In 1765, a 22-year-old Thomas Jefferson bought a copy of the Koran while studying law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. As a Deist, he was interested in all religions including Islam. As President, he studied his Koran to better understand the Ottoman Empire during the Barbary Wars.
In 2007, Jefferson's copy of the Koran was used by Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) to take his oath of office.
