"I went back to my roots I guess you could say," said Ellis.

MACON, Georgia - The mayor of Macon in the American state of Georgia, a practicing Christian, has reverted to Islam, saying he went back to his roots after years of soul-searching. "Why does one become a Christian? You do it because it feels right. . . . To me, it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in," Jack Ellis, who changed his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis, was quoted as saying Saturday, February 3, by the American Boston Herald newspaper.

Ellis noted that he studied the Noble Qur'an for years and found his destination in Islam following a trip to the African country of Senegal, saying that his new religion was practiced by his ancestors before they were brought to North America as slaves.

"I did revert to Islam in December of this past year in the country of Senegal," he said in statements carried Saturday by WMAZ-TV, a local television in the City of Columbia, South Carolina.

The father-of-five said he started praying five times a day and regularly frequents the Islamic Center on Bloomfield Road, proud of religious freedom in the United States.He said although he reverted to Islam, he does not rank religions.

"I'm not saying that one is better than the other," Ellis said."We do believe that the prophet Muhammad was the last prophet as well as we believe Moses was a prophet," Ellis added.Born on January 6, 1946 in Macon, Ellis holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Leo College in Florida.

According to his website, Ellis served two years of combat duty in Vietnam as a paratrooper platoon sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division.

He was awarded three Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and Heroism, and the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

Ellis will complete his second consecutive four-year term, as a mayor of Macon, in December and isn't eligible for re-election. But he said he might run for Georgia's 8th District congressional seat in 2008.

Ellis was first sworn in as Mayor of Macon on December 14, 1999 becoming the first black Mayor in the city's 176-year history.He is the 40th mayor of Macon and currently serving his second term.

Back to Roots

Ellis has made Macon one of the most viable cities across the United States.
Ellis said felt home when he accepted Islam."I went back to my roots I guess you could say," he said.

He said that although his reversion is a personnel affair, it is the right of voters, as long as he is a public figure, to know his decision."It's a personal decision, a private decision as to how one worships. But I do understand that I'm not a private person," Ellis said.

"But being the mayor of the city, I think people have a right to know what I believe in, that I am a man of faith, and the faith I'm now a part of is the faith of Islam," he added.

Voters reelected Ellis as he made Macon one of the most livable cities in America.He used his Federal and State grants to assist the youth in job training, mentoring, tutoring, after-school programs and crime reduction programs.He built over forty affordable houses marketed to first time homebuyers.

Ellish is presently constructing hundreds of affordable and market-rate houses in the Beall's Hill area, according to his website."Now, I'm sharing with my broader family, the Macon community who supported me when I was a Christian and trust that they will now," Ellis said."I'm the same person even though I'll be changing my name," he added.

Comments: The rise of Islam in the West, especially America, has been quite phenomenal in recent years, in spite of much negative media and bad examples of Muslim extremists. As more and more Muslims enter into mainstream politics across the West, the general awareness of Islam will increase in the general public and the rate of conversion will increase exponentially.

However, Muslims need to play a more active role in correcting the misinformation and islamophobia which is circulating in the West, by clearly expressing the correct beliefs of Islam and renouncing the activities of the extremist elements.Efforts like that of Brother Jack Mansour Ellis should be supported and encouraged. At the same time, Muslims do need to develop alternative institutions which uphold their principles and can demonstrate to the public the benefits of the Islamic way of life.
Dr Bilal Philips

Tuesday's national elections in the United States made history when Minnesota voters sent a Muslim to Congress who advocated U.S. withdrawal from Iraq .

Keith Ellison, 43, a lawyer and state representative easily defeated two rivals to get elected as a Democratic Party representative to the U.S. House.

This was the first time a Muslim got elected to the Congress in the electoral history of the United States .

Keith Ellison, 43, a lawyer and state representative easily defeated two rivals to get elected as a Democratic Party representative to the U.S. House.

Ellison was converted to Islam when he was a 19-year old university student. He won the seat with the help of Muslims, liberals and anti-war movements.

A black Democrat, Keith Ellison got a significant support of Somali immigrants in his electoral district in Minnesota . - Asian Tribune

Comments: Although Muslim scholars have generally said that Muslims should not join political parties whose platforms include objectionable un-Islamic positions, support should be given to those who have a clear commitment to Islam and who have chosen to take that route. If only from the perspective of taking the lesser of two evils and preventing the greater harm, Muslims should rally behind efforts like that of our Brother Keith Ellison, in the hope that their voice may be heard within the walls of Congress.The election of Ellison is also a further indicator of the rise of Islam in the USA, in spite of 9/11 and Guantanamo. As more and more Muslims enter the mainstream of American politics, more effort can eventually be put to bear on the misseducation of the American public through distorted school texts and various other media distortions of Islamic teachings.
Dr Bilal Philips

London (AFP) New moral education guidelines for British teachers were proposed yesterday in a government bid to resolve a bitter row with church leaders over the status of homosexuality in society.

