Organizers in Indianapolis have been preparing for the arrival of a rising star in national politics, Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota.
Ellison, who recently became deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will speak here during the Indiana Democratic Party’s Hoosier Hospitality Dinner on May 5 in Indianapolis.
Ellison is best known for his progressive activism, however he is also recognized as one of only two Muslim members of Congress.
He became the firm Muslim in Congress when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, and was sworn in on the Quran.
Ellison was once a member of the controversial Nation of Islam, which has been led for nearly 40 years by Minister Louis Farrakhan. However, he later renounced what some say is the organization’s extreme views, and adopted a more traditional and mainstream form of Islam.
Although Ellison takes pride in his faith, he has stated that he is not trying to be a spokesman for everyone who shares his religious beliefs.
“I’ve never gotten up in front of a Muslim congregation and played the role of a religious leader, and I decline those invitations, because that’s not what I am,” he said in a recent interview. “I don’t really see myself as a spokesman for the Muslim community. I’m not a scholar of Islamic history or jurisprudence or anything. I’m just, like, a guy.”
Ellison is among lawmakers who have increased the religious diversity of Congress (the House and Senate), which drafts the laws of the United States and provides a “check and balance” to the policies of the president.
Members of various Christian denominations still hold the overwhelming majority of seats in Congress, according to the Pew Research Center, which released a landmark study in March about the religious composition of Congress.
Most federal lawmakers, 91 percent to be exact, describe themselves as Christians, compared to 71 percent of the American population who claim that faith.
However, in 2016 Americans elected the most religiously diverse Congress, the 115th, which includes 30 Jews, three Buddhists, three Hindus and two Muslims.
Of those, Ellison, Indiana Congressman Andre’ Carson — the other Muslim member of Congress — and Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson, a Buddhist, are also members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which addresses specific concerns of African-Americans.
Most of the non-Christian members of Congress serve in the U.S. House; eight Jews and a Buddhist, Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, serve in the U.S. Senate.
Political party affiliation is also a key factor in the diversity of beliefs in Congress, noted Aleksandra Sandstrom, a copy editor and lead author for the Pew Research Center.
“Of the non-Christian members of Congress, most of them are in the House and most of them are Democrats,” she said. “There are only two non-Christian Republicans in Congress, and one of them is a new member of Congress.”
Carson, the first Muslim to serve on the influential House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, was elected to Congress during a special election in 2008 following the death of his grandmother Julia Carson.
In sharing the important role of his religion, Carson recently told the Recorder that his Islamic faith reminds him that “each person has value and deserves respect, no matter their ethnicity, background or circumstances.”
Explaining his concerns about the impact of political unrest in the Middle East, Carson added, “Caring for those who are suffering is a core part of my faith and my representation in Congress.”
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was sworn in using a Bhagavad-Gita, the sacred Hindu text, when she became the first Hindu in Congress in 2013.
Gabbard believes religious diversity is on the rise in Congress, and American politics in general, because more people are making a candidate’s qualifications and ability to be trusted more important than their personal religious beliefs.
“When you look at the national issues that our country is facing, people are not qualified or disqualified because of their spiritual practice,” she said. “People are looking for someone they can trust.”
