Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Don't vote for Ilhan Omar

 

  1. Ilhan Omar is a "Somali-American former refugee who was elected to the House of Representatives from Minnesota in the 2018 election."[1]

    Upon winning her election, Ilhan Omar said she would "work on an agenda focused on justice and the common good, zero waste and renewable energy."

    Ilhan Omar's Twitter page as it appeared on February 8 2017

    Ilhan Omar describes herself as a "intersectional feminist" on Twitter.[2] She is the Director of Policy and Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network.

    Married to Tim Mynett (m. 2020), Formerly Ahmed Hirsi, and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi Her daughter is Isra Hirsi.

    Background

    Ilhan Omar was born in 1982 and is a mother of three. She was "born in Somalia and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years before immigrating to the United States at the age of 12."

    "Omar began honing her political skills at North Dakota State University where she involved herself in organizations like the Muslim Student Association and earned a degree in Political Science and International Studies. In particular, she worked to shift the perception that Islam and social justice were at conflict. She pushed the message that her Islamic background strengthened her resolve to advance justice and equality. Omar said, 'A lot of the social justice issues that I care about stem from this idea of wanting equality and fighting for equality. That is something that is very much part of the principle of the teachings of Islam. That we are all created equal and that we should all be treated equally in our society… I wanted to live that out.'"[3]

    Ilhan’s interest in politics began at the age of 14 when she was as an interpreter for her grandfather at local DFL caucuses. Watching neighbors come together to affect change at the treeroots level made Ilhan fall in love with the democratic process and in highschool, she became an organizer and has been a coalition builder ever since. She worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota and has been a devoted progressive activist in the DFL party for many years. Before running for office, Ilhan was a Humphrey Policy Fellow and served as a senior Policy Aide for a Minneapolis City Council Member.

    In 2016, Ilhan became the first Somali-American, Muslim legislator in the United States. With the help of her campaign team, they increased voter turnout by 37%. She was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B, where she’s lived for the past 20 years and where she and her husband Ahmed are raising their three children.[4]

    Acheivements

    • Assistant Minority Leader at the Minnesota Legislature with assignments to three committees: *Civil Law and Data Practices Policy; Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance; State Government Finance
    • Appointed to and Chaired Governor Dayton's Young Women's Initiative
    • Director of Policy, Women Organizing Women
    • Former Minneapolis City Council Senior Policy Aide
    • Humphrey Policy Fellow
    • Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator, MN Department of Education
    • Community Nutrition Educator, University of Minnesota[5]

    Coalition Builder

    Community Leader

    Legislative accomplishments

    • Helped allocate $5 million for outreach and prevention education to raise awareness during a measles outbreak and encourage vaccines.
    • Allocated $400,000 to the Somali Museum of Arts and $350,000 for the expansion and renovation of the Brian Coyle Community Center in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood.
    • Passed legislation to increase funding summer enrichment programs for low income students who may be unfamiliar with a higher education experience.
    • Passed $77 million in Statewide Affordable Housing and Homelessness Infrastructure bonds to improve housing, including $10 million for Public Housing Rehabilitation.
    • Expanded childcare grants for student parents and fought for them to receive a tax credit.
    • Negotiated over $200 million in bonding packages to improve our infrastructure in district.
    • Passed $15 and paid sick and safe time in Minneapolis.
    • Introduced HF 4201, requiring a counselor in every school in Minnesota.
    • Introduced HF 3434, eliminating the statute of limitations for sex offenses.
    • Introduced HF 2949, changing lease requirements to fight student exploitation
    • Introduced HF 2630, funding the prevention of measles outbreaks in immigrant communities[8]

    Labor Caucus

    The Labor Caucus is an official caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2021 members included Ilhan Omar .[9]

    "Fact-Finding Mission" to Central America

    April 1, 2022 Members of the U.S. Congress– Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) – as well as representation from the office of Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), joined U.S.-based solidarity organizations, including Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective, SOA Watch, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, and the Institute for Policy Studies - Global Economy Program, for a fact-finding mission to Central America. Upon return, the Congressional representatives issued a joint statement, saying:

    “We traveled to Central America to investigate the root causes of migration from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and the U.S.’ role in those causes. What we found is a resilient region where corporate interests, international development institutions, and the U.S. government have played a profoundly destabilizing role.

    “In Honduras, we witnessed cautious optimism as newly elected President Castro and her administration work to uproot corruption and defend human rights. In Guatemala, however, we saw dangerous signs of regression toward authoritarian rule as civil society is persecuted and principled judges are forcibly removed from office. El Salvador is showing similarly worrisome trends. But the one constant we witnessed, no matter the political context, was the tireless work of organizers and dissidents defending Indigenous, environmental, and human rights.

    “While we were overcome by people’s experiences of repression, criminalization, disenfranchisement, and persecution, we were also struck by the parallels between their struggles and those our own communities face. We return home determined and energized to advocate for a rights-based U.S. policy at home and abroad.”

    While in Honduras:

    The delegation met with Honduran President Xiomara Castro, members of her cabinet, and the President and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Honduran National Congress. The members of Congress visited the grave of internationally recognized Indigenous leader Berta Caceres, who was assassinated in 2016 for opposing a U.S.-backed hydroelectric project, and heard from her organization COPINH about the continued impunity enjoyed by the powerful actors ultimately responsible for her assassination. Three of those found guilty for Caceres’ murder to date received training at U.S. military institutions.

    During a visit with the Fraternal Black Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH), three members of the Congressional Black Caucus made connections about the impacts of the war on drugs, militarization, and state violence in Black communities. Leaders from OFRANEH shared how the ancestral lands of the Garifuna people have been affected by agrofuel plantations and tourist projects. A delegation from the Moskito people, who were victims of the May 2012 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) killings in Ahuas, joined OFRANEH in sharing their experiences with the delegation.

    During a visit to communities organizing to defend the Jilamito River from a hydroelectric project to be financed by IDB Invest, a multilateral development bank of which the U.S. is the largest shareholder, the delegation saw firsthand how international economic development financing can benefit local elites and international corporations rather than those who need it.

    The Agrarian Platform shared their many years of struggle to defend cooperative land titles in the Bajo Aguan region from powerful agri-business actors backed by military and paramilitary forces, often with U.S. training. Guapinol River defenders shared about their struggle against the Los Pinares mining project in the Carlos Escaleras National Park and that the eight water defenders who were recently released after 914 days in prison have only been granted provisional freedom. Bertha Oliva of the Committee of the Relatives of the Detained - Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) shared about the struggle for justice for victims of human rights violations following the 2009 coup and during subsequent U.S.-backed regimes.

    While in Guatemala:

    The delegation met with representatives from the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR), Center for Legal Action on Human Rights (CALDH), and Association of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared in Guatemala (FAMDEGUA). They shared about current legal cases for crimes against humanity committed by the U.S.-backed Guatemalan state in the 1980s, including the Ixil genocide case and the Military Diary case, which includes charges for enforced disapeareance, sexual violence and other crimes against humanity.

