SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9 — Keith Ellison wore his religion lightly on the campaign trail, mentioning it only when asked.
But Muslims across America, and even overseas, celebrated his election Tuesday as the first Muslim in Congress, representing Minnesota’s Fifth District in the House of Representatives, as a sign of acceptance and a welcome antidote to their faith’s sinister image.
“It’s a step forward; it gives the Muslims a little bit of a sense of belonging,” said Osama A. Siblani, the publisher of The Arab American News, a weekly in Dearborn, Mich., a state with one of the heaviest concentrations of Muslims. “It is also a signal to the rest of the world that America has nothing against Muslims. If we did, he wouldn’t have been elected.”
Mr. Ellison’s success was front-page news in several of the Arab world’s largest newspapers and high in the lineup on television news programs.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Muslim’s Election Is Celebrated Here and in Mideast
From the New York Times
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2 comments:
Salaam Alaikum,
This is an excellent step in the right direction for American Muslims. May Allah bless Keith in his role, and may it be a way to let American Muslims voices be heard. I think it does show that many people are not as negative to Islam as before, which is what we having been working for so long to achieve, and still there is more work to do.
Amin to that :-)
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