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🇺🇸 Ilhan Omar Expresses Concern for Family’s Safety Amidst Mounting Threats Over Israel Criticism
In a troubling turn of events, Ilhan Omar, the Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, has voiced her deep concerns for the safety of her family as a result of a barrage of threats and attacks she has received following her vocal criticisms of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The US congresswoman, who is of Muslim faith, is now speaking out about the alarming increase in Islamophobic rhetoric and threats directed at her, including threats against her family.
In a statement that was initially reported by NBC News and later shared with The Guardian, Ilhan Omar revealed the unsettling rise in threats she and other Muslim Americans have faced due to what she termed “dishonest smearing” that paints them as threats for condemning Israel’s actions amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Omar specifically pointed to far-right lawmakers who have equated her and other representatives with terrorist supporters, labeling them as threats to the country. She expressed that this rhetoric not only endangers her life and the safety of her family but also subjects her staff to traumatic verbal abuse while simply doing their jobs.
Most alarmingly, these threats also pose a danger to the millions of American Muslims who share similar concerns about the situation in Palestine.
Ilhan Omar revealed some of the disturbing messages she and her office have received. In one voicemail, an anonymous caller claimed that an extremist group had been surveilling Omar and her children, even suggesting that they had disseminated her home addresses to potential rapists. In another message, she was derogatorily referred to as a “terrorist Muslim.” In a third voicemail shared with NBC News, a caller threatened to forcibly remove her hijab, calling for violence against her and expressing hope that Israelis would harm Muslim Americans.
Omar shared that since taking office, two individuals have pleaded guilty to threatening her life, illustrating the very real and imminent danger she faces. She has been forced to discuss vigilance with her children due to these threats.
While addressing the conflict in Gaza, Omar explicitly denounced Hamas, yet she and other progressive members of Congress who have criticized Israel have come under severe criticism, particularly from far-right Republicans. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia labeled fellow House member Rashida Tlaib as a member of the “Hamas Caucus” and a “terrorist sympathizer.” Tlaib, who is Palestinian American and another Muslim representative, faces similar scrutiny.
Lauren Boebert, a Republican congresswoman from Colorado, has also made Islamophobic remarks about Omar, suggesting that she was an explosive-carrying terrorist and referring to her as a member of the “jihad squad.”
Ilhan Omar lamented the real-world consequences of such toxic language and imagery, expressing disappointment that House Republican leaders have not taken a stand against these attacks and refused to hold extremists within their ranks accountable.
Last week, U.S. Capitol police officials and the House sergeant-at-arms briefed several representatives, including Omar and Tlaib, about potential threats, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
“I hope this culture of prejudice ends,” Omar stated. “Hate speech from political leaders has no place in our government. I will continue to advocate for all Americans, promote understanding despite differences, and promote inclusivity.”
The rise in harassment and threats against Muslim and Palestinian Americans is causing concern, with some likening it to the post-9/11 era, according to the Religion News Service. This troubling trend follows the brutal killing of a six-year-old Palestinian boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, in Illinois, which law enforcement has charged as a hate crime. Wadea’s family’s landlord broke into their apartment and fatally stabbed the young boy, reportedly shouting, “You Muslims must die!”