    Judge Pablo Xitumul spoke with the delegation about attacks on judicial independence, only two days after being removed from his position by the Guatemalan Supreme Court of Justice. This removal is widely recognized as a blatant act of criminalization towards Judge Xitumul, who issued historic sentences in the Molina-Theissen transitional justice case and the “Magic Water” corruption case against former Guatemalan Vice-President Roxanna Baldetti. His removal was the latest in a pattern of attacks against independent judges and prosecutors.

    Members of the Peaceful Resistance La Puya met with the delegation at their permanent protest camp, which they have maintained for ten years at the entrance to the Progresso VII Derivada mine, owned by Nevada-based mining company Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA). Local community members expressed their commitment to defend already scarce water resources from the devastating impacts of mining, and shared experiences of criminalization and police repression. They underscored the injustices of the arbitration suit that KCA has brought against the Guatemalan government for over US$400 million under the terms of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States.

    The delegation was welcomed by a large turnout of thePeaceful Resistance of Santa Rosa, Jalapa, and Jutiapa at the permanent resistance camp erected in 2017 to halt mine-related traffic to the Escobal silver mine, owned by Canadian-U.S. company Pan American Silver. It held meetings with representatives of the Xinka Parliament of Guatemala and Diocesan Commission for the Defense of Nature (CODIDENA). Community members discussed how the mine was violently imposed on them, how this led to forced displacement of one community, and called for the court-ordered consultation process underway with the Xinka People to respect their self-determination and be free of pressure, coercion, intimidation and violence.

    The delegation met with Maya and Xinka Ancestral Authorities from across Guatemala, as well as several Guatemalan Congresswomen, who shared analysis on Guatemalan history and current events, including an analysis of systemic corruption, impunity, and racism and how extractivism and privatization are root causes of forced migration.

    Representatives of the Maya Achi communities affected by the Chixoy Dam met with the delegation to discuss the ongoing effects of the dam’s construction and their leadership on the issue of reparations for Indigenous communities. In the 1970s and 80s, multilateral development banks funded the construction of the Chixoy Dam, which resulted in brutal massacres and mass displacement of Maya Achi Indigenous communities.

    The delegation also had the opportunity to learn about the current political crisis in El Salvador, including rising levels of political persecution, militarization, threats of privatization of public services, and the ongoing role of U.S. foreign policy in creating unstable conditions in the country.[10]

    Humanitarian Needs in Cuba letter

    December 16 2021 , House Rules Committee Chair James McGovern (D-MA), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-NY), House Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA), and House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy Chair Bobby Rush (D-IL) led 114 Members of Congress in a letter to President Biden asking him to prioritize the well-being of the Cuban people as they experience the worst economic and humanitarian crisis in recent history...

    In the wake of this year’s protests, the members urged the administration to support the Cuban people by suspending U.S. regulations that prevent food, medicine, remittances, and other humanitarian assistance from reaching the Cuban people...

    Signatories included Ilhan Omar.[11]

    Peace on Korean Peninsula Act

    Congressman Brad Sherman introduced the 'Peace on Korean Peninsula Act' (H.R. 3446) on 5/20/2021 with co-sponsors including Rep. Andy Kim, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Rep. Al Green, and Rep. Marilyn Strickland.[12]

    Muslim Left connections

    Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children Act

    April 2021—U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, or H.R. 2590, provides that no U.S. funds to the Israeli government may be used to support the military detention or ill-treatment of Palestinian children; the seizure, appropriation, or destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the occupied West Bank; or to facilitate further unilateral annexation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government in violation of international humanitarian law.

    The bill establishes annual certification and reporting obligations on the Secretary of State to show that no U.S. funds have been used by the Israeli government to support the prohibited activities included in the legislation. The McCollum bill also requires oversight reporting detailing the Israeli government’s human rights violations against Palestinians.

    Initial co-sponsors were Reps Bobby Rush, Danny Davis, Andre Carson, Marie Newman, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jesus Garcia .[13]

    Sponsoring organizations included Adalah Justice Project, Al-Haq, Americans for Peace Now (APN), American Friends Service Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Center for Constitutional Rights, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Jewish Allies for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine, Churches for Middle East Peace, Church of the Brethren – Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, CODEPINK, Defense for Children International – Palestine, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Democratic Socialists of America BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group, The Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eyewitness Palestine, Freedom Forward, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, IfNotNow, Institute for Policy Studies – New Internationalism Project, J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, Justice Democrats, MADRE, Massachusetts Peace Action, Middle East Children’s Alliance, MPower Action Fund, National Council of Churches USA, New Generation for Palestine, NGP Action, Norwegian Refugee Council, Palestine Legal, Peace Action, Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive Democrats of America, Reformed Church in America, Sacramento Democrats for Justice in Palestine, Tree of Life Educational Fund, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, United Church of Christ, United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network, United We Dream Network, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), US Palestinian Council, Veterans for Peace, Win Without War, Working Families Party.[14]

    THRIVE Resolution

    September 10, 2020 Contact: Kenny Palmer | press@indivisible.org

    Washington, DC — Indivisible, along with a coalition of grassroots groups, labor unions, Black, Brown and Indigenous leaders from across the nation, and members of Congress, is excited to announce the introduction of a bold plan for economic renewal known as the THRIVE Agenda. THRIVE -- Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in Vibrant Economy -- will be introduced tomorrow in Congress by Senators Chuck Schumer, Ed Markey, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Deb Haaland, Debbie Dingell, Donald McEachin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Raul Grijalva, Rosa DeLauro, Brendan Boyle, Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Ro Khanna.

    "The THRIVE Agenda is the bold new vision we need to create millions of good jobs, repair and revive our economy, and address the overlapping crises of mass unemployment, racial injustice, public health, and climate change,” said Mary Small, Legislative Director for Indivisible. “It is critical that any recovery package offered by Congress rise to meet the level of crisis, rather than inexcusably shrink to the scope of political convenience."

    Indivisible will be mobilizing its national network of thousands of groups and millions of individual activists to call their lawmakers to demand their support for the THRIVE Resolution.

    Built on eight pillars -- from creating millions of union jobs while averting climate catastrophe to investing in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities -- THRIVE’s top priorities are the families and communities who share the dream of a good life: free from worry about meeting basic needs, with reliable and fulfilling work, and a dignified and healthy standard of living.

    85 members of Congress have already endorsed the THRIVE Resolution as original cosponsors, and a new poll finds strong majority support for THRIVE nationwide.[15]

    Defense spending cuts letter

    May 19, 2020.

    Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry:

    We write to request a reduction in defense spending during the coronavirus pandemic. As you draft this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we encourage you to authorize a level of spending below last year’s authorized level. Congress must remain focused on responding to the coronavirus pandemic and distributing needed aid domestically. In order to do so, appropriators must have access to increased levels of non-defense spending which could be constrained by any increase to defense spending.

    Initiated by Mark Pocan and Barbara Lee.[16]

    Co-signatories included Ilhan Omar .

    Debt Collective debt

    In June 2019, Bernie Sanders and representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Pramila Jayapal held a press conference outside the Senate and announced the College for All Act of 2019, which, if passed and signed into law, would cancel all student debt and make public college free.

    They shared the podium with members of the he Debt Collective, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street Astra Taylor cofounded.

    Our group put student debt cancellation on the national radar when we launched a groundbreaking student debt strike. The strike began with 15 former students who had attended for-profit colleges and bravely refused to pay their federal loans. That led to a larger campaign that has helped secure over a billion dollars in debt relief for tens of thousands of people, and has been said to rankle Donald Trump’s billionaire secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.
    The Debt Collective has also made progress on the issue of medical debt abolition. In 2012, we launched something called the Rolling Jubilee, which involved buying portfolios of medical debt on the secondary debt market (where it is sold for pennies on the dollar), just like debt collectors do. But instead of collecting on the debts, we erased them. Ultimately, we wiped out over $15 million in predatory medical debt this way. In September, we were overjoyed when Sanders proposed eliminating all $81 billion of medical debt currently in collections using a mechanism similar to the one we devised.
    When we first raised the idea of debt resistance and debt cancellation at Occupy, we were mocked. We’ve come a long way: Thousands of people have had their loans erased; our efforts have influenced the 2020 Democratic primary; and we’re planning an even bigger campaign to ensure full student debt relief and free college become not just proposals but realities. Remember this: If the federal government ends up canceling your student loans, you’ll have Occupy to thank for it.[17]

    Relief of Iran sanctions letter

    According to the NIAC website, in March 2020 a team of prominent members of Congress urged their colleagues to sign a letter to the White House calling for immediate relief of sanctions to help ordinary Iranians combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

    This is a critically important effort coming amid the Iranian people's hour of need. We need to make sure that Iranians have all the support they need to get medicine and respirators, food and basic goods and services to weather the pandemic. By supporting AOC's letter, we can send a powerful message to the Trump administration: now is not the time to kick the Iranian people when they are down. The U.S. must ease sanctions and send aid to help combat the spread of Coronavirus.

    Take action today: urge your Representative to sign AOC's letter calling for urgent humanitarian relief for Iran.

    Original signers of the letter include: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA).[18]

    Qatari asset?

    Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota-5th) was recruited by a foreign government, received funding from a foreign government, and passed sensitive information through intermediaries to Iran, a Florida court has been told.

    The claims came during testimony by Kuwati-born Canadian businessman Alan Bender, who was giving evidence in the trial of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani. The Qatari emir's brother stands accused of ordering his American bodyguard to murder two people, and of holding an American citizen hostage. His deposition, obtained by Al Arabiya English, was authenticated by the attorney for the plaintiffs, according to the publication.

    Speaking from Toronto by video link, Bender told the Florida District Court that he met with Qatar’s Secretary to the Emir for Security Affairs Mohammad bin Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Masnad and two other senior Qatari officials.

    According to his sworn deposition, the three officials told him: “If it wasn't for our cash, Ilhan Omar would be just another black Somali refugee in America collecting welfare and serving tables on weekends."

    Bender testified that the officials asked him to recruit American politicians and journalists as Qatari assets, and that when he objected, was told that several prominent figures were already on the payroll. Omar was described as the "jewel in the crown," he said.

    Qatar “recruited Ilhan Omar from even way before she thought about becoming a government official… They groomed her and arranged the foundation, the grounds, for her to get into politics way before she even showed interest. They convinced her,” he added. The deposition shows he further told the court that, during a 2017 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Omar swore allegiance to him. At the time she was a junior state representative in Minnesota.

    Omar was said to also have passed information to Qatar which was subsequently handed along to Iran, and was actively involved in recruiting other American politicians to likewise work for the west Asian Islamic country, Bender testified.

    “The best thing money can buy is American officials, because they are the cheapest of the cheapest-costing officials in the world,” the Qatari officials were said to have told him.[19]

    Letelier-Moffitt Awards

    Zzzzilha.PNG

    From the Institute for Policy Studies:

    We’re excited to announce that Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota’s 5th district will present this year’s Letelier-Moffitt Awards!

    Rep. Omar has made herself a key figure in the progressive movement by working with a diverse group of legislators on the best ideas in politics today; bold, transformative policies like student loan forgiveness, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal.

    We’re thrilled to work with her, and delighted to welcome her into our community. We hope you’ll join in on the fun at the 43rd Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards on Thursday, October 3rd at 5:30 P.M.

    Tlaib/Omar Palestine press conference

    On August 19, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) held a press conference in the State Capitol in Saint Paul to a packed room, with an overflow of 100 people, on the human cost of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and travel restrictions.

    On August 16 2019, the Israeli government denied the representatives visas to visit Palestine. Their visas previously had been approved, but after a tweet by Donald Trump denouncing Omar and Tlaib’s visit, the approval was revoked. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, delegate to House for the Virgin Islands, was to join them on their trip to Palestine. At the press conference, the representatives were joined by four women who have experience with the occupation and the area’s travel restrictions.

    As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Omar has a direct say in the over $3 billion worth of aid given to Israel every year. Omar asked if this aid should continue. “This is predicated on them being an ally and important democracy in the Middle East. Denying visits to duly elected officials and denying freedom of movement, expression or self-determination to millions is not consistent with being a good ally of democracy. We must ask Israel to stop building settlements on the West Bank and ensure the rights of Palestinians if we are going to give them aid.”

    Omar added, “This is nothing less than an attempt by an ally of the United States to suppress our ability to do our jobs as elected officials,” and, “This decision to deny us entry might be unprecedented when it comes to members of Congress, but this is the Israeli government’s policy when it comes to anyone who holds views that threaten the occupation. The only way to preserve unjust policy is to suppress people’s expression, people’s freedom of association, and freedom of movement. The cruel occupation is real. Barring people from seeing it does not make it go away.”

    Representative Tlaib gave a graphic and emotional account of her trip to Palestine as a young girl. The treatment of her mother at checkpoints horrified her, and she was terrified her grandmother would not receive adequate medical care after a car accident. She was very frightened when Israeli soldiers with guns and tanks suddenly appeared in the middle of the night in the village where she was staying. She added, “the outpouring of support from their districts as well as around the country shows how important it is to keep fighting for justice.”

    Lana Barkawi, a Palestinian-American and Minneapolis native, has been unable to visit Palestine. She said that the human cost of occupation and travel restrictions for those involved in the BDS - Boycott, Divestment, Sanction - movement is unacceptable.

