Isabella Carter
In December 2018, a viral meme circulated on Facebook claiming that three Muslim congresswomen refused to take the oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. This was proven to be false, as the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress had not yet taken place when the meme started spreading. Additionally, only two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, were set to take the oath of office as members of the US House of Representatives in January 2019. This incident highlights the prevalence of misinformation targeting Muslims in public office, with previous false claims asserting that a 1952 law banned Muslims from holding public office in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of claim | December 2018 |
| Source of claim | Facebook meme |
| Number of Muslim women in claim | 3 |
| Number of Muslim women elected to Congress | 2 |
| Names of Muslim women elected to Congress | Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib |
| Additional Muslim member of Congress | Rep. André Carson |
| Date of swearing-in ceremony | 3 January 2019 |
| Text of oath | "I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter." |
| Requirement of oath | Yes, as per Article VI of the Constitution |
| Truth of claim | No evidence to support the claim |
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What You'll Learn
Misinformation about Muslims and public office
In December 2018, a viral meme began circulating on Facebook, claiming that three Muslim congresswomen had refused to take the oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. The post, which garnered thousands of shares, also asserted that these women were aiming to install Sharia law and refused to pledge allegiance to the US.
However, this claim was entirely false. Firstly, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress, which was scheduled for 3 January 2019, had not yet taken place when the meme started spreading. Secondly, only two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, were due to take the oath of office as members of the US House of Representatives in January 2019. Both women were elected in November 2018 and were set to join Rep. André Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, who is also Muslim.
This incident is not an isolated case of misinformation about Muslims and public office. For instance, another false claim asserted that a 1952 law "bans Muslims from holding public office in the United States". In reality, Article VI of the US Constitution, which requires federally elected officials to be "bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution", explicitly states that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for public office in the United States".
Additionally, there have been controversies surrounding the use of religious texts during swearing-in ceremonies. In 2006, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim member of Congress, announced his intention to use a Quran instead of a Bible during his oath of office. While Ellison was not technically sworn in with the Quran, he did pose for photographs with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with their hands upon a copy of the Quran. This decision sparked backlash from some Americans, illustrating the sensitivity surrounding the intersection of religion and public office in the United States.
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The swearing-in ceremony
In December 2018, a meme began circulating on Facebook claiming that three Muslim congresswomen had refused to take the oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. The meme asserted that these women were elected to destroy the country and its way of life, and that they intended to install Sharia law.
However, this claim was entirely false. Firstly, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress, which included the two newly elected Muslim congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, was scheduled for 3 January 2019. Therefore, no members could have refused to take the oath yet. Secondly, the oath of office is a constitutional obligation, and refusing to take it would prevent someone from taking office.
> I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
Some members also pose for photos individually following the official swearing-in and hold private ceremonies. For example, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim member of Congress, posed for a photo with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both placing their hands on a copy of the Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Rashida Tlaib, one of the two Muslim women at the centre of the false Facebook claim, also planned to wear a traditional Palestinian dress, or thobe, made by her mother for her swearing-in ceremony.
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The oath of office
In December 2018, a meme started circulating on Facebook claiming that three Muslim congresswomen refused to take their oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. The post garnered over 70 comments and was shared more than 3,000 times. The claim was also shared by thousands of people on other social media platforms. However, this claim is false.
Firstly, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress, which was scheduled for 3 January 2019, had not yet taken place when the meme started circulating. Therefore, no members could have refused to take the oath. Secondly, only two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, were set to take the oath of office as members of the US House of Representatives in January 2019. They joined Rep. André Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, who is also Muslim.
Tlaib and Omar did not refuse to take the oath of office. In fact, Tlaib made public her preparations for taking the oath, announcing that she planned to wear a traditional Palestinian dress, known as a thobe, made by her mother. She also intended to use a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Koran for her ceremonial swearing-in. Omar also stated that she would probably use a Koran at the swearing-in.
> "I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter."
This oath is a constitutional obligation for all members of Congress, who take the oath en-masse in a public, group swearing-in ceremony on the opening day of a new Congress. The ceremony consists of members raising their right hands and repeating the oath. No religious texts are used, as specified in the Constitution. However, some members pose for photos individually following the official swearing-in and hold private ceremonies, during which they may use religious texts. For example, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota utilised a copy of the Quran for a ceremonial photo op with the Speaker of the House following his swearing-in.
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The role of religion in the ceremony
In December 2018, a meme began circulating on Facebook claiming that three Muslim congresswomen had refused to take the oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. The post garnered a lot of attention, with thousands of shares. However, this claim was false.
Firstly, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress, which included the two newly elected Muslim congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, was scheduled for 3 January 2019. Therefore, no members could have refused to take the oath yet. Secondly, refusing to take the oath would not be possible anyway, as it is a constitutional obligation.
The controversy surrounding the oath of office for Muslim congresspeople is not new. In 2006, when Democrat Keith Ellison was elected as the first Muslim member of Congress, he announced his intention to use the Quran instead of the Bible during his swearing-in ceremony. This sparked outrage among some Americans. However, Ellison was ultimately not sworn in with his hand on the Quran. Instead, he posed for ceremonial photos with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with both of them placing their hands on a copy of the Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
For her swearing-in ceremony, Rashida Tlaib planned to wear a traditional Palestinian dress, or thobe, made by her mother. She also intended to use Thomas Jefferson's Quran, which is held by the Library of Congress. Ilhan Omar similarly stated that she would probably use a Quran for the ceremony.
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The constitutional obligation
In December 2018, a meme started circulating on Facebook claiming that three Muslim congresswomen had refused to take the oath of office to uphold the US Constitution. The meme also stated that they refused to pledge allegiance to America and wanted to install Sharia Law. This claim was shared by thousands of people on social media.
However, this claim is false. Firstly, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress, which included two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, was scheduled for 3 January 2019. Therefore, no members could have refused to take the oath yet. Secondly, taking the oath of office is a constitutional obligation. According to Article VI of the Constitution, all representatives, senators, executive officers, judicial officers, and state legislatures are required to affirm their support for the Constitution. The oath of office states:
> I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
It is worth noting that there is no religious test required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States, and no religious texts are used during the swearing-in ceremony. In 2006, when Congressman Keith Ellison became the first Muslim member of Congress, he posed for photographs with his hand upon a copy of the Quran after the official swearing-in ceremony.
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Frequently asked questions
No, this is false. In December 2018, a viral meme started to circulate claiming that three Muslim congresswomen refused to take the oath of office to uphold the Constitution. However, the swearing-in ceremony for the 116th Congress hadn't taken place when this meme started circulating. Only two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, took the oath of office as members of the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2019.
The oath of office is a constitutional obligation for all new members of Congress. It is also known as the swearing-in ceremony. The oath is as follows:
> I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.
Yes, members of Congress can use religious texts during the swearing-in ceremony. In 2006, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota used a copy of the Quran for the ceremonial photo op pose with the Speaker of the House following his swearing-in.
