A Minnesota state representative and a criminal defense lawyer could soon become the first Muslim member of Congress, wbir.com reported.
Keith Ellison, the state-party Democratic endorsed candidate in the liberal-leaning 5th Congressional District, seeks a congressional seat despite opposition from the Jewish community.
Jewish leaders claim that the 42-year-old defense lawyer is tied to the Nation of Islam, a religious and socio-political organization aimed at improving the conditions of Black Americans, which is allegedly accused of being anti-semitic.
But Ellison says he was never a member of the Nation of Islam, adding that he only got involved to help improve the lives of black men.
He said that he wrote an article defending Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, against charges of anti-Semitism, while he was in law school in 1995.
The defense lawyer says that he's glad to answer any questions about his faith, and his campaign agenda.
"There are concerns in the Jewish community. I'm happy to answer them," Ellison said.
But he added: "I do also think there are people out there who are fear-mongering, who are trying to scare the Jewish community and manipulate this issue."
"Islam is as diverse as any Christianity is,” Ellison stressed.
Ellison now has the support of the state Democratic Party. It isn’t clear whether he will be elected, given the fact that 65% of Minneapolis voters are white and 18 percent black.
Muslims account for 20,000 of the 2.5 million residents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
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