Washington – A Muslim group is asking Virginia Republican Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. to apologize after he told hundreds of his constituents that more Muslims will follow Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., to Congress if strict immigration laws aren’t passed.
“The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran,” Goode wrote.
The letter was written to constituents who contacted Goode after Ellison said he planned to bring his Koran, the Muslim holy book, with him when he takes the oath of office Jan. 4.
In his letter, Goode said: “When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way.”
Goode, first elected to Congress in 1996, said he wants to “stop illegal immigration totally.”Corey Saylor, national legislative director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Goode’s “Islamophobic remarks send a message of intolerance that is unworthy of anyone elected to public office.”
CAIR officials noted that Ellison traces his family roots in the United States back to 1742.
“There can be no reasonable defense for such bigotry,” Saylor said, adding that Goode should apologize.
Linwood Duncan, Goode’s press secretary, said Goode sent the letter to hundreds of constituents who contacted his office after Ellison disclosed his plans. “The congressman is not apologizing,” Duncan said.
Ellison couldn’t be reached for comment.
