Ellison Makes Final Push in the Muslim Community

By: Abdirahman Aynte

       Fellow, the Center for Independent Media

 

Minneapolis, MN (HOL) Just days before general election, the young Imam who spoke to a group of Somali students at the University of Minnesota on Friday told the crowd that civic participation is an obligation to Muslims in America, particularly after the Sept. 11 tragedy. He spoke minutes before Fifth Congressional District candidate, Keith Ellison, made a final appeal to Muslim students to help him become the nation’s first Muslim congressman.

 

The Imam, Mohamed Dini, himself a college student from Ohio, didn’t mention Ellison by name, but said that “the only obstacle to Muslims in America is themselves,” because they’ve fallen short of “influencing the system from within.”

 

One of the ways to do that, he said, is to send Muslim people to elected offices.

 

Ellison was shuttling in Somali malls, community offices and other Muslim events on Friday and Saturday.

 

He told the students’ crowd that he will never forget Sept. 12, the primary day, when Muslims, among other faith groups, showed up in sheer numbers to help him trounce fellow Democrats.

 

“Our message was: inclusion, tolerance,” he said. “Nobody hated each other.”

 

On Saturday, he spoke at a rally organized by the Coalition for Keith, a consortium of Twin Cities Muslim groups who say they plan to organize a massive ‘get-out-the-vote’ effort on Election Day.

 

Ellison, whose campaign mostly opted for grassroots campaign, said over 2,800 volunteers helped him during the period leading up to the primary, and that more volunteers are expected to join before Tuesday.

 

Many Muslim where asking Ellison if he will consider serving in the House Foreign Relation Committee to help reshape American’s embattled relations with the Muslim world. While House Committee nominations is out of his hands, he said, he will do everything he can to serve in that committee.

 

“I believe in peace, diplomacy and negotiations in resolving conflicts,” he said in an interview. “But I also oppose the use of terrorism to make a political gain.”

 

“The best thing I can do in Congress is to give an example of a good Muslim person, and to work in the best interest of America.”

 

Since most people in attendance were immigrants, Ellison was showered with questions on what he will do about the immigration clog that prolongs the process of family reunifications in America.

 

He pledged that he’ll work toward an immigration policy that will streamline and speed up the current ineffective system.

 

Ellison drew a big laughter when he was asked if America is ready to elect a Muslim candidate now and even in the future.

 

“If America can vote for Barack Obama,” he said, referring to Illinois Senator whose father was a Kenyan Immigrant, “it can vote for Assad, Mohamed and Abdullahi,” he added, referring to potential candidates with Muslim names.

 

“There’s no particular American name,” he added. “We all have names from somewhere else.”

 

“I’m stuck with one of them.”

 

Abdirahman Aynte can be reached at [email protected]

 

Source: HOL, Nov 6, 2006