an FBI-sponsored outreach program to "build bridges" between law enforcement and the Muslim community.
"We are in constant communication with FBI agents and police departments in Edmond, Oklahoma City and Norman," she said. "They have requested our assistance in different programs and we have been willing to go and share our culture with them."
In Washington, spokesman Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Duncan's statement was "disturbing" and "offensive" to Muslims.
"It just points to the amount of education about Islam and the American Muslim community that is needed in all levels in our society, including elected officials," Hooper said.
Not all lawmakers said they were returning the gift.
Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill is accepting the gift, but issued a statement saying that "as a measure of goodwill" he would present the council with a copy of the Centennial edition of the Bible given to legislators earlier this year by Oklahoma Baptists.
"While the majority of Americans are Christians, the Constitution clearly protects people's right to practice their faith and distribute religious materials," Cargill said.
"What's sad is that so often when the situation is reversed, Islamic governments persecute and torture Christians who attempt to practice and spread their faith," he added.
He said he hoped the council "will join me in condemning those countries that don't grant the same freedoms to Christians."
Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, a Democrat, said he personally found the gift from the council as "a sincere attempt at cultural and spiritual understanding and I appreciate the unique rights of Oklahoma citizens, guaranteed under the Constitution, to share their beliefs in a healthy, academic and respectful manner."
Seirafi-Pour estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 Muslims live in Oklahoma.
At least 2 dozen Okla. lawmakers to return copies of Quran
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