The guidelines describing "marriage and permanent relationships as key building blocks of community and society" are to be amended to a bill currently being debated in the House of Lords, the upper house of parliament.

Education Secretary David Blunkett told BBC radio: "We want teachers to explain ... how marriage developed, what it is, and the fact that it leads to greater stability for children. The statistics leave no argument about that."

The new guidelines, offered as a compromise, are aimed at convincing the Lords to adopt a separate bill that abolishes a controversial clause on homosexuality adopted in 1988 under the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The so-called Clause 28 prohibits local authorities from speaking positively about homosexuality, for example by presenting it as a lifestyle that is as legitimate as any other.

Civil and gay rights associations say the clause led to discrimination against gay adolescents at schools, and to a more general denigration of non-heterosexual relationships.

The new guidance would ensure that teachers are able to tackle homophobic bullying by encouraging self-respect and respect for others.

Comments:This article highlights the present danger of public schools in Western countries where homosexual relationships are being presented in a positive light thereby corroding Islamic teachings, and early Christian teachings regarding it.

Consequently, Muslims in non-Muslim countries, especially in the West, have to develop alternative schools for their children in order to protect them from the teaching of such forms of perversion as normal behavior. Due to the secular stance of most Western countries, the attitudes towards various forms of deviant behavior are constantly changing. This article is only represents the tip of the iceberg.
Dr Bilal Philips

In one of the most significant acts of his papacy, Pope John Paul asked forgiveness yesterday for the many past sins of his Church, including its treatment of Jews, heretics, women and native peoples.

It was the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that one of its leaders has sought such a sweeping pardon.
Wearing the purple vestments of Lenten mourning and speaking at the heart of Catholicism in St Peter's Basilica, the Pope and his top cardinals listed the many past sins of their Church, grouped into seven categories.

"We forgive and we ask for forgiveness," the Pope said in his homily during the unprecedented Ceremony, held on the Catholic Church's "Day of Forgiveness" for the 2000 Holy Year.

"We ask forgiveness for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some Christians used in the service of the truth and for the behaviour of diffidence and hostility sometimes used towards followers of other religions," the Pope said in his homily before the prayers.

The seven categories of forgiveness were general sins, sins in the service of truth, sins against Christian unity, against the Jews, against respect for love, peace and cultures, against the dignity of women and minorities, and against human rights.

There was no reference to homosexuals, who had asked to be included in the list of those asked for forgiveness.

The prayer for forgiveness from women and minorities said Christians had been "guilty of attitudes of rejection and exclusion, consenting to acts of discrimination on the basis of racial and ethnic differences."

The prayer for forgiveness for human rights abuses said Christians had not recognised Christ in the poor, the persecuted and imprisoned and had too often committed "acts of injustice by trusting in wealth and power".

Referring to abortion, he said Christians had not defended the defenceless "especially in the first stages of life".

The Pope said Christians had "violated the rights of ethnic groups and peoples and shown contempt for their cultures and religious traditions". A prayer mentioned sins against gypsies.

The Pope has said often that Catholics should see the start of the millennium as an ideal opportunity to seek forgiveness for past sins, including those of the Church as a community.

The Pope also said Christians were ready to forgive others for the abuse suffered by Christians over the centuries.

Comments: This was a bold step on the part of Pope John Paul as it recognizes the historic complicity of the Catholic Church in the oppression of others. It did not explicitly address the persecution of Muslims in Spain and their complete expulsion from that land in which they had lived for over 700 years. Nor did it address the Crusades in which many non-Catholic lives were erased and during one period of which Muslims were unable to even make the call to prayer (athaan) in Masjid al-Aqsa or any other mosque in Palestine for nearly 100 years. However, in general terms it apologized for the violence committed by Catholics and Christians against other civilizations and religions world wide. And this is in stark contrast to the current Pope Benedict's attack on Islam as a religion of violence while asserting the Christianity was a religion of love and peace.

The oppression of women was high on the Pope's list which is important as Islam liberated women from much of Catholic and Christian oppression over 1400 years ago. Al-hamdulillaah, Pope John Paul stood firm in rejecting homosexuality for which Muslim scholars and preachers are currently being crucified in the UK and internationally.

His stance against abortion is also commendable especially in this era filled with the calls for human rights. Western civilization has come down hard on Muslim countries for applying what they consider harsh Islamic laws like amputating hands of thieves and executing murderers. Yet they continue to snuff out the lives of millions of unborn children every year.
Dr Bilal Philips