    Amber Harris, a Jewish American woman who is married to a Palestinian, spoke of the harassment she has experienced when trying to go to Palestine. She was almost banned for ten years, for unknown reasons. She believes she was banned because she was involved in the uprising in Ferguson, at the time of murder of Michael Brown by the police. When she was finally let into Palestine, the Israeli government threatened her with surveillance. Harris denounces the Israeli’s government continued denial of entry into Palestine on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity and activism.

    Carin Mrotz, of Jewish Community Action, spoke of the divide-and-conquer tactics employed to pit the Jewish community against the Muslim community on the false premise of security. “We must stand together for our own together and for justice everywhere.”

    Rosa Drucker, from IfNotNow, a Jewish organization which opposes the Israeli occupation of Palestine, said, “The situation is complex, but not complicated. It is a daily nightmare for those who live it, and a moral disaster for those who support it. We stand with the congresswomen."[20]

    Primary victory/family allegations

    Ilhan Omar, whose victory in a Minneapolis DFL primary last week virtually assured her of becoming the nation’s first Somali-American legislator, denied recent reports that she married her brother to commit immigration fraud while remaining married to the man who is the father of her three children.

    “Allegations that she married her brother and is legally married to two people are categorically ridiculous and false,” campaign spokesman Ben Goldfarb said Monday.

    The questions surfaced over the weekend in a report on the conservative website Power Line, which reported that Omar was married to two men at the same time, including to her brother.

    Omar spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the United States as a child knowing little English.

    Hennepin County records show Omar applied for a marriage license in 2002 but never used it. It was not immediately known whom she planned to marry. Seven years later, Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in Eden Prairie, according to their marriage record. Elmi could not be reached for comment. Minnesota courts have no records of Omar and Elmi filing for divorce.

    Her campaign flatly denied that Elmi is her brother. It would only say that she and Ahmed Hirsi, who is pictured in campaign literature and is the father of their three children, are together and raising a family. The Star Tribune could not find records in Minnesota showing that the two ever married.

    Her campaign website reads: “Ilhan, her husband and three children live in the West Bank neighborhood of District 60B.”

    The most recent voter registration records show Omar and Hirsi living at the same West Bank address.

    “Like a lot of families, she and Hirsi, the father of their three children, have had ups and downs, have weathered some storms, but what matters is that they came out of it together,” Goldfarb said. He declined to offer more details.[21]

    Turkish connections

    Meeting Erdogan in New York

    Ilhanolicious.PNG

    September 18, 2017, Ilhan Omar flew to New York City to hold a closed-door meeting with the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in town for the 72nd U.N. General Assembly. This meeting of now-Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with Mr. Erdogan, the despotic ruler of Turkey, went almost entirely unreported, as it was not open to the press and Omar was not a high-profile figure. Since then, photos of the meeting surfaced on social media, but it largely appeared that there was no report detailing what happened during the hour-long meeting.

    One local Minnesota paper that covers the Somali community did receive access to the Erdogan-Omar meeting. That publication is the Tusmo Times, a Somali paper that covers the Twin Cities metro area. Abdirahman Mukhtar, its founder and editor, wrote a story in the Somali language discussing the meeting.

    The story makes clear, through photos and text, that Omar led the Minnesota-based Somali delegation (which included her non-politician husband, who is seen next to her in photos) that met with Erdogan.

    Speaking to the Tusmo Times, Omar said, according to the translation, that she met with Erdogan for about an hour and that the two discussed issues involving Omar’s native Somalia and issues for Somalis in Minnesota. She thanked Erdogan for Turkey’s support for the Rohingya people in Myanmar. The two also discussed investment and trade between Turkey and Somalia. The meeting ended with Erdogan asking Omar to voice her support for Turkey. The report concludes by adding that Omar not only met with Erdogan, but also with the Turkish prime minister and other senior Turkish officials.

    The day the story was posted, Omar tweeted about her meeting with Erdogan, linking to the now-deleted Tusmo Times piece.[22]

    Turkish consulate support

    T.C. Şikago Başkonsoloslugu/Turkish Consulate General in Chicago.

    Wokosdfgytred.PNG

    September 24, 2018.

    Thrilled to have Hon. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota State Representative, first elected Somali-American legislator, both at the Consulate and the Residence today

    Representative Omar arrived in the United States at the age of 13 after three years in a refugee camp in Kenya and now running for the Congress. If wins, she will be the first Muslim woman ever elected to the US Congress.

    Such an inspirational story.

    Istanbul conference

    Ilhan Omar attended a 2017 conference in Istanbul.

    "I had just gotten sworn in [to the Minnesota Legislature] two weeks before," Omar said, remarking on the executive order 13769, signed on Jan. 27, 2017. "There was lots of chaos, people being stopped at the airports. I had a flight scheduled a week after to speak at a human-rights conference in Turkey. I didn't know whether I could go."

    "My father said, ‘I looked at the lineup at this human-rights conference—they're risking everything. You are not gonna sit home,'" Omar said. "I ended up going."

    The conference was in Istanbul, Turkey, which was not affected by the travel ban. Nevertheless, Omar used her upcoming appearance at the International Human Rights Defenders Conference, which was organized by the local Turkish government and the British Embassy in Ankara, as a cudgel to attack the president.

    "As an elected official Ilhan Omar has some privilege but she expressed her own concerns for not wanting to leave the country for a speaking engagement in Turkey that will occur in a few days," according to Mshale, an African community newspaper based in Minneapolis, which reported on a protest Omar organized against the travel ban in January 2017. "After already dealing with profiling and extra scrutiny Omar said she is not sure if leaving the country is worth the risk of possibly not being able to return immediately after her engagement."

    "[Omar] says she's reconsidering traveling to Turkey for an upcoming speaking engagement," the Associated Press reported at the time. "Turkey is not on the list of countries in Trump's order, but Omar fears she'll run into trouble with immigration officials when she returns home."

    Omar seemingly had no trouble, and attended the conference held at the Nazım Hikmet Culture and Art House in Istanbul on Feb. 4. She gave an interview while overseas to Kurdistan 24, bashing the president's executive order.

    The agenda for the conference, organized by the Şişli Municipality, lists Omar as the first member of the U.S. Congress to wear a headscarf, according to a loose translation.

    "In particular, the conference will focus on the fight against discrimination based on gender," according to a write up two days before the event.

    An annual report released by the Şişli government said the International Human Rights Advocacy Conference brought together activists "in order to make the struggles that are going on in different countries visible and to open space for sharing experiences." Two hundred and sixty-four people attended.

    "We are working to make life easier for Syrian refugees," Osman Korkmaz, deputy mayor of Şişli, said at the conference according to a translated article published in the Turkish press.

    Omar appeared on a panel, "Bir insan neyi değiştirebilir?" or "What can a person change?"

