United States House Rep.  Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

By  Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   DC –  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been a lightning rod for Republicans ever since she was elected to congress in 2019.  The Somali American Muslim lawmaker has been unjustly accused of being a terrorist, antisemitic and a hater of America.  Now that the Republicans control congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to strip her from her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  Last January, McCarthy vowed to remove three House Democrats from their committees if Republicans regain control of the House and elect him speaker, including Omar,  and Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, who serve on the House Intelligence Committee.  McCarthy renewed his threats against Omar this Sunday in an appearance on  Fox News.  Rep. Omar punched back against McCarthy Monday releasing a statement. 

“From the moment I was elected, the Republican Party has made it their mission to use fear, xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism to target me on the House Floor and through millions of dollars of campaign ads.  Whether it is Marjorie Taylor Greene holding a gun next to my head in campaign ads or Donald Trump threatening to ‘send me back’ to my country (despite the fact that I have been a proud citizen of the United States for more than 20 years), this constant stream of hate has led to hundreds of death threats and credible plots against me and my family. At the same time, they have openly tolerated antisemitism, anti-Muslim hate and racism in their own party. Newly-elected Whip Tom Emmer said prominent Jewish Democrats ‘essentially  bought control of Congress.’ And McCarthy himself accused Jewish Democrats of trying to ‘buy elections.'”

-Rep. Omar (D-MN)

Republicans Foster Fear and Hate Against Somali-Americans: Rep. Omar

The congresswoman said the repeated racist attacks on her by McCarthy and other right-wing Republicans continues to  “gin up fear and hate against Somali-Americans and anyone who shares my identity, and further divide us along racial and ethnic lines.”  Rep. Omar accused McCarthy of only wanting to focus on dog whistle issues rather than helping all Americans by addressing serious concerns such as inflation. 

“McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single me out for scorn and hatred—including threatening to strip me from my committee—does nothing to address the issues our constituents deal with. It does nothing to address inflation, healthcare, or solve the climate crisis.”

Rep. Omar vowed to never cease fighting for more equitable, humane policies as long as she is in congress. “I will not stop advocating for peace and human rights around the world. And I will not stop fighting for an America that does not single out people based on their race or religion.”