Ellison: Being Muslim is 'Just an Aspect of Who I Am'

CNN's Belief Blog had a long piece Thursday about Rep. Keith Ellison's Muslim faith.

Ellison (D-MN) was the first Muslim elected into Congress when he won Minnesota's fifth district seat in 2006. At the time, he said he was surprised that his faith was discussed so much.

“When I started running for Congress it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress,” said Ellison, who is now serving his third term in the House.

“But someone said to me, ‘Look Keith, think of a person of Japanese origin running for Congress six years after Pearl Harbor—this might be a news story.’”

Ellison grew up Catholic but said he never really felt comfortable with that faith.

“I just felt it was ritual and dogma. Of course, that’s not the reality of Catholicism, but it’s the reality I lived. So I just kind of lost interest and stopped going to Mass unless I was required to.”

Today, he said he is comfortable being a Muslim and added he doesn't let campaign attacks centered around his faith bother him.

“I would caution [opponents] that it doesn't work. People are not hateful like that," Ellison said. "If you come up saying, ‘Vote for me because Ellison is a Muslim and I’m not,’ nine out of ten voters are going to see that as the silliness that it is.”

“It doesn't hurt my feelings at all," he said. "In fact I actually feel sorry for these people.”