Ilhan Omar (1981- ) in 2019 became one of the first two Muslim American women in the US Congress, and the first ever to wear a hijab (Muslim head covering). She is a progressive (left-wing) Democrat who represents Minnesota’s super-blue 5th district, which covers Minneapolis and some of its suburbs. It used to be represented by Keith Ellison, also a Black Muslim.
For Republicans of the far right she has quickly become a huge hate figure in just a matter of months. It is not just her left-wing views. She triggers their hatred of Blacks, Muslims, women, immigrants, and refugees. The only way it could get any worse is if she came out as lesbian or transgender.
For Democrats of the centre right she made a wonderful token – “Look how diverse we are!” – until, that is, she started opening her mouth. Tokens are supposed to be seen, not heard. She and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) speak unashamedly of their left-wing positions in a party cowed by Wall Street, Israel, and the military-industrial complex.
For me she is a hero. I doubt I agree with all her positions, but I admire her courage and love that she stands up for a vision of the country (as opposed to its reality) that is way closer to mine than that of most elected officials.
Omar:
“I am as American as everyone else is.”
and:
“I came to this country because I believed, even as a child, the promise of liberty, equality and justice. That was the promise of the United States of America. Twenty years later, it seems those fundamental ideals are in peril.”
People can no longer flee to the US from her native Somalia – because of President Trump’s Muslim travel ban, upheld by the Supreme Court.
Framing: Omar looks at the country through Thomas Jefferson’s liberty-and-justice frame. Trump looks at it through Jefferson’s White racial frame.
Omar on 9/11, speaking to fellow Muslim Americans three weeks ago at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR):
“Here’s the truth: Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. And frankly I’m tired of it and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it.
“CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”
This week both Murdoch’s New York Post and President Trump reduced all of that to:
“some people did something”
and showed it against pictures of 9/11, as if she was downplaying the tragedy:
In February and March the moral panic was over her supposed anti-Semitism. Now in April it is this dishonest fearmongering, from the president himself, putting her life in danger.
Shaun King:
“Let me tell you what’s happening.
“Trump is transitioning into campaign mode.
“He has determined that attacking and demonizing a Black, immigrant, Muslim woman in a hijab is good for his base. They love this stuff.
“He rose to power off of these type of attacks.”
– Abagond, 2019.
See also:
- Ilhan Omar on Palestine – which got her labelled as anti-Semitic
- 9/11
- Southern Strategy
- military-industrial complex
- AOC
- Jefferson
- frames
551
Wow, no comments! I thought there would be hundred of supporters for her!
The question is it time for her or are we going to wait 50 more years?
“I tel ya what i goin do i gon down dar and tell the man off”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She needs support today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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“For me she is a hero. I doubt I agree with all her positions, but I admire her courage and love that she stands up for a vision of the country (as opposed to its reality) that is way closer to mine than that of most elected officials. “
^ 100% this! ^
Re: “some people did something”
She should have gone with “a few bad apples”. MAGAs love that phrase.
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Mr. Shaw, your recent comments are excellent.
You can support her and Albert N. Wilson by printing and selling “T” shirts with a picture of the twin towers in flame, the smirking likeness of Trump and the logo: ” IF THIS WASN’T SOMETHING, WAS IT NOTHING DOTARD!!??”
The money you make would be donated to Mr. Wilson’s defense.
Why stop there, you could do a whole series on Trump Charlottesville speech, his UN speech threatening to annihilate N Korea, etc.
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I feel her life is in danger.
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The reality of the twin towers is that a very few people did a very bad deed.
The amount of damage is quite small when compared to the many years of bombing and killing that e have been doing.
We have been fighting ISIS and they probably did not have any thing to do with the Twin Towers.
When reviewing the cost of revenge it should be apparent that revenge is not sweet!
We have lost many good service personnel, spent billions or trillions of dollars and all we can say is Bin Laden is dead.
Can we get out of the Middle East and have we actually punished the people that committed the crime?
What have we gained except create a 21 trillion dollar national debt. Our young people are spread all over the world in harms way waiting for another incident like Africa.
It just might be possible that a more precise punishment could have been effected if we would have taken the time to get to those who did the deed.
I can no longer remember who we attacked first I believe it might have been Iraq, because they had the bomb. I think next Afghanistan because they were Muslim and the Twin Tower destroyers were Muslim, I believe?
I actually have lost count and do not want to research.
We have to kill 1.8 billion of them!
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She is my hero.
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I have learned the New York Post is a deplorable rag. Rupert Murdoch allowing that image of 9/11 to trigger people combined with taking Representative Omar’s words out of context. This is such a disgusting ploy to incite more Islamaphobia from unhinged Trump supporters, and more fodder from Fox News. Ilhan Omar definitely has a target on her back. I see Alexandra Ocassio- Cortez and Rashida Tallib have spoken up in defense of Rep.Omar, but the rest of the Democrats need to speak out against the President and his racism and Islamaphobia. It’s quite obvious that a young black woman in a hijab triggers these deplorables.
