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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― It started as a routine gubernatorial appointment to a feel-good commission -- so routine that even the governor says he didn't know the details.

But naming a Nation of Islam official to a commission that fights discrimination has exploded into a major election-year dilemma for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, putting him in the middle of a conflict between blacks, Jews and gays.

Even if Blagojevich makes his way through the racial and religious minefield this issue presents, his claim of ignorance about the appointment could reinforce his image of a detached, uninformed governor.

"No matter what he does, he's going to tick somebody off," Rick Garcia, political director of the gay rights organization Equality Illinois, said Friday. "It's completely a no-win situation."

Two Jewish members of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes have resigned rather than serve alongside an aide to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, known for his disparaging remarks about Jews, whites and gays.

In dueling news conferences, Jewish and gay lawmakers called for Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad to disavow Farrakhan's comments or step down from the commission, while black lawmakers defended her right to serve.

"I think she has the intellect and also the humanity to do what this commission was put together for," said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago.

Blagojevich appointed Muhammad to the commission in August, but she drew no public attention until inviting other commissioners to attend a Farrakhan speech last month. Some commissioners began criticizing her presence on the panel, and the criticism increased after Farrakhan's speech Sunday at Chicago's United Center included references to "Hollywood Jews" promoting homosexuality and "other filth."

The Democratic governor, in a recent interview with The Associated Press, said he didn't realize he had appointed a Nation of Islam official until learning about it from news reports.

He nodded vigorously when asked whether his staff should have discussed the appointment, and its implications, with him but would say little else about the incident.

But he did say Muhammad should stay on the commission so long as she supports its goals of fighting discrimination.

"I strongly disagree with the things Minister Farrakhan said. They're wrong and hateful and they're harmful," Blagojevich said. "I also oppose guilt by association. Ms. Muhammad didn't say those things."

Muhammad has not returned messages left for her at the Nation of Islam, where she is Farrakhan's chief of protocol and director of community outreach, but she released a statement promising to support the commission's work "to eradicate hate and discrimination against any group or person."

Blagojevich's aides have refused to comment since Thursday's resignations from the commission or answer questions about how Muhammad was appointed.

The commission, with 20 to 30 members, was established in 1999 but eventually fell into disuse. Blagojevich appointed a new set of unpaid commissioners last summer. Their mission is to promote tolerance by working with law enforcement, religious leaders, educators and social service agencies. The full commission has only met in full twice since its reformation.

The biggest political risk to Blagojevich is that this controversy could motivate black leaders who are already grumbling because he won't raise taxes to generate more money for schools and social services. One black state senator, who is also a prominent Chicago minister, has talked about launching a third-party challenge.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, the white pastor of a mostly black Chicago church and a friend of Muhammad, said Blagojevich would generate enormous anger if he removed Muhammad from the commission.

"If you are not willing to stand up in difficult times, don't pretend to be a supporter of black issues, of the black community," Pfleger said. "Now is a test for him."

Meanwhile, Blagojevich is being accused of "appeasement" and cowardice by gubernatorial rival Edwin Eisendrath, who trails badly in the Democratic primary. Republicans are also calling for Blagojevich to remove Muhammad.

But people on both sides of the question are shaking their heads over the Blagojevich administration not anticipating this dilemma when Muhammad was appointed. Some compare it to Blagojevich's statement last month that he had no idea "The Daily Show" was a comedy when he sat down for an interview that ended up mocking him.

Garcia, of Equality Illinois, praises Muhammad and wants her to stay on the commission, but he doesn't understand why Blagojevich didn't avoid this whole controversy.

"How they could not see it as a potential problem down the road is mind-boggling to me," he said.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)