The editor would like to thank all involved for their time and effort on this edition of The Voice.

The opinions expressed in any Sweet Briar College publication or other forms of media are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration. Therefore, Sweet Briar College is not responsible for its content.

Editorials represent the opinion(s) of the editor(s) and/or staff/guest writer(s).

This site is maintained by Anne Proctor. Please email any questions or comments concerning the web site to her.

Local Congressman Makes National News
By: Emily Clifton '08
STAFF WRITER

There has been much controversy lately over local Congressman Virgil Goode’s statements regarding the Muslim faith and its place in American society. Goode (R) represents the area local to Sweet Briar.

The storm began over the holidays when he sent a letter to his constituents commenting on the election and on the swearing in of new fellow Congressman Keith Ellison (D), from Minnesota. Ellison, a Muslim, asked to exercise his right to use the Koran in lieu of the Bible during the ceremony to take office.

“The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and 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’s letter stated.

Virgil Goode also made comments regarding the place of the Koran in politics.

“As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office,” he said to a Muslim student who asked him why there were only references to Christianity on his office walls, and not to the Koran.

Goode believes the United States needs to “reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton [which] allows many persons from the Middle East to come to this country.”

He also explicitly stated his fears that “in the next century, we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies” that he believes are necessary “to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.”

The letter was published, and national print and television journalism were filled for days with people supporting or condemning Goode for his statements.

We took this issue to the students at Sweet Briar and asked what they thought. Despite its proximity to our community, only thirty percent of students polled had even heard of the issue. After we made sure everyone was aware of what had occurred by reading excerpts from the letter to the people being polled, we asked the students to answer a few questions to get an idea of how our campus stands on the issue.

Twenty-four percent of the people polled supported Virgil Goode’s standpoint that Ellison should not have been allowed to conduct his swearing in on the Koran. Seventy-five percent believed that it was acceptable for Ellison to have done so. A few people did not care either way.

Sixteen percent of Sweet Briar students believed that Muslim/Middle Eastern immigration poses a security threat to Americans. Seven percent believed we should restrict Muslim immigration to the United States, and eleven percent of students felt that Muslims pose a cultural threat to American life.

While our campus seems to lean toward acceptance of Ellison’s use of the Koran during his swearing in ceremony, a many students disagreed. It seems that the real issue to Virgil Goode is less that Ellison was not using the Bible, but more that he believes that Muslims pose a threat to the United States.

Most Sweet Briar students are not registered to vote in Goode’s district. However, students should remember that local politics can have an impact on campus life, and may want to make local leaders aware of their concerns.