    Ruhat Sena Akşener, who is director for Turkey Amnesty International, moderated the panel. Ayta Sozeri, a trans woman activist and actor, delivered an opening speech. Sözeri said it was scary growing "up in a patriarchal family."

    Also on the panel was Sherin Khankan, a feminist imam who opened the first female mosque in Denmark. In an interview following the event, Khankan says her goal is fighting "Islamophobia" and challenging "patriarchal structures."

    Omar describes herself as an "intersectional feminist," and discussed "dismantling patriarchy" during an event with Witness for Peace, a radical anti-Israel and anti-American group.

    The panel featured Nazir Afzal, who was the first Muslim to serve as Chief Prosecutor of the Royal Prosecutor's Office in England, and Saadet Ozkan, a teacher in the İzmir province of Turkey who received an International Woman of Courage Award in 2017 for exposing sexual abuse in her school.

    Natasha Walter, a feminist and refugee activist from the United Kingdom, also spoke on the panel with Omar. Walter is the author of several feminist books, including, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism. Walter argues being a feminist includes buying dolls for your son, and has given lectures stating that "feminism must speak up for all women, must cross borders and classes, may pull us into truly radical change."

    Omar has not commented publicly about her appearance at the conference. Seven months after her visit to Istanbul, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Omar at a closed press meeting in New York.[23]

    Thanking Turkey tweet

    Teaposjj.PNG

    Turkey airlifts injured Somalis from Saturday's attack. This is the most humane way anyone can show they #standwithMogadishu

    Resolution calling for a final settlement of the Korean War

    February 26, 2019 Press Release.

    Washington, DC – As President Trump arrives to Hanoi, Vietnam, Rep. Ro Khanna, along with eighteen Democratic Members of Congress, have introduced a resolution calling for a final settlement of the Korean War, now officially in its 68th year.

    The resolution -- which is backed by former President and Nobel Peace Laureate Jimmy Carter and a range of Korean-American and pro-diplomacy organizations -- urges the Trump Administration to provide a clear roadmap to achieve a final peace settlement while highlighting the importance of reciprocal actions and confidence-building measures between the parties.

    “Historic engagement between South and North Korea has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to formally end this war,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “President Trump must not squander this rare chance for peace. He should work hand in hand with our ally, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, to bring the war to a close and advance toward the denuclearization of the peninsula.”

    “I commend this important resolution that will help bring this nearly 70 year conflict to a close,” said President Jimmy Carter. “I have visited North Korea several times to talk with their leadership and study the best path forward for peace. Ending the threat of war is the only way to ensure true security for both the Korean and American people and will create the conditions to alleviate the suffering of the ordinary North Koreans who are most harmed by ongoing tensions.”

    Co-led by prominent progressive Reps. Andy Kim, Barbara Lee, Pramila Jayapal, Deb Haaland, and Jan Schakowsky, the resolution calls on the Trump Administration to make greater efforts to include women in the peace process, citing the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 which Trump signed into law. Women’s rights icon Gloria Steinem, founder of the peace group Women Cross DMZ, published an op-ed in the Washington Post on Sunday in support of the resolution.

    The resolution clarifies that ending the war does not necessitate a withdrawal of US troops from Korea or an acceptance of North Korea as a legitimate nuclear power. The resolution calls on the Administration to continue the repatriation of servicemember remains, and expand cooperation to achieve reunions of divided Korean and Korean-American families and facilitate people-to-people exchanges and humanitarian cooperation.

    Rep. Khanna has been a consistent voice for diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula. Shortly after Trump threatened “fire and fury” against North Korea, Khanna was joined by over 70 Congressmembers on his bipartisan “No Unconstitutional Strike on North Korea Act”, which would reinforce existing law prohibiting an unauthorized and unprovoked strike on North Korea. He has also been critical of those in both parties who have sought to restrict flexibility in negotiations, instead urging support for the diplomatic approach of our South Korean ally and its President, Moon Jae-in.

    Rep. Khanna will travel to Atlanta next week to sit down with Pres. Carter to discuss developments on the Korean Peninsula and solicit guidance from the Nobel Laureate about how the next generation of policymakers can best pursue a pro-diplomacy agenda for America.

    Current original cosponsors (18): Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Barbara Lee, Deb Haaland, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jan Schakowsky, Raúl Grijalva, Bobby Rush, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Tulsi Gabbard, Adriano Espaillat, Andy Kim, Rashida Tlaib, Judy Chu, Jose Serrano, Gwen Moore.

    The resolution is endorsed by organizations including the National Association of Korean Americans, Ploughshares Fund, Women Cross DMZ, Korean Americans in Action, United Methodist Church – Global Ministries, Win Without War, Peace Action, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Just Foreign Policy, Beyond the Bomb, and Physicians for Social Responsibility.[24]

    FRSO connections

    People's Charter endorser

    The People's Charter was released by the Working Families Party shortly before the 2020 election.

    Endorsers included Ilhan Omar.

    (NO BAN) Act

    Wyatt Miller August 11, 2020 Minneapolis, MN - A small crowd gathered in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on August 10 for a press conference celebrating the passage of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    The bill would repeal President Trump’s racist travel ban that has prevented immigration from a list of Muslim-majority and African countries. It would also strengthen prohibitions against discrimination on visa applications, permanently barring the executive branch from banning people from entering the United States on the basis of religious affiliation. Approved by the House in late July, the NO BAN Act now requires Senate passage to be enacted into law.

    The Twin Cities has been a hotbed of protest against the Muslim ban since Trump’s election in 2016. At the press conference, Kent Mori of the Anti-War Committee explained: “Part of this celebration should be to remember the earlier steps that have brought us these steps toward victory. Protests like on January 31, 2017, when 15,000 folks protested Trump’s initial Muslim ban in downtown Minneapolis, and the hundreds of thousands that protested at airports across the country around the same time. Protests like on October 10, 2019, when 20,000 weathered a rainstorm to surround Trump’s racist rally at the Target Center.”

    The event was put on by the Council of American Islamic Relations-Minnesota (CAIR-MN) and among several speakers, featured an appearance by U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.[25]

    Potter connection

    Jackson Potter May 4 2019·

    Ihanopbbbb.PNG

    With Robin Potter and Ilhan Omar.

    FRSO comrades

    Sssskrt.PNG

    Ilhan Omar with Brad Sigal and Cherrene Horazuk.

    Honduras visit

    Ilhanop.JPG

    Ilhan Omar visted Honduras with Witness for Peace in November 2017.

    Hands off Honduras

    Ilhanomarliciouso.JPG

    Press conference: Minnesota legislators condemn US military aid to Honduras

    Minnesota Hands off Honduras was live March 2018:

    Representatives Ilhan Omar and Carlos Mariani and Senator Patricia Torres Ray discuss HF 3580 and SF 3105 urging Congress to pass the Berta Cáceres Act and end US complicity with human rights abuses in Honduras. Also speaking: Thomas Haines, Mayflower Church and Witness for Peace, Sherilyn Young and Ina Gruber, Minnesota Hands off Honduras.

