Lynne Torgerson launched her second campaign against Rep. Keith Ellison on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this weekend at her home in Golden Valley, calling for a return to “Judeo-Christian values” and labeling Ellison as a “radical Islamist” who wants to do away with the U.S. Constitution.

Torgerson, who has the backing of Tea Party Nation, also took shots at fellow Republican challenger Chris Fields for his divorce and support for LGBT rights.

Torgerson is running for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Earlier this year, she told Tea Party Nation that she would be running—the group backed her previous run for office. Torgerson raised $60,000 in the last cycle—nearly as much as the Republican in the race. She self-financed $25,000 of that money and she was the only Minnesota-based donor to her campaign; all other contributions are from out of state. She ran as an unaffiliated independent.

One of Torgerson’s main issues is an opposition to civil rights for gay people. She said homosexuality goes against “natural law.”

“Two men cannot make a baby. Two women cannot make a baby. Further, all cultures which have evidenced moral decline have fallen,” she wrote. “Homosexuality has traditionally been seen as evidence of moral decline. Thus, homosexuality is not good for America, nor any culture.”

Torgerson told Golden Valley Patch at her 9/11 campaign launch that she was “entering the race to stand for the moral, Judeo-Christian values the country was founded upon. That’s our foundation, and if we don’t have our foundation in place, then the economy and things aren’t going to be doing so well.”

She said it was important to her to support the U.S. Constitution.

“I still need to expose Keith Ellison for being a radical Islamist. I do believe that he says he does eventually want to replace the U.S. Constitution with sharia law,” Torgerson said.

Torgerson told Patch she recently asked Ellison whether he believed the Constitution or “Sharia law” was supreme.

“He evaded the question,” she said. “He refuses to state that the U.S. Constitution should be supreme over Sharia law, which is to me quite surprising. He talked about how the Constitution has been amended and it appears that he would amend the Constitution to incorporate Sharia law.”

Torgerson’s question was caught on video posted by her campaign. In the exchange, Ellison said there are no communities in the United States that have tried to install Sharia law.

“I believe that the United States Constitution which has been amended well over 25 times is the bedrock of American law,” Ellison said. “This whole movement to try to ban Sharia, this bill has been introduced in over 22 states, in my view, this is a very thin-disguised effort at religious persecution of people who are Muslim.”

Calling Osama bin Laden a “truly evil man,” Rep. Keith Ellison commended the U.S. military, American intelligence officers and President Obama for the raid yesterday that killed the al Qaeda leader. Meanwhile, Muslim groups locally and nationally also applauded the military raid.

Like his congressional counterparts, Ellison called Sunday’s mission “the most significant accomplishment yet in the war against Al-Qaeda.”

“I commend the work of the U.S. Armed Forces and intelligence community for finding the world’s most wanted terrorist. I also wish to recognize President Obama for his decisive leadership as Commander in Chief,” he wrote in a statement released Monday afternoon. “Today my thoughts are with the families of those Bin Laden murdered in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Even before 9/11, Bin Laden killed Americans and others at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and on the USS Cole.”

“Americans of all faiths recognized the end of a truly evil man last night,” Ellison, Congress’ first Muslim member, added. “Osama Bin Laden was a murderer. I hope his death marks the beginning of the end of the Al-Qaedaism ideology.”

The Minnesota office of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, sent out the national group’s statement to the media today, as well:

We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel. As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. We also reiterate President Obama’s clear statement tonight that the United States is not at war with Islam.

Nationally, Muslim groups expressed relief over the success of the mission and extended sympathies to the victims of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks.

“We hope this is a turning point away from the dark period of the last decade, in which bin Laden symbolized the evil face of global terrorism,” said Muslim Public Affairs Council President Salam Al-Marayati. “His actions and those of Al-Qaeda have violated the sacred Islamic teachings upholding the sanctity of all human life. His acts of senseless terror have been met with moral outrage by Muslims worldwide at every turn in the past decade.”

Sharing its “great relief,” Muslims for Progressive Values wrote:

…Osama Bin Laden has singularly disgraced Islam and dragged our faith through the mud with his promotion of terrorism throughout the world from Indonesia, the Middle East, Africa and here in the United States

MPV applauds the resolve and dedication of President Obama in pursuing Osama Bin Laden. As Muslims, we hope this will forever quench the flame of terrorism and that with the rise of democracy throughout the Middle East we can all finally begin to heal. Our condolences continue to go out to the families of those who perished on September 11, 2001 as well as all the victims of terrorism committed in the name of Al Qaeda throughout the world.

