Talk radio static and bolts from the blogosphere are hissing with indignation over newly elected Michigan U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison's request to take his unofficial oath of office on the Koran rather than the Bible.

Ellison, a 31-year-old trial lawyer, is a former Catholic who converted to the Muslim religion in college. He is the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, which is a cause for celebration and a sign of America's tolerance and respect for freedom of religion.

A little history should suffice to assuage any fears that America's traditions and values are mortally endangered by Ellison's simple request. The Constitution does not require that the oath of office be taken on a Bible. This is what it says:

"The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

Though deeply religious, John Quincy Adams took his oath as president on a law book that included the Constitution. He did so out of respect for the separation of church and state. No Bible was used at the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt. And like Adams, Vice President Calvin Coolidge, who learned late in the night of the death of President Warren Harding, placed his hand on the Constitution as his father administered the oath to him in the family sitting room.

Swearing the oath of office on the Bible is a tradition that dates back to George Washington, but it is not a requirement. It makes far more sense for a Muslim to affirm his oath on the fundamental book of his faith than on the sacred text of a faith he does not share.