Amid ISIS Convictions, Minnesota Church Council Campaigns for Ramadan

The Minnesota Council of Churches pushed a controversial campaign welcoming Muslims for more than a month, despite multiple convictions of ISIS conspirators in the state. 

The council ran a "Blessed Ramadan" campaign throughout the Muslim holy month, which began in June and ends Tuesday. 

They say the effort is meant to make their Muslim neighbors feel more welcome. Signs that read "To our Muslim Neighbors Blessed Ramadan" were made available for anyone to download on the campaign website. 

"From neighborhood hate crimes to campaign rhetoric, we see negativity directed against Muslims. But that is not who we are in Minnesota. We are a welcoming, caring, respectful community," the coucil said. 

The council urged site visitors to place a sign on their lawn.  They urged members to order and print their signs, and increase participation through peace and justice committees. 

But the campaing push comes amid multiple ISIS-related arrests in the state. Minnesota has been a recruiting hotbed for ISIS and other Islamic terror group. 

A year ago, four men who were accused of trying to travel to Syria to join ISIS. And, Nineteen-year-old Hanad Musse faced charges for supporting the terror goup. 

Also, Minneapolis is home to one of the largest Somali communities, a group targeted for recruitment by the Somali-based terror group Al-Shabaab. The Business Insider reports that violence has increased within the Somali community over the past few years.

The Islamic State also targets the local Somali community.

"Since Al Shabaab began recruiting Minnesota's youth in 2006, the Twin Cities have been a focus of overseas terror recruiting by organizations like the Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," U.S. attorney Andrew Luger said. 

"To be clear: We have a terror-recruiting problem in Minnesota. And this case demonstrates how difficult it is to put an end to recruiting here," he said.

While leaders like Minnesota Sen. Al Franken have been promoting the "Blessed Ramadan" signs, three men were convicted on July 1 for conspiring to fly to Syria to join ISIS.