Tlaib corrects news reports, says she swore in on personal Quran

Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) revealed Saturday that she swore in as a member of the House of Representatives on her personal Quran, rather than the historic copy owned by Thomas Jefferson, as news reports previously indicated.

Multiple news outlets including The Hill previously reported that Tlaib would swear in as one of the first two female Muslim representatives in U.S. history on a copy of the Quran once owned by Jefferson, the nation’s 3rd president, which is currently stored in the Library of Congress during the ceremonial swearing-in session with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

{mosads}But Tlaib revealed Saturday that she instead used a personal copy gifted to her decades ago by a close friend.

“I used my own *personal Quran* that my best friend of 25 years gifted me to use for the ceremonial swear in (basically a photo with Speaker Pelosi),” Tlaib wrote.

“*Note: I did not use Jefferson’s Quran as reported. I wanted it to be more personal (and my own),” she added.

I used my own *personal Quran* that my best friend of 25 years gifted me to use for the ceremonial swear in (basically a photo with Speaker Pelosi).

*Note: I did not use Jefferson’s Quran as reported. I wanted it to be more personal (and my own). pic.twitter.com/DRTn3EuB8y

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 6, 2019

Tlaib previously told the Detroit Free Press that she was eager to show that Islam is not a “foreign” religion, and instead has deep roots within American culture with her use of Jefferson’s copy.

“It’s important to me because a lot of Americans have this kind of feeling that Islam is somehow foreign to American history,” Tlaib told the Free Press on Thursday. “Muslims were there at the beginning … Some of our Founding Fathers knew more about Islam than some members of Congress now.”

“My mere existence, that I’m even of Muslim faith, is going to be a problem for them with or without me swearing in on any Quran,” she added. “I believe in secular government [and] my swearing in on the Quran is about me showing that the American people are made up of diverse backgrounds and we all have love of justice and freedom.”

Other representatives including former Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) have used Jefferson’s copy in the past for their ceremonial swearing-in ceremonies.