Minnesota's Other Embarrassment

The embarrassment that Minnesota has endured over Al Franken* - from the start of his senatorial campaign in 2007 to the present - has provided one notable benefit for state residents. Franken* has helped us forget about the embarrassment caused by Congressman Keith Ellison (D MN-5, Minneapolis) .

Ellison is known around the country as being the first Muslim elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the guy who took his Oath of Office on the Quran. Ellison was first elected in 2006, and it was during that campaign we began to learn a few things about his questionable character.

• While a student at the University of Minnesota, Ellison wrote several columns in the student newspaper defending the anti-Semitic position of Louis Farrakhan, using the pen name of "Keith E. Hakim". "Hakim" also wrote several anti-white columns as well.
• Ellison was a card-carrying member of the Nation of Islam at the time, a fact he continues to deny today.
• Ellison accepted campaign donations from members of the pro-terror group CAIR.
• A history of tax evasion by Ellison had led to the IRS putting a lien on his home.
• The driver's license of Ellison had been suspended, more than once, for his failure to pay traffic and parking tickets. KSTP TV reported that in total, Ellison had 55 tickets on his record.
• Prior to his 2006 election, Ellison was cited numerous time for campaign finance violations.
• Ellison, who is married, had an affair with a woman named Amy L. Alexander. This affair became public after Alexander made a 9-1-1 call stating Ellison had assaulted her.

Now I know you are asking, how did a creep like Ellison get elected to Congress? First, this is Minnesota we're talking about - the state that elected Franken*, Ventura, and Wellstone. Second, Ellison was elected by Minnesota's 5th Congressional District - one of the most liberal in the country. The 5th encompasses the City of Minneapolis and a couple of run down suburbs.

Since being elected to congress Ellison's troubles have continued. He has repeatedly compared President George W. Bush to Hitler. During a speech at a CAIR convention, Ellison lied about facts regarding the Iraq war in attempt to further incite anti-American sentiment among CAIR members. This past April, Ellison was arrested in Washington D.C., for crossing a police line during a protest at the Darfur Embassy.

The latest controversy surrounding Ellison is due to his failure to provide details of the two week trip he took to Mecca, last December. The hajj was paid for by the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. Ellison has refused to disclose the details of the trip, including cost.

The MAS was founded in 1992 by the International Muslim Brotherhood, and the two remain closely aligned. The IMB has a decades-long history of supporting terrorism and violence against Israel and the Western world.

Imam Mahdi Bray
Director, MAS Freedom Foundation

MAS-MN has received more than $900,000 from the state of Minnesota for space leased at its headquarters to the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy. TIZA is a state funded charter school that has been under scrutiny for operating as a religious school. TIZA has challenged state investigations, by claiming it is not a Muslim school, but rather a school for Muslims. TIZA has refused media access to the school to confirm TIZA's activities. The ACLU is currently suing TIZA over separation of church and state issues.

So there you have it. MAS-MN takes state funds for housing a public school that is illegally providing religious education. MAS-MN uses those fund to give Congressman Ellison a free all-expenses-paid two week trip to the Mother of Villages. Can you really blame Ellison for wanting to withhold the details from the public?

At this point, Ellison is in deep scat. This story has been slow to gain traction with the Minnesota media, but now it's finally being told. The Minnesota GOP last week filed a formal complaint with the House Ethics Committee. The national media won't be far behind, and Minnesotans can once again be proud of the embarrassment caused by Congressman Ellison.