Prayer Asking God to Forgive Minnesotans for Electing First Muslim to Congress 'Appalling'

Keith Ellison, First Muslim American Congressman

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today called a public prayer led at the National Day of Prayer commemoration which asked God to forgive Minnesotans for electing the first Muslim American to Congress "appalling." MPAC called upon the National Day of Prayer Task Force to repudiate the statement, and urged elected officials and religious leaders to reject such bigotry by calling for mutual understanding and mutual respect.

SEE: "Religious Right Asks God to Forgive Minnesota for Electing a Muslim" (Minnesota Independent)

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance designated by the United States Congress to highlight the diversity of faiths that makes up our country.

An unidentified woman made the following prayer at the "May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress," a private event hosted by an array of religious groups from the right in Washington, DC:

"We repent that we have not used godly wisdom when we have elected officials into elected positions in our state and nation.. and that it has opened the door, that Minnesota holds the responsibility for placing the first Muslim in Congress, and for that God, we repent."

"This type of bigoted and hateful rhetoric directed at a member of Congress is a startling indication of the rapid spread of anti-Muslim rhetoric from the right," said Haris Tarin, the Director of MPAC's Washington, DC office. "Congressman Keith Ellison has served the people of Minnesota and our country with the utmost respect, dignity and patriotism. This type of dangerous rhetoric only serves to divide our country and pit citizen against citizen. The National Day of Prayer should serve its original purpose of embracing America's religious diversity to strengthen its national unity, not to actively undermine it."

Tarin added that MPAC will reach out to the event organizers in order to seek a meeting with them and the woman who made the prayer, and foster greater understanding of Islam and Muslim Americans.

Rev. Franklin Graham serves as the honorary chairman of the private Task Force that leads National Day of Prayer events, where all the prayers are strictly Christian. Graham has called Islam and "evil and wicked religion," claimed terrorism is part of "mainstream" Islam, and argued that the Quran "preaches violence." Last week, the Pentagon disinvited Graham as a speaker at its Day of Prayer Commemoration.