    Team Ilhan

    Ilhan Omar October 23, 2016 ·

    Rockosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.JPG

    With Rosemary Johnson, Hannah Kloos, Aisha Chughtai, Jaime Makepeace, Daniel Anton Cox, Noa Shavit-Lonstein, Lance Pemberton, Terra Plum, Nicholas Goldsmith, Kanad Gupta and Matt Barthelemy.

    Sanctuary City Taskforce

    During a meeting in February 2017 to condemn President Donald Trump and "form a Sanctuary City Task Force to better protect and defend undocumented families, Muslim residents and refugees," Minneapolis City Council Ilhan Omar was quoted as saying:

    “This ban on refugees is rooted in racism and Islamophobia. It perpetuates harmful misconceptions about refugees and immigrants and people of diverse religions and backgrounds.”[26]

    Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy Conference

    Muslim-Conference (1).png

    In July 2019 Congressmembers Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Judy Chu, Susan Wild and Betty McCollum addressed the inaugural Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy Conference and Presidential Forum July 23-24 at the Washington DC National Housing Center.

    Other speakers included Keith Ellison, Abdul El-Sayed, Khizr Khan, Basheer Jones, Omar Suleiman, Sam Rasoul, Zahra Billoo, Catherine Orsborn, Corey Saylor, Daniel L. Weiner Dalia Mogahed, Prof. Asifa Quraishi-Landes, James Zogby, Farhana Kheera, Suhail Khan, Mike Ghouse, Zainab Cheema, Sister Simone Campbell, Scott Simpson, Shaun Kennedy, Ken Martin, Sadaf Jaffer, Dilara Saeed, Luqmaan Bokhary, Nabilah Islam, Movita Johnson-Harrell, Rummi Khan, Ghazala Hashmi, Shahed Amanullah,Sevim Kalyoncu, Ani Osman-Zonneveld, Yasmeen Awwad, Amira Daugherty, Sabina Taj, Asina Silva, Dr. Jay Jalisi.

    MAS connection

    Maxrvvvvvesdefault.jpg

    Muslim Day at the Capitol 2017.

    Pessenda support

    Jillia Pessenda was a leader in the successful legislative campaign of Ilhan Omar. Finance Director Neighbors for Ilhan.

    Women's March

    Womosdsa.JPG

    Claims to be a victim of a hate crime

    In December 2016, Ilhan Omar claimed[27] to be the victim of "hateful, derogatory, islamophobic, sexist taunts and threats" by a Washington D.C. taxi driver, who she later described as "African immigrant."

    On Facebook, Ilhan Omar wrote:

    "...On my way to our hotel, I got in a cab and became subjected to the most hateful, derogatory, islamophobic, sexist taunts and threats I have ever experienced. The cab driver called me ISIS and threatened to remove my hijab, I wasn't really sure how this encounter would end as I attempted to rush out of his cab and retrieve my belongs. I am still shaken by this incident and can't wrap my head around how bold being are becoming in displaying their hate towards Muslims..."

    Ilhan Omar did not report the incident to police, claiming that she "believe[s] criminalizing hate is not a solution and will only strengthen individual malice." This reasoning conflicted with a Facebook post where Ilhan Omar "said she would report the incident to authorities once she returned to Minnesota, citing concerns for her safety because the driver knew the location of her hotel."[28]

    DSA connections

    Ilhan Omar is close to Democratic Socialists of America and its front organizations.

    Our Revolution Minnesota

    123054729 3688360021216187 3967375048128477313 n.png

    With Keith Ellison, Ilhan Omar, Patricia Torres Ray, Emma Greenman, Ryan Winkler.

    Earth Day Rally

    SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021 AT 3 PM EDT 'Green Jobs for All' Earth Day Rally.

    Hosted by: Ilhan Omar for Congress, MN350, Sunrise Twin Cities, Unidos MN, and Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America.

    PDA 2020 endorsement

    In 2020 Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Ilhan Omar's congressional run.[29]

    DSA friend

    DSA NPC newsletter, August 20, 2020:

    Congress, too, saw some DSA wins, with Rashida Tlaib’s re-election and Cori Bush’s historical win over a 50+ year political dynasty. They’ll be joining DSA members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, as well as our friend Ilhan Omar.[30]

    Our Revolution

    Ilhan Omar

    Ilhan Omar was featured as a candidate by Our Revolution, an organization run by former campaign workers and supporters of former socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.[31]

    Our Revolution influence

    Our Revolution has over 200,000 members and 600 groups across the country (and a few in Europe). Under David Duhalde’s tenure, Our Revolution won over 70 races in the 2018 general election cycle, including electing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Deb Haaland to the U.S. House of Representatives.[32]

    Twin Cities DSA connection

    Nic Raymond, co-chair of Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America on Ilhan Omar endorsement.

    "Should TCDSA Endorse Ilhan Omar + other endorsement thoughts"

    Dear Members of Twin Cities DSA,

    It’s happening again. Over 100 people joined Twin Cities DSA in the course of two weeks in the end of June, between massive anti-ICE mobilization, a local Single Payer Strategy conference, and the victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York. We count over 700 members in the metro (probably 800 at the time of this writing, to be honest). Our last general meeting had over 180 attendees. With the growth in membership and energy has come an interest from politicians and officials seeking our endorsement and getting involved. As a co-chair of the chapter, I am torn between my belief that leaders should keep politicking to a minimum but also a feeling that I have an important analysis of where our chapter is, where it can go, and what it needs to do. To that end, here are some personal arguments I have regarding endorsements.
    I really like Ilhan Omar. I will absolutely be voting for her at the ballot box. I will probably even knock some doors and make some phone calls for her campaign. I do not think Twin Cities DSA should endorse her.

    Members of Twin Cities DSA and the Omar campaign reached out to me shortly after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (AOC) victory in New York seeking a DSA endorsement. I informed them of our process, that it would have to be a majority vote by general meeting. We had a discussion about what a meaningful endorsement would be like; some suggestions were getting socialists onto her policy team, collaborating around Medicare for All, and others. Her campaign assured me that they were interested in an honest, two-way relationship.
    I have great respect for the organizers at Omar’s campaign and have no doubt of their dedication to economic and racial justice, but a ‘two-way’ relationship with the Omar campaign is increasingly hard to picture. Omar has the support of not only left-wing-of-DFL organizations with far more power and money than DSA (TakeAction, OutFront, MoveOn, Center for Popular Democracy) but also endorsement from the more establishment figures of the party (Mark Dayton, Jacob Frey, the official DFL endorsement). What AOC did in New York with the help of DSA is truly remarkable, and it makes sense that candidates want to replicate it. But consider the differences between AOC and Omar in their campaigns:
    Cortez was challenging a 14-year incumbent known as part of the national Democratic establishment. Omar is running for an open seat vacated by one of the most visible Progressive Caucus leaders and a champion for Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage.
    Alexandria Cortez was a member of NYC DSA and active in their chapter. While I’ve been told Omar considers herself a democratic socialist, I’ve been unable to find any public mention of this.
    Cortez was a long shot. Omar is, by my judgment, far and away the front runner in the CD5 race.

