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So a batch of newbies have arrived in our Congress. But this year they aren’t just “regular” newbs. The 110th Congress has the first Muslim and the first two Buddhists to serve in Congress, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

But that’s not all that makes the 110th Congress extra special. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, made history when he took the ceremonial oath with a Quran on Jan 5.

What’s so special about this? Not only was he the first Congressman to do this, but the multicolored Quran with brown leather binding was once owned by the third president of our country: Thomas Jefferson.

Now who would have known that Jefferson had a Quran? I sure didn’t. According to the Chronicle, Jefferson sold his English Quran in 1815 to Congress.

My pride swelled upon hearing of the first Muslim Congressman, and to know that Ellison is serious about his religion put relief in my heart that maybe our country won’t make stupid mistakes after all. Though there is a lot of pressure on Ellison to be a good Congressman, there is also a lot of pressure for him to represent the Muslim population here.

Ellison chose to convert, so he must be very passionate about the religion he chose for himself, and as a convert, Ellison most likely has a better understanding of both the Muslim and Western world than most. The fact that he chose to use Jefferson’s Quran shows that though Islam is a big part of who he is.

Now, in the year to come, I’ll probably be more interested in the rulings of Congress knowing that there is someone I trust to voice some of my concerns. Though Ellison might not represent my state directly, he is representing the growing Muslim population of the United States. Hopefully a step like this has made way for other Muslims to help make Islam more prominent in our government. Who knows, maybe the 111th Congress will have the first Muslim woman to be elected to Congress. – Maahum Chaudhry