Likewise, the Islamic Society of North America shared similar sentiments. ISNA President Imam Magid said in a statement:

ISNA joins President Obama and prays that as the nation continues to heal from the devastation inflicted upon them at the hands of Bin Laden, we will turn to each other today, united, and emerge tomorrow with an even stronger resolve to take every action necessary to protect the precious ideals of our nation that Bin Laden attempted to destroy on 9/11: peace, tolerance, respect, and freedom for all.

During his address Sunday night, Obama underscored that America’s war on terror isn’t a war against Islam.

“I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims,” he said. “Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.”

Granite City Baptist Church

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a group targeting Minnesota as a battleground over same-sex marriage this summer and fall, is hosting an anti–gay marriage rally at Granite City Baptist Church in St. Cloud on July 29. The church and its pastor, Dennis Campbell, were at the center of controversy earlier this year over an ad it placed in the St. Cloud Times that claimed “Moslems [sic]… will destroy the constitution.”

“What happens when Moslems take over a nation?” asked Campbell in the ad. “They will destroy the constitution and force the Moslem religion on the society, take freedom of religion away, and they will persecute all other religions.”

The ad continued, “How do Moslems seek to take control of a nation? “Moslems seek to influence a nation by immigration, reproduction, education, the government, illegal drugs and by supporting the gay agenda.” (Campbell later said the ad wasn’t racist, but showed his desire to convert Muslims to Christianity.)

Campbell and Granite City are bringing in the National Organization for Marriage to fight that “gay agenda.” NOM says the tour aims to protect “the institution of marriage” which “has been under attack by radical activists who want to redefine its very meaning.”

Dennis Campbell

And the strategist behind the 20-stop tour, Louis Marinelli, says that gays are seeking “prostitution, pedophilia, and polygamy.”

NOM did not respond to repeated requests for comment by the Minnesota Independent about the tour stop at Campbell’s church.

Campbell’s ad this spring prompted members of Minnesota’s Muslim community to respond with their own ad. The Council on American-Islamic Relation of Minnesota bought an ad in the St. Cloud Times.

“Fear mongering only furthers the anti-Muslim hysteria we are seeing in St. Cloud and nationwide,” said Lori Saroya, president of CAIR-MN. Saroya says her group first heard of Campbell’s ad when Christian groups called her office saying they were appalled by it.

OutFront Minnesota staff attorney Phil Duran said it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that NOM would be in partnership with a pastor that espouses anti-Muslim views.

“It would not seem particularly astute of NOM to ally itself with an institution currently infamous for targeting Muslims, but I do seem to recall that it is said that those who openly espouse one form of bigotry often espouse various others,” he said. “It speaks volumes about the agenda that motivates NOM and its supporters.”

“Today, that agenda openly targets GLBT people,” he added. “But who will it be tomorrow?”

Dennis Campbell

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is launching an ad of its own to counter an ad in the St. Cloud Times last month that the group deems anti-Islam. Baptist pastor Dennis Campbell’s ad for the Granite City Baptist Church read, in part, “Moslems seek to influence a nation by immigration, reproduction, education, the government, illegal drugs and by supporting the gay agenda.” CAIR’s response ad, after the jump, bears the headline, “We are American, We are Muslim.”

“We are your neighbors,” the CAIR-MN ad states. “We are natives and immigrants. We are educated, skilled, and working hard to achieve the American Dream. We are a part of America’s history and future. We are doctors, teachers, lawyers, community activists, athletes, elected officials, taxi drivers, service workers, police officers, and business owners. We are American. We are Muslim.”

CAIR-MN president Lori Saroya said that following Campell’s ad, her office got calls from several Christian organizations saying that the views of Granite City’s pastor do not reflect those of other Christian churches.

“The reality is that Muslims are Americans who co-exist peacefully with people of other faiths,” said Saroya in a statement on Tuesday.

Here’s the CAIR-MN ad (pdf):

“The idea that we should investigate Muslim interns as spies is a blow to the very principle of religious freedom that our founding fathers cherished so dearly,” said Ellison from the House floor on Monday. “If anything, we should be encouraging all Americans to engage in the U.S. political process; to take part in, and to contribute to, the great democratic experiment that is America.”

Reps. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., Sue Myrick. R-N.C., Paul Broun, R-Ga., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz., called for the investigation two weeks ago after reading a book penned by anti-Muslim authors David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry. Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that’s Conspiring to Islamize America.