    NYC DSA is a massive organization that collaborated closely with Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress to build an effective GOTV machine and mobilize mass volunteers. Twin Cities DSA, while still the best DSA chapter on the planet (unbiased opinion), has only gotten its electoral muscles working after the conclusion of the Ginger Jentzen campaign and is not yet in a position to provide meaningful, crucial support.
    The Omar campaign and I were honest with each other that in no way was DSA providing the crucial number of votes that the campaign needed to get over the top. That means, then, that an Omar endorsement would be mostly about image, messaging, and narrative. These kinds of paper endorsements feel at odds with what kind of organization I want DSA to be. An honest relationship with a candidate is not just me being skeptical of politicians- it’s also that I want to be respectful and genuine. If TCDSA endorsed Omar, and Omar won a seat in congress, I would feel absolutely gross if some leftist rag wrote an article like “Democratic Socialists Of America Just Elected A Somali Refugee To Congress. Checkmate, Pelosi.”
    DSA cannot have the same electoral approach as an Our Revolution or a MoveOn. Our goal is not to get the leftmost-possible candidates elected; it’s to build an independent, self-run institution that is democratically accountable with an end goal of building socialism. To this end, we must be strategic and measured in how we engage in electoral politics.
    There are a ton of candidates seeking our endorsement. Only a handful of them are members of DSA. These candidates should be the ones you think most honestly about voting to endorse. Ask them about how they’ll build the organization, how they’ll be accountable to us, what they’ll do for building people power.
    There are a couple of candidates with existing campaigns who have just recently asked for our endorsement who are not members. We should ask these people: Are you a socialist? Will you openly run as a socialist? What will you do to build democratic socialism if elected?

    There are a handful of candidates who are not members and who, frankly, appear to have only a Facebook page as their campaign apparatus. We should ask these candidates: Why are you running? Why do you want our endorsement? Do you have a chance of winning?
    What is happening in DSA right now is truly powerful and is starting to look like a credible threat to the capitalist consensus. It’s too precious and too beautiful right now for us to fall into the trap of being flattered that everyone suddenly wants to be our best friend.
    in solidarity,
    Nic Raymond[33]

    "Democratic socialist"

    A campaign staffer for Ilhan Omar told the crowd at a Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America meeting. “She is proud to call herself a democratic socialist, she’s very excited about this. So I hope you guys endorse us, too."[34]

    Endorsing Ilhan Omar

    Khanos.JPG

    Isuru Herath endorsed Ilhan Omar.

    Southside Pride endorsement

    From Ed Felien, founder of Southside Pride:

    The hardest choice in the August 14 Primary for people in South Minneapolis has to be the choice between State Representative Ilhan Omar and State Senator Patricia Torres Ray for Congress in the 5th Congressional District.
    Ilhan has national recognition as the first Somali representative in a State Legislature. She is endorsed by the DFL and Our Revolution. She supports abolishing ICE, is very progressive, and she brought home bacon for her district.
    When Ellison was thinking about resigning as 5th District Congressperson a year ago, we supported Patricia for his seat:

    “Five and a half years ago we ran a full-page photo of Senator Patricia Torres Ray on the cover of Southside Pride. In 25 years of publishing we have published a full-page photo on our cover only that one time—when a brave Latina first-term legislator stood in front of the Cub Store on Lake Street supporting the cleaning staff on strike. She was the only elected official there.”

    When Ilhan Omar ran against Phyllis Kahn, the incumbent who had served 44 years in the legislature, Patricia Torres Ray was the only elected official to endorse her.

    Either of these two women would be a great choice for Congress. But we have to pick one.
    I believe we have to trust and respect the leadership in the DFL and Our Revolution and vote for Ilhan Omar for Congress.

    But, we have to remember and respect the record and leadership of Patricia Torres Ray.[35]

    Justice Democrats

    Ilhan Omar MN 05 was endorsed by Justice Democrats for 2018.

    NNU Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress

    August 09, 2018 National Nurses United, the nation's largest union of registered nurses, today announced its endorsement of state legislator Ilhan Omar for U.S. Congress to represent Minnesota’s 5th district.

    “Ilhan Omar is a champion for economic and social justice and a fighter for all Minnesotans,” said Jean Ross, RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, which represents over 150,000 RNs across the United States. “Ilhan understands the health care crisis in this country and the urgency in moving to a single payer, Medicare for All healthcare system that guarantees health care for everyone in this country, and that’s an important reason why registered nurses are behind her 100%.”

    “Ilhan is campaigning for economic justice for working families, environmental justice so we have clean air and water and save the planet from climate catastrophe, and reforming our criminal justice system-- all issues of importance to our members, the bedside nurses in our hospitals and clinics, who are advocates for our patients and our communities,” Ross continued.

    “Minnesota nurses support State Rep. Omar for her strong record in the Minnesota legislature of advocating for workers’ rights and the rights of everyone in our communities,” added Mary Turner, RN, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association, NNU’s affiliate in Minnesota. “We are excited to support Ilhan who shares nurses’ values of caring, compassion and community.”

    “I’m proud to have earned this endorsement,” Omar said. “Nurses are America’s most trusted profession. I’m proud to have stood with Minnesota nurses on the picket lines and in the fight for better protections. Nurses organize with compassion and that’s the type of politics we need.

    “Our campaign has been endorsed by the DFL, unions, elected officials across the district, progressive organizations and on Tuesday we would be honored to earn the endorsement of the Congressional District 5 residents,” Omar continued.[36]

    "Green New Deal"

    From the Sunrise Movement:[37]

    Vcxzasdftrewq.JPG

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released a proposal for a Select Committee on a Green New Deal, a plan that would transform our economy and society at the scale needed to stop the climate crisis.

    We have the momentum to make a Green New Deal real, but we need a critical mass of Congresspeople to support the proposal.

    Take action on Dec. 10 to show Congress the Green New Deal is a top priority.

    Congressional supporters by December 1 2018:

    Sunrise slate 2018

    Sunrise Movement August 2 2018:

    We're thrilled to introduce you to our first-ever round of candidate endorsements: the #SunriseSlate2018!

    Sunnopre.JPG

    These candidates are some of the earliest adopters of the #NoFossilFuelMoney pledge and, if elected, would lead the fight against oil and gas lobbyists in state capitols and Washington, DC. They’re putting forward big policy solutions to the climate crisis, like championing a Green New Deal and supporting a just and rapid transition to a 100% renewable energy future that leaves no community behind.

