“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).