(VIDEO) Ellison Foe Releases Graphic Anti-Islam Ad

(Editor's note: The video can be viewed by clicking on the link below the photo of Gary Boisclair. WARNING: It contains graphic images.)

(UPDATED: 4:32 p.m. Nov. 2) DFL challenger Gary Boisclair’s first ad against 5th District Rep. Keith Ellison shows graphic images of murdered non-Muslims and slams Ellison for swearing an oath on the Koran, which Boisclair argues promotes violence against Christians and Jews.

The ad has not yet run on television, but Boisclair told Patch he plans to air it “once my coffers get filled.”

Ellison was sworn in to the House during an official ceremony conducted with all new members—the en masse oath of office that takes place on the House floor, noted Jennifer Gore, an Ellison spokeswoman. Ellison used a copy of the Koran owned by Thomas Jefferson for his ceremonial swearing-in. 

"Since his election Rep. Ellison has introduced and supported several pieces of legislation upholding individual, human, and civil rights for all persons and has upheld the U.S. Constitution as the law of the land," Gore wrote to Patch.

Boisclair has made Ellison’s Islamic faith a central part of his campaign. He said it is “ludicrous” to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution on a book that promotes unconstitutional Sharia law.

“The call to violent acts against Christians and Jews within this ‘holy’ book should alarm every American. The fact that a U.S. Congressman swore an oath on a book that calls for most of us to be persecuted is an outrage,” Boisclair wrote in a news release. “We did not pick this fight; Islam’s war against Christianity and human liberty has raged against us for 1,400 years. We are merely responding with the truth.”

The video shows images of a destroyed church in Kirkuk, Iraq; dead Christians in Egypt; and beheaded bodies in Indonesia. It juxtaposes Ellison swearing an oath on the Koran with a presumed terrorist holding a Koran and an assault rifle.

YouTube removed the video shortly after it was posted for violating the company's policies.

“I’d like to thank YouTube for removing the ad because it violated the company’s ‘policy on shocking and disgusting content,’" Ellison wrote in a statement. "The people of Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District elected me to uphold our Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion for every American. I intend to maintain the high level of civility the voters expect and deserve. And, I will continue working with our communities to organize for greater inclusion of people of all faiths and backgrounds.”

Boisclair is running in the DFL primary . The Minnesota Independent accuses him of launching a primary as part of a Society for Truth and Justice effort to exploit a loophole that allows the airing of graphic abortion ads.

“That’s certainly one of the sub-goals of the mission,” Boisclair told Patch.

But he added that he fully intends to defeat Ellison in the 2012 election in order to put government “in the hands of God-fearing people who will uphold the Constitution.”

Boisclair has no delusions FCC-licensed broadcasters will air his ads anytime soon. He expects to see them appear during the 45-day period before the primary when rules require stations to carry candidate ads—however disturbing the imagery.

“I’m going to defend my Christian brothers and sisters, and I will not apologize for that in the least,” he said.