It wouldn’t make much sense if he did…
What makes you think that anyone has to swear on a bible?
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_145.html
Cecil on the swearing in of atheists. There was a follow-up column detailing the swearing in of Muslims Buddhists etc. I can’t find it but the gist is that no, no muslim is required to swear on a Bible.
But whether he does or not is somewhat irrelavent. He doesn’t believe in (or subscribe to) our form of government and doesn’t feel he needs to tell the truth regardless of what he swears on. He has changed his testimony several times, to suit his needs. If he is put to death, he may be considered a martyr.
In fact, "Zerkin [his attorney] argued that his client would not be a competent witness because he recognizes only Islamic law, not American law, and believes it’s permissible to lie to further holy war. "
I was a juror on a trial in January, and paid attention to details such as the swearing in of witnesses. The court clerk asked the witnesses to raise their right hands and then asked, “Do you solemnly state under penalty of perjury . . .” which avoids the whole issue.
Right.
One can do a secular affirmation regarding sworn testimony.
At a US federal level, one can also do secular affirmation versions of the oaths of service/office.
The effect is the same.
An interesting question is can a non-Christian substitute their holy book in place of a Bible?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166307,00.html
Traditionally, witnesses taking the stand in court are sworn in by placing their hand on the Bible.
But when Muslims in Guilford County, N.C., tried to donate copies of the Koran for courtroom use, judges turned them down.
Chief District Court Judge Joseph Turner (search) says taking an oath on the Koran is not allowed by North Carolina state law, which specifies that witnesses shall place their hands on the “holy scriptures,” which he interprets as the Christian Bible.
In state and federal court in New York, this is what I’ve always seen.