Minn. Democrat converted in college, was once with Nation of Islam

MINNEAPOLIS - Voters elected a black Democrat as the first Muslim in Congress on Tuesday after a race in which he advocated quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and made little mention of his faith.

Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old defense attorney and state representative, was projected to defeat two rivals to succeed retiring Democrat Martin Sabo in a seat that has been held by Democrats since 1963.

Ellison, who converted to Islam as a 19-year-old college student in his native Detroit, won with the help of Muslims among a coalition of liberal, anti-war voters. "We were able to bring in Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists," he said. "We brought in everybody." - MSNBC
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I am certain that som wil see this as a terrible thing, I see it as a very good sign. Maybe more will take an adult attitude about this.

His opponents say he has a slew of unpaid parking tickets ? Good Heavens, how could any candidate win in the face of that claim ?

He did not seem to be someone who makes an issue of or any play on his faith but, rather, someone who is commendably quiet and private about it though, in his case, it must be difficult to avoid others noting it.

The wonder to us, of course, is that this man's faith is of the slightest interest or importance to any voter It shouldn't be a matter of comment: we do not ordinarily know, and certainly never ask**, the faith of any candidate for election in Britain and, as ever, this aspect of American politics remains incomprehensible.

(Good old religious Britain again: a country with 7,000 faith schools in the state system, paid for by the taxpayers. These are mostly versions of Christian,some are Muslim ,some are Jewish, two are Sikh (None are Scientology..can't have everything ).Yet religion in politics, or, indeed life in general, in mainland Britain? Whatever is that about? )

** Well, I say 'never ask': not since we finally allowed Jews (oh, and Roman Catholics )to sit in Parliament, anyway