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I was reading the Shaun King quote and lots of black people have issues with Shaun King. Nevertheless his words are true. This how Trump rose to power using hate speech. And his unhinged sycophants do love this type of rhetoric.
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Stephen Colbert’s interview with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — TV Air Date: Apr 10, 2019
https://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/FPCthMveo0zA0TvevMVbGwFCOwejiVLu/full-extended-interview-with-rep-ilhan-omar/?fbclid=IwAR0C9G_7OWahE8h9gEbywPxcIR7LZkJacFh_YDhL_ejU_mlEyd2SU2_QGw0
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@ Mary
I agree: Shaun King has become a questionable character, but sometimes he is right on the money, as in this case.
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Rep. Ilhan Omar Says Death Threats Have Increased Since Trump’s Attack https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ilhan-omar-death-threats_n_5cb3e652e4b098b9a2d58fcb?utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013§ion=politics&utm_source=politics_fb&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1t9_YB7BQpreOCX_4ZTnqTLwTNOYnXG5G9u0R1Q9xfbP3KjSw9UBjswKw
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“…Shaun King has become a questionable character…” Do tell.
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Trump will earn his keep attacking Muslims, yes, but what gave him an entry point was the firewall that was being established protecting Islam from criticism in a bid to protect a religious minority. This in the context of a culture which, over time, had destroyed the primacy of it’s own associated religion, Christianity, through criticism and separation from political power (ironically giving the freedom for Islam and Judaism to be practiced legally within its domain). How would a society like that react?
Violent attacks by people who claimed Islamic justification had become quite common by the time Obama was about to leave office. Every time this happened the people were told that the religion was “peaceful”. This is almost Orwellian. The obvious question is, “why is the religion peaceful yet proclaimed followers are not”? Failure to even mention possible endogenous causes of what is experienced as “Islamic extremism” created an environment ripe for political and even violent backlash.
Muslims are varied because individuals and subgroups have different ideas about the religion just as in Christianity where there are different sects. However, even after research I have come away unconvinced that Islam itself is inherently peaceful. Indeed the peacefulness of many Muslims is a product of their “moderation” while the desire of others to become particularly devout is what is experienced by non-Muslims as “extremism”.
Recently, for example, the leader (Sultan) of Muslim Brunei decided to introduce stoning for Islam’s sexual crimes as well as amputations for stealing (IIRC). It generated some controversy with celebrities calling for boycotts and one of the Sultan’s relatives (son?), who doesn’t live in Brunei, being outed as gay. The Sultan’s stated reason is to bring the nation more in line with its Islamic religion and Shariah law.
Often, the impression is given that these expressions of “Islamism” result from some “corruption” of the religion but I think it is more a kind of fundamentalism. This is a significant difference. If some Christians decided to start stoning people for doing anything on the sabbath, they could quote chapter and verse supporting it. In an environment of general belief in the sacredness of scripture, that is a powerful argument.
IMO, this is the actual etiology of religious extremism: serious and literal adherence to the religion. The most extreme Jain monks practice superlative non-violence and carry brushes to sweep away even small organisms before they sit. But if your religion has a violent streak, your most devout will have a violent streak as well. That is the truth as I see it at the moment. A mature way to talk about this would have helped stave off the appeal of a demagogue’s narrative.
………………………….
Anyway, as far as 911 is concerned, I think Omar’s succinct statement is correct. The greatest beneficiary of the event was the Bush administration because 911 was used a pretext for wars of aggression and loss of civil liberties in America.
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No hijab-wearer will ever be a real American, no matter what their passport says.
Us westerners need to get back in touch with our crusader spirit.
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@ Origin
Rev Jeremiah Wright:
He was also talking about 9/11 and was also condemned by media firestorm. THIS is what people do not want to talk about – the violent streak of the US.
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@ gro jo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_King#Controversies
The Wikipedia, of course, does not prove anything, but it does show there are questions about him.
In my own experience, he is not always a reliable source of information. Not because I think he is lying (trying to deceive) but just gets carried away. I have been burnt in the past by trusting him on a point of fact.
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@abagond
Yes.
America is violent.
It’s violence is justified within it’s own cultural logic.
America fights for freedom.
Islam is the religion of peace.
Words are but branding.
But reality stays bloody.
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*Its
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Correction: it’s to “its”
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https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10218705785904347&id=1489932727&refid=
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@Origin
“but what gave him an entry point was the firewall that was being established protecting Islam from criticism in a bid to protect a religious minority.”
“Christianity, through criticism and separation from political power (ironically giving the freedom for Islam and Judaism to be practiced legally within its domain). How would a society like that react?”
