ELLISON TO JEWS: REACH OUT TO CAIR

Ellison: Reach out to CAIR (JTA)
The first American Muslim in the U.S. Congress called on Jewish groups to engage with a controversial American Muslim body.

"If CAIR is willing to talk, talk to CAIR," Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said of the Council on American Islamic Relations in his address Tuesday to the Reform Movement's Consultation on Conscience conference in Washington.

Ellison was answering a question; most of the speech focused on his positive impressions of Israel and the Palestinian areas during a recent tour. The address was his first speech to a national Jewish group, and Ellison emphasized that he does not share all of CAIR's views. CAIR is among the harshest critics of Israel, and in the 1990s defended Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization. It has muted such support since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, but still will not condemn Palestinian terrorist attacks as it does attacks by al-Qaida.