Keith Ellison
Democrat Keith Ellison is the first Muslim to serve in the United States Congress. He represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he converted to Islam while in college. Ellison is quite controversial due to his past ties with the radical Nation of Islam; he has also been accused of having had "involvement" in anti-Semitism.[1] In 2007, Mr. Ellison compared the Bush Administration to Nazi Germany. [2]
It is traditional for newly-sworn members of the House of Representatives to repeat their oaths with their hand on a Bible or simply the constitution for photographers[3]. When Ellison was ceremonially "sworn-in," he used a Quran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.[4] This cause some controversy do to opposition from Dennis Prager and Senator Virgil Goode. Their opposition led to controversy in the aftermath of the event. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for Prager to be removed from the council overseeing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial. Some members of the Memorial Council like Ed Koch were ALSO vocal in advocating his removal. In the end the executive committee of the council issued a resolution that has been seen as "distancing" the Council from Prager's remarks.<ref name="J. Besser">James Besser. "U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council distances itself from Prager", The Jewish Journal, 2006-12-22. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.Â