Minn. Lawmaker 1st Muslim in Congress

[dogday]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Keith Ellison never ran on his religion -- or away from it. Ellison, a state lawmaker and lawyer, has become the first Muslim elected to Congress, and the first nonwhite elected to Congress from Minnesota.

On the campaign trail, Ellison, 43, talked little about his religious background, focusing instead on his call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and his support for single-payer health care. He broke from more conservative Muslims by favoring gay rights and abortion rights.

Ellison said his campaign united labor, minority communities and peace activists. "We were able to bring in Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists," he said. "We brought in everybody."

Hayat Hassan, 30, a single mother and a Muslim, said she voted for Ellison because of his positions on health care and education

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-eln-congress-first-muslim,0,2713978.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

This is a great thing and only in America could this happen, Congratulations to Mr. Ellison!