TRUTH CREEP

Headline of an AP story at Fox News:

First Muslim Congressman Insists on Using Koran for Ceremonial Swearing-In

Er, where did "Insists" come from? Does anyone have any evidence that Keith Ellison is insisting on this -- is insisting that, for instance, even if other members of Congress don't use Bibles (as seems to be the custom), he's going to use a Koran?

Elsewhere, the headline of the AP story is much more neutral. The body of the story merely refers to "his plan to use a Koran during his ceremonial swearing-in." So "Insists" is just an add-on from Fox.

As for what Ellison's plans really are, The New York Times said on November 10, "Arab news reports highlighted the fact that Mr. Ellison would probably take the oath of office on the Koran." Probably.

ABC was more definite on November 11, asserting that Ellison "will be sworn into the House of Representatives with his hand on a Koran." But no source was cited.

Anyone know of an "insistence" by Ellison?

By the way, this McClatchy story points out that the hysterics who are denouncing this plan, if it even is a plan, are to the right of Tom Tancredo. ("'He wants to take his oath on the Quran, that's fine,' Tancredo said. 'I think whatever you believe is necessary for you to uphold your obligations to the Constitution, that is fine with me.'") Oh, and there's this:

Taking an oath on the Quran isn't unprecedented.

In 1999, the News-India Times reported that Osman Siddique, a Virginia businessman of Bangladeshi origin, used the Quran to take the oath when he became the U.S. ambassador to Fiji and three other Pacific nations: Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu. He took the oath on the Bible and the Quran, with the Quran on top, the newspaper reported.

Mr. Siddique, as it turns out, confirmed this yesterday in a Washington Times op-ed, "Muslims Must Come Forward," in which he urged fellow Muslims to oppose terrorism. The usually Muslimphobic Little Green Footballs praised Mr. Siddique's op-ed.