With the election finally complete, there is a great deal of attention on Keith Ellison, the Minnesota congressman who has served five terms in the House. He is African-American, 53 years old, and the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He is also likely to be the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, with support from more than half a million online petitioners — as well as from Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, and Harry Reid.
Part of what makes Ellison’s religion such an intriguing part of his biography is that he was raised Catholic. He converted to Islam at age 19 while attending Wayne State University in Detroit.
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He chose to be sworn in to Congress using the Quran and adheres to the Pillars of Islam.
These Five Pillars of Islam include the Profession of Faith, Daily Prayers, Alms-Giving, Fasting During Ramadan, and Pilgrimage to Mecca. Although considered private in his religion, he is also observant.
“It did not occur to me that it would be a problem, you know?” Ellison said of his controversial decision to swear on the Quran. “And so, I said ‘Well, yeah, sure, of course I’ll swear in on the Quran.’ Because it occurs to me that if your elected official is one who would want to swear in on a holy book, you’d want them to swearing on a holy book they profess to, right? Because that’s what makes the oath solemn.”
Related: Christianity vs. Islam: An Ideological Difference
Even though it is often said that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all worship the same God, there are stark differences in how they worship.
Both Christianity and Islam have branched out from the root of Judaism. However, as taught by the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims believe Allah is the only God and God is the only Supreme Being. Compare this to Christianity, including the denomination of Catholicism, which believes that God is a Holy Trinity that includes God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe Jesus was merely a prophet while Catholics believe Jesus is both God the Son and the savior sent by God to relieve all of mankind from sin.
Both religions differ when it comes to God’s covenant with Abraham. Islam looks to Abraham’s first-born son Ishmael through his maidservant Hagar as a prophet and the son chosen by God. Muhammad even traced his lineage back to Ishmael. However, Christians believe that Isaac, Abraham’s second son but the first with his wife Sarah, is actually the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham — and therefore the Jews are God’s chosen people.
All of this leads one to ask: How could a young man raised in the tradition of a Catholic church suddenly convert to a faith that is so fundamentally different from the one he grew up with?
Related: What a Trump Victory Means to the Christian Base
Certainly Keith Ellison is not the first person to find or lose or transform his or her spiritual beliefs in college. However, it is a drastic change — one that might influence his political positions as well as his religious ones. There is a difference in the God one worships, the view of salvation or how one attains heaven in the afterlife, and whether or not the Bible is the Word of God. As with anyone who faithfully follows a particular spiritual belief system, Ellison’s faith must shape his view of the world and America’s place in it.
There is no need for vitriolic criticism or malicious accusations, but the curiosity of how a leader’s faith will affect leadership is valid. One’s motivations and persuasions are directly impacted by his or her beliefs in who God is and how all individuals are connected to God.
Whether or not Ellison will choose to discuss his personal religious affiliation, his spiritual conversion, and how it might guide his position as the potential DNC chair is yet to be seen.
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