Joe Cunningham: “Religion is important to every single Member in this House. I think that this is a real healthy debate because Members…”

“Religion is important to every single Member in this House. I think that this is a real healthy debate because Members on both sides of the issue have concerns. My friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), I would say that when it comes to not shying away from being religious or right, the Black Caucus, regardless if we agree on fiscal issues or not, always stand out in front for their beliefs. I laud especially the Black Caucus. For that they take second to no one in this body. I think because of those reasons and those concerns, I think this is a healthy debate. But there has been, my concern is that there have been abuses. My wife is a principal in an elementary school. I do not think it is wrong to be able to have a Christmas tree at Christmas, but at the same time I do not think it is wrong to celebrate Hanukkah or any other religion. When I was dean of a college, one of my staff members, his name was Mostafa Arab, he was on the Shah's Gold Cup soccer team, came to me and said, 'Can I pray to my God at the school?' And his God happened to be Allah. I said absolutely. Would I want him to conduct lessons in the Koran? No. But if he wanted to offer a prayer prior to an event, I would say yes. Maybe that is why this is so much of a problem, is that people do not know what is yes, what is no. But there have been abuses. I support the Istook amendment because I think it clarifies our position.”