ISIS Targets First Muslim Elected to Congress

Congressman Keith Ellison represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which covers Minneapolis. As the first Muslim elected to Congress, Ellison has frequently defended his faith, attempting to distinguish it from the more radical form practiced by terror groups. That effort was greatly bolstered on Wednesday, albeit in an unwelcome way from an unlikely source. From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

[Ellison] has received a death threat from an online magazine published by the Daesh, another name for the Islamic State terrorist organization.

In a 68-page piece, the terrorist organization calls for killing imams of the west and then points out “we cannot overlook” other western Muslim leaders, including Ellison.

They called the Democrat representing Minneapolis a “politically active apostate.”

The threat, among other noteworthy declarations in the magazine, highlights just how radical the Islamic State has become. This is the same organization that calls the Muslim Brotherhood apostate, after all. When the Brotherhood is too moderate for you, you might be an extremist.

Ellison took the opportunity to paint himself in contrast, saying in a statement, “The fact that I’m on Daesh’s bad side means I am fighting for things like justice, tolerance and a more inclusive world.”