“However, even after research I have come away unconvinced that Islam itself is inherently peaceful.”
“Recently, for example, the leader (Sultan) of Muslim Brunei decided to introduce stoning for Islam’s sexual crimes as well as amputations for stealing (IIRC)”
“If some Christians decided to start stoning people for doing anything on the sabbath, they could quote chapter and verse supporting it. In an environment of general belief in the sacredness of scripture, that is a powerful argument.”
The above statements show you have formed an opinion which is not based on a complete set of fact when talking about 1.8 billion people.
I am not going to read the Quran; however i am sure you could find the reference to such action as stoning. I believe Jesus said “he who is without sin cast the first stone”.
United States is not a Christian nation and they do not “allow other religions to be practiced legally within its domain” All religions are equal in the United States.
Any research you have done has been done with a closed mind. You have not studied the history of Christianity with all of its wars and slaughter in the name of religion.
The use of slave labor even today in prisons continues with no cry out from the Christian Church!
Religion is a goal. People act, regardless of their religion!
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@ Origin
8 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
See also Exodus 19:13
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Someone being a “‘left-wing’ progressive” while wearing the hijab (a symbol of oppressive, patriarchal conservative Islam) is a freakin’ joke. Just shows how pathetic, and confused so called ‘progressivism ‘ is.
Omar is full of crap.
CAIR was NOT started because of 9/11. CAIR was founded in 1994.
And no, Muslims are not second class citizens. Muslims are doing just fine in this country, and have been treated quite decently, and wonderfully by our Gov’t and society. Evidence – her own family being able to come here, and her own election – and all the other Muslim communities in the U.S. (Whereas, minorities such as Christians in Islamic dominated countries are treated like crap, and often murdered).
And yes, it is disgusting to gloss over that 9/11 was an Islamic terrorist attack.
Nope, would never trust her if my life depended on it….And besides, Israel is the best thing going in the ME…
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“Omar is full of crap.” Says the lord/lady of crap.
“And yes, it is disgusting to gloss over that 9/11 was an Islamic terrorist attack.”
The decades long US interventions that caused 9/11 weren’t disgusting?
“Nope, would never trust her if my life depended on it….And besides, Israel is the best thing going in the ME…”
Stealing Palestinian land, treating them like crap and racism against Blacks, including fellow Jews, is the best thing going in the ME?
Hitler would approve.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS9zdTDB90M)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPxv4Aff3IA)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdaf1l_sHcc)
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@gro jo…
^^^Regurgitated, cult-indoctrinated lefty BS.
I am not impressed with your ignorance of history, or that you side with the Islamic colonialists, and their evil, genocidal mania.
And yes, I will repeat it again since it is true. Israel is the best thing going in the ME, and one of the best countries in the world.
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LR, I’m not impressed with your Jewish fascism and its racist myths. Jews would have perished a long time ago if they had been treated the way your Israel treats Palestinians and black Africans.
Why on earth would you expect me to prefer Zionist colonialists? I’ll repeat it again since it’s true. Hitler would be happy to see that the Jews have created the type of ethnic state he advocated. Not being all that interested in the particulars of Jewish history, I’ll refer you to the works of Lenni Brenner, a “lefty BS” artist, according to you to counter you “righty BS” artistry.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gUwqKBfUgs)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiG5BBLN6KI)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoNOJgrx5Ds)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPcqqds1gyk)
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@LR When you speak of Israel you are opening a bucket of worms. The refusal of people to understand that none of the European Jewish people were returning to their homeland.
Yes it is true, supported by the United States Israel is a most formidable state.
The US and England decided that it was OK to push people off their land and give it to Europeans who were of the Jewish Religion.
Since then the US has armed Israel to give the US a base for controlling the Middle East.
So now we have a divided Israel. One group of religious Jewish people living and attempting to do good! We also have another group of individuals who are growing in power who will eventually cause grave harm to the Jewish People. More and more they are denying the Arabians that remained in Israel any rights of citizenship.
This is a familiar pattern. Soon there will be a split between those religious Jews and the “European” Jews and in the US there is a movement that is reducing support for the power group. History will repeat itself.
How many time have they had a diaspora of the Jewish people? When will they learn and why do those true believer have to be subject to ambitious people’s deceptions?
Today there is no longer any attempt to assist the people of the Levant to make a better life and create a new state. It is easy to support a group of antagonist to prove you do not need to help! So Israel gets richer and richer while failing to support their neighbors.
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i’m not the only one having a rough week!
“Israel bars Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49363041
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I am sure that on the day she and other Muslims patriotism is being questioned.
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*on this day * ^^^
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Not sure why Americans allow unassimilated uitlanders to hold dominion over them.
There is nothing on earth that I share with a woman who covers her hair!
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