The Jefferson Koran: Christian Fundamentalists Prop Up Another Big Lie

As noted almost everywhere, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) will be using a Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson for the photo-op reenactment of his swearing in today.

There are some conservative sites out there, particularly this one, who are implying President Jefferson came to possess the Koran in an effort to better understand his adversary during the U.S. war against the Barbary Pirates, a war that was brought about by Jefferson's decision not to pay money to insure safe passage (as was done during the Adams' Administration).

Bottom line, these bozos are trying to get some mileage out of this story by claiming it indicates Jefferson had no respect at all for Muslims, and that he possessed his Koran merely to help him better understand his enemy.

While I buy into the idea that Jefferson had no respect for the Islam faith (afterall, he certainly didn't express much respect for the Christian faith, either), Jefferson, while still a law student, purchased his Koran in 1765, fully thirty-six years before the 1801 declaration of war against the United States by the Bashaw of Tripoli.

But why let the facts get in the way?