Thursday, April 7, 2016

Jefferson's Qu'ran, Glenn Beck, and John Adams - an update

Recently I wrote about Jefferson's Koran, primarily focusing in on the Koran written in 1647 by Sieur du Ryer. Problem is, that wasn't Jefferson's Koran. Had I taken the time to look into Keith Ellison, I probably would've figured that out by lifting all the rocks to see what was underneath them. Since I have absolutely no interest in Ellison, certain questions went unanswered.

They now get answered. At least, to the best of my ability.

First, let's clear up what I mistakenly wrote at the time. Jefferson did not own Sieur du Ryer's Koran. Jefferson owned George Sale's translation.(which I linked to at the bottom of the post, and will again do so now here. Here and here) According to the Library of Congress, Keith Ellison swore in on Jefferson's Koran, which is the edition from George Sale. We can confirm that by looking at this image. As I stated, Sale's Koran is not friendly to Islam. See here for some excerpts.

While much has been stated about Thomas Jefferson owning a Koran, he wasn't the only Founder to do so. John Adams also owned a Koran. Guess which one he owned? Yup, Sieur du Ryer's. Here is Adams' Koran, bearing the stamp of the Adams Library. See page iv, it has the quote on it that started my curiosity in the first place.

Thou wilt wonder that such absurdities have infected the best part of the world, and wilt avouch, that the knowledge of what is contained in this book, will render that law contemptible.

During the process of researching these final pieces of information to set everything straight, I came across this image. It shows Ellison with the book open, flipping through pages.

It is striking, since two things are likely: First, Ellison did not read Sale's work. Otherwise, he likely would not have used it in his swearing. Secondly, if Ellison did read it, as that photo op was being taken he might have been thinking to himself: Thank God Allah more conservatives don't read their history!

At the time of Ellison's swearing in, there was a huge controversy over his use of the Koran. He likely would not have used that Koran if the contents of said Koran had become a part of the national conversation. Likewise, if more people knew the contents of that Koran and its less-than-pristine view of Islam, the controversy itself probably would not have been so controversial. Realistically, Ellison insulted himself and got away with it because nobody knew. Now, that moment is gone. It doesn't matter at this point. However, there are a lot of people who (rightfully) realize that Islam is a threat. You could do no better than to read Ryer's Koran and Sale's Koran. If you want to know the enemy, then know the enemy. Reading these would be to your advantage. The founders read them. And that threat is still very real, note what happened in Brussels. It would be very unwise to not read a Koran. Why not choose to read either of these?

The importance of knowing our history is extremely difficult to overstate. Leave no rock unturned.

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