Keith Ellison
Democrat Keith Ellison, born August 4, 1963 (age 63), 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 for photographers[3]. When Ellison was ceremonially "sworn-in," he used a Quran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.[4]
Ellison went to a Islamic hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this past winter, becoming the first U.S. congressman to make the pilgrimage. After claiming he paid for the trip, it was determined to be paid for by a U.S. group tied to Muslim extremists, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. [5]
References
- ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091000951.html
- ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289157,00.html
- ↑ http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20604_1.html
- ↑ http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8MEPKIG0&show_article=1
- ↑ Keith Ellison's office hangs up on WND WorldNetDaily, June 17, 2009