Keith Ellison, Minnesota's newly elected Democratic congressman, identifies himself as a member of the Muslim faith and as such would like to carry a Quran while being sworn into office.

Is there anything wrong with that?

Apparently, some people think so. Ellison's desire to take his oath with a Quran is causing an uproar as people across the nation claim this means Ellison identifies with the terrorists our country is at war against.

The nonprofit organization the American Family Association is calling for concerned citizens to push their members of Congress to pass a law to make the Bible the only book ever used during swearing-in ceremonies.

The fracas being caused by Ellison's innocent desire to carry a symbol of his faith shows just how hypocritical some members of the American public can be.

Never mind that our country was founded on the principles of religious freedom and separation of church and state. Never mind that the first immigrants to America were pilgrim settlers who left England to escape religious persecution. Never mind that right now we ought to be reaching out to as many faiths as possible in an attempt for international unity.

The swearing-in ceremony for a new congressman or congresswoman is quite simple for something drawing so much press.

Members of the House take a collective oath, repeating these words: "I, [name of member], do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God."

While taking the oath, members may have with them a personal religious text and later, during a swearing-in "photo-op," many members opt to have pictures taken with their left hand placed on a Bible, according to an article in Tacoma's The News Tribune.

That an elected official would be persecuted for attempting to swear on the Quran in place of the Bible speaks volumes about how far America has yet to go in the fight against racial and religious intolerance.