June 22, 2005 – A move by a Muslim advocacy organization trying to spread knowledge of the Islamic holy book in the United States is forcing judges in North Carolina to address how the separation of church and state applies to scriptures from non-Christian religions in the courthouse. Judges will be meeting statewide later this week and the issue is slated to be on the agenda, the Associated Press reported yesterday.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national civil rights group, is offering free copies of the Qur’an to North Carolina courts that allow them to be used for swearing witnesses in to testify. Yesterday, CAIR issued a statement asking the state judges’ conference to follow the legal advice of a state judiciary committee and allow the religious text to be used.
The conference follows the revelation of a conflict between the Guilford County Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts over whether law allows people to be sworn in on the Qur’an.
According to the Greensboro News & Record, Guilford District Judge Jospeh E. Turner denied requests that the usage be allowed in county courts. Another Guilford Judge, W. Douglas Albright, who sets policy for the state’s Superior Court, said "an oath on the Qur’an is not a lawful oath under our law."
Their actions are in direct conflict with an early decision by the AOC that said the Qur’an was to be allowed.
North Carolina allows people to decline using the Bible and instead swear in just by raising their right hand.
CAIR officials caution that not allowing the Quran to be used in courts comes dangerously close to an endorsement of one religion, violating the rights of Muslims throughout the state.
"By stating that only one book qualifies as ‘Holy Scriptures,’ the court may be making an inappropriate endorsement of a single set of religious beliefs," CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar said in a statement. "Eliminating the opportunity to swear an oath on one's own holy text may also have the effect of diminishing the credibility of that person's testimony."
