Muslim Congressman
Goes to Washington
By Dr. Ghulam M. Haniff
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Present at the opening session of the 110th Congress
in the House of Representatives was a new face,
that of Keith Ellison, the newly elected Muslim
from Minnesota. For the Islamic community in America
this was a historic occasion and a cause for celebration.
Coinciding almost perfectly with the occurrence
of Eid-ul-Adha and the period of Hajj this event
took on special significance for the followers
of the Prophet both at home and abroad.
In the election of Keith Ellison the Muslim community
has achieved an important milestone. For the first
time ever one of their members has attained a
coveted seat in the most important political institution
of the country. This remarkable achievement ought
to reinvigorate the growing community into becoming
fully engaged in the public life of the nation.
Congressman Keith Ellison won his seat easily
by a huge margin from Minnesota’s fifth
congressional district. In a divided nation full
of political acrimony his message of peace, justice
and hope appealed to the constituents. During
his political campaign he reached out to everyone
and built a winning coalition. He was and continues
to be a forceful advocate of increasing the minimum
wage, providing universal healthcare and making
education accessible to the poor.
During the political campaign in the fall of 2006
Keith Ellison’s Republican opponent made
him into a target for relentless attacks. He ran
against two opponents, one took the high road
and other, low. The Republican candidate, Alan
Fine, a person of Jewish background, sought to
dredge up the issue of Ellison’s Islamic
religion and his earlier flirtation with the Black
Muslim Movement. Through a series of carefully
orchestrated innuendos his Republican rival tried
to portray Ellison as a radical black.
The voters in the 5th congressional district quickly
rejected the bigotry and racism of the Republican
contestant and would have none of it. When the
election returns came in the numbers showed Ellison
winning by 56% of the votes against 22% for each
of the two opponents. Keith Ellison won by a landslide.
The victory of Ellison ought to be viewed in the
context of the congressional district from which
he became a candidate for the Congress. Minnesota’s
5th congressional district is one of the most
heavily Democratic in the state. Democrats outnumber
Republicans by two to one. It is also one of the
most liberal constituencies. Since its creation
about twenty years ago the same Congressman, Martin
Sabo, a liberal, open and accessible representative,
was elected again and again until his retirement
last spring.
Ellison’s campaign message, very much like
that of the outgoing Congressman Sabo’s,
resonated with his constituents. He was positive
to the end and refused to be dragged down in the
mud. He stuck to the issues that his constituents
cared about and refrained from personal attacks.
For any Muslim interested in seeking a political
office Ellison’s political involvement could
be a model. The potential candidate would have
to reside in a liberal district, be active in
the Democratic Party and acquire political experience
through service at the local level. Despite the
fact that there are a handful of Muslims who identify
with the Republicans, the Republican Party is
not yet ready for the Muslims. The notion of diversity
is an anathema to them, as is immigration, and
Muslims are seen as the undesirable “other.”
The politicians who have attacked Muslims are
virtually all Republicans. The most recent example
is Rep. Virgil Goode, R-VA, who warned that “unless
immigration is tightened many more Muslims will
be elected” to the Congress. He does not
want Muslims to be in America. The other example
is that of the Republican Senatorial candidate,
John Allen, also from Virginia, who referred to
a dark complexioned Middle Eastern looking individual
as “macaca,” the French word for monkey.
Just before going to Washington, Keith Ellison
was once again attacked for his intention to take
the oath of office on the Qur’an. These
individuals, all Republican, ranged from Glenn
Beck, an anchor for the CNN, to Dennis Prager,
on the board of the Holocaust Museum, and Rep.
Virgil Goode, mentioned earlier.
However, Congressman Keith Ellison did take a
copy of the Qur’an for his swearing-in ceremony.
The Qur’an he used has an unusual history
in that it belonged to Thomas Jefferson, the author
of the Declaration of Independence and the third
president of the United States of America. This
historical document is now kept in the rare books
collection section of the Library of Congress.
Jefferson reportedly acquired the Qur’an,
translated from original Arabic by George Sale
and published in 1764, for his legal studies.
According to one writer, Aziza al-Hibri, some
of the provisions in the Declaration of Independence
and the US Constitution seem to have been influenced
by what Jefferson saw in the Qur’an.
Having come full circle in the two centuries of
the nation’s history it becomes apparent
that America does have a connection with Islam.
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