GOP activists hold convention at unusual place _ a mosque

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) - A small group of Republican activists is holding its annual convention at a Twin Cities mosque. It’s an unusual setting for a party with an uneasy relationship with Islam, and it started with two guys talking to each other.

Abdulahi Farah runs programs at Dar al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington, the same mosque that was targeted by an explosive last summer. Zavier Bicott^[1] is chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota. They met through a civic initiative called One Bloomington.

Farah welcomed Bicott^[2]’s idea of hosting an event at the mosque. But it stirred up controversy on social media.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that Bicott^[3] and Farah acknowledge some anti-Muslim rhetoric within the Republican Party, but Bicott^[4] says he’s gotten more support than criticism. He says he disagrees with those who feel Muslims are threatening the Constitution.

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