As you may recall, President Obama spoke of Thomas Jefferson’s Koran at his annual Iftar dinner. Here is part of his statement:
The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release August 10, 2012 Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner East Room
“As I’ve noted before, Thomas Jefferson once held a sunset dinner here with an envoy from Tunisia — perhaps the first Iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago. And some of you, as you arrived tonight, may have seen our special display, courtesy of our friends at the Library of Congress — the Koran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. And that’s a reminder, along with the generations of patriotic Muslims in America, that Islam — like so many faiths — is part of our national story.”
When America’s First President George Washington died, these were Thomas Jefferson’s words:
“I felt on his death, with my countrymen, that “verily a great man hath fallen this day in Israel.” (Samuel 3:38) -Thomas Jefferson, January 2, 1814