Congressman's No Muslim Fan

DECEMBER 21--Here's the letter Representative Virgil Goode sent to Virginia constituents warning that unless there is an immigration crackdown 'many more Muslims' will be elected to public office. And these Muslims, Goode noted, would take the oath of office with a hand resting on the Koran. In a December 7 letter, a copy of which you'll find below, the Republican congressman warned that 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, pictured at right, sent the letter in response to constituent correspondence regarding Representative-elect Keith Ellison's announcement that he wanted to use the Koran during his January swearing-in ceremony (Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress). Goode's letter was mistakenly sent to constituent John Cruickshank, an Earlysville man who got the letter after writing Goode about environmental issues. The Goode letter was first obtained by the fine folks at C-Ville, Charlottesville's weekly newspaper. (1 page)