Video and full text of Ellison’s statement:

Four of our colleagues, Reps. John Shadegg (AZ), Paul Broun (GA), Trent Franks (AZ) and Sue Myrick (NC) recently requested that the House Sergeant at Arms to launch an investigation of the civil rights group CAIR, or Council on American-Islamic Relations, to determine whether it was placing staff and interns in key Congressional offices who they fear are acting as “spies.”

This proposed investigation coincides with the launch of a book by Dave Gaubatz, an anti-Islamic activist and author of the book “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that’s Conspiring to Islamize America.” It features an introduction by Rep. Myrick, and was written after Gaubatz posed as an intern at CAIR in an effort to “infiltrate” the group.

These charges smack of an America of sixty years ago where lists of “un-American” agitators were identified. We should be affirming the importance of diversity and tolerance for all interns and staff who serve in Congress without suspicion of being identified as “spies.”

The idea that we should investigate Muslim interns as spies is a blow to the very principle of religious freedom that our founding fathers cherished so dearly. If anything, we should be encouraging all Americans to engage in the U.S. political process; to take part in, and to contribute to, the great democratic experiment that is America.

We all have experienced the sting of discrimination and we know that there will be challenges ahead. But our message should be firm that the America we believe in welcomes people of all backgrounds to the U.S. Congress.

We ask these charges be disavowed and we issue a hearty welcome to interns and staff of all creeds, color, ethnicities and sexual orientation.

“One of the most essential relationships we need to build is the relationship between the United States and the Arab-speaking world,” Ellison said. “It is central to the security, economic viability and prosperity of so many people around the world.”

“When 9/11 occurred, the United States took a step back … and other nations filled that void as we withdrew,” Ellison said. “It is time for us to strengthen, renew and rebind the ties between us, and it is time to do that in a way that is better than it was before.”

While Ellison talks of bringing people to together, he faces criticism — simply for being a Muslim — from an author that has prompted House Republicans to launch an investigation against the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

David Gaubatz, long known for his anti-Muslim musings, wondered yesterday, “How much information do we have on [Rep. Andre] Carson and Congressman Keith Ellison?”

His new book, Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America, has become a rallying point for U.S. Reps John Shadegg, R-Ariz., Sue Myrick, R-N.C., Paul Broun, R-Ga., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz. who are pushing federal officials to investigate the non-profit status of CAIR.

Congress' first Muslim member, Rep. Keith Ellison was sworn into office on Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Quran.

Fox News published a report Thursday slamming Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison by featuring a discredited “terrorism expert.” Ellison’s hajj pilgrimage to Mecca last month, an important part of his Muslim faith, was paid for by the Muslim America Society of Minnesota, an organization that has earned the respect of the Minnesota Council of Churches, the St. Paul Police Department and former Vice President Walter Mondale, but also has been a target by mainly right-wing blogs and think tanks.

Steven Emerson called the Minnesota nonprofit “the Muslim equivalent of the neo-Nazi party.” Of Ellison he said, “It’s very troubling that he is trying to project an image of moderation, but he is tied to these radical groups.” Fox News did not disclose Emerson’s ample volume of false reports, anti-Muslim diatribes, frivolous lawsuits and discredited statements.

Emerson has a long history of getting into hot water over his anti-Muslim rhetoric. In the 1998 nuclear standoff between India and Pakistan, Emerson fed reporters with an informant who said Pakistan was set to strike India with a nuclear weapon. The media eventually found the informant to be unreliable — but not until international media had used Emerson’s source and intensified an international crisis.

In 1990, he was accused of plagiarism in his writings about Pan Am 103.

According to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, “Emerson’s most notorious gaffe was his claim that the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing showed ‘a Middle Eastern trait’ because it ‘was done with the intent to inflict as many casualties as possible.’” That attack was perpetrated by homegrown terrorist Timothy McVeigh.

He sued a Florida paper after it published reports that he was supplying reporters with documents he said were from the FBI. The Florida Weekly Planet reported that the documents were frauds and Emerson sued. When he couldn’t substantiate his claims, he withdrew the lawsuit.

Emerson once claimed that an extremist Muslim group put out a hit on him and that the FBI offered to put him in a witness protection program. The FBI denied that claim.

While the Muslim American Society of Minnesota has been a focus for criticism in recent years, surely Fox can find someone with a shred of credibility to comment.

Right-wing host Glenn Beck, who will command a much bigger audience with a daily show at Fox than he did at CNN’s Headline News channel, is best known for this gem, addressed to U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison in November 2006, on the occasion of Ellison’s election as the first Muslim in the U.S. Congress: “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” Video after the jump (sorry if you’ve already showered).