    Learn more and support our efforts here! https://www.sunrisemovement.org/2018-endorsed-candidates — with Katie Muth for PA Senate, Deb Haaland for Congress, Alessandra Biaggi, Kaniela Ing, Jess King for Congress, Julia Salazar for State Senate, Dana Hamp Gulick for PA 97th, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Anna Eskamani, Abdul El-Sayed, Danielle Friel Otten for PA District 155, Cynthia Nixon for New York, Benjamin Jealous, Jumaane D. Williams, Ilhan Omar for Congress, Randy Bryce, Zellnor Myrie for New York and Rashida Tlaib For Congress, Penelope Tsernoglou Michigan State House, Michele Wherley Pennsylvania State House. .

    DSA comrades

    Winnie Wong January 3:

    Ilhopppp.JPG

    Sliding into Stephen Miller’s DMs amirite. Winnie Wong, Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar.

    Venezuela letter

    According to The Mobilizer February 2019 Democratic Socialists of America is behind Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal's Venezuela letter:

    Dellos.JPG
    DSA is organizing a congressional campaign. California Democrat Ro Khanna and Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal are circulating a letter "rejected threats of US Military intervention in Venezuela, supporting dialogue to resolve the political crisis there, and opposing broad economic sanctions that hurt ordinary civilians." The letter urges support for a mediation process advocated by the governments of Mexico and Uruguay to promote dialogue. Contact your Congressperson, especially members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to sign the letter.

    Signatories by February 15 deadline included Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, Ilhan Omar, Hank Johnson, Adriano Espaillat, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Nydia Velazquez.[38]

    Condemning Veneuzela policy

    Three members of the US Congress, California Rep. Ro Khanna, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, condemned the U.S. actions in Venezuela, the recognition of Guaidó, a $20 million aid package to the Venezuelan opposition, and the threat of further action, including military.[39]

    Twin Cities DSA solidarity

    Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America February 11 at 4:19 PM.

    Dsaertyuuiop,.JPG
    We stand with Ilhan Omar against the reactionary smears being thrown at her. Conflating criticism of the Israeli state and its brutal regime with anti-Semitism is a neoconservative con that we refuse to fall for.
    Less than two weeks ago, the United States Senate unceremoniously voted 74-19 to curtail civil liberties and free speech by opening the door for local governments to punish supporters of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement. And in last week’s State of the Union speech, president Trump gave lip service to the slain members of the Tree of Life Synagogue shortly after a cruel, paranoid lie about the ‘violence’ Americans face from people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border- the same conspiracy theory that drove that very act of hate in Pittsburgh.
    It’s our duty as socialists to oppose all forms of racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism and stand in solidarity with the oppressed workers of the entire globe. It’s also our duty to stand strong against those who would divide us through opportunistic attacks and falsehoods.

    DSA-JSC in Solidarity with Ilhan Omar

    Jewish Solidarity Caucus 2019, Feb 14.

    As Jews on the left, we are in solidarity with Representative Ilhan Omar and her statements regarding the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) influence over US lawmakers and foreign policy.
    Israel is often referred to as the United States’s primary ally in the Middle East, as it plays a central role in maintaining US military and economic hegemony over the region. While AIPAC is not the main reason for the US’s “special relationship” with Israel, it provides lawmakers with political cover, model legislation, talking points, and donations from its supporters to ensure this relationship continues. AIPAC is not an exclusively Jewish lobby, hosting a growing Evangelical Christian membership as American Jewish support for its policies wanes. There is nothing antisemitic about pointing out AIPAC’s influence. Indeed, Rep. Omar’s comments are arguably an understatement, considering the scale of AIPAC’s role in promoting Israeli apartheid and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians...

    As Jews and as socialists, we must condemn the conflation of Jews and Israel as part of our broader struggle against antisemitism and all forms of oppression, including the oppression of Palestinians. It stands in the way of building working class solidarity and the mass socialist movement we need to defeat the forces of capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy, which oppress and exploit us all. #IStandWithIlhan against AIPAC and with working class Muslim and Jewish people around the world.

    Signed, Jewish Solidarity Caucus

    Derrick Crowe connection

    Derrickcrowecccc.PNG

    Ilhan Omar with Derrick Crowe, April 2019.

    Socialist team member

    Jillia Pessenda was a leader in the successful legislative campaign of Ilhan Omar.

    Ilhan Omar October 23, 2016:

    Alcornop.JPG

    With Daniel Anton Cox, Viswa Challa, Apoorva Malarvannan, Patrick Alcorn, Joelle Stangler, Alex Boutrous and Camille Galles.

    DUH winning candidates 2018

    DUH - Demand Universal Healthcare winning candidates 2018.

    Duhoos.PNG

    Ro Khanna, Joe Neguse, Jared Polis, Jesus Garcia, Andy Levin, Jamie Raskin, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Deb Haaland, Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon, Joe Cunningham, Veronica Escobar,

    Medicare for All Act

    In February 2019 Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced H.R.1384 - Medicare for All Act of 2019. By May 29 she had 110 co-sponsors including Rep. Ilhan Omar.

    OutFront Minnesota

    Ilhan Omar November 22, 2015:

    Jasdertyuio.JPG

    Last night, Ilhan joined leaders and activists at OutFront Minnesota's "Dare to be Powerful" Gala. With Isuru Herath.

    Gilbert-Pederson connection

    Dsader.PNG
    Logopre.PNG
    Norahshap.PNG

    David Richard Gilbert-Pederson with Norah Shapiro.

    Savoos.PNG

    Ilhan Omar with David Richard Gilbert-Pederson January 2019.

    Nekima Levy-Pounds endorsement

    Ilhan Omar February 16, 2016:

    Endosadervvvvvvvv.JPG

    Join Civil Rights Attorney, Advocate, and Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds in supporting Ilhan on March 1st.

    Liberation Road connections

    Racial Justice Has No Borders Town Hall

    This coalition puts a focus on diaspora, refugee, veteran, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities who bear the brunt of this country’s militarism to challenge the myth that more police, wars, and weapons have made any of us safer or more secure. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we forge new avenues for global solidarity that can lead to real and lasting peace and security. On April 6, at 3 p.m. EST / 2 p.m. CST / 1 p.m. MST / 12 p.m. PST (the eve of the Wisconsin Democratic Primary), the coalition will host a virtual town hall examining U.S. military policy, defense spending, the ongoing 'War on Terror,’ and militarization at home.

    Moderated by Marc Lamont Hill, the Town Hall will launch a shared campaign demanding the immediate end to the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that has been the pillar of escalated U.S. military intervention under the banner of the War on Terror.

    Participants

    92222297 1904053579726446 697954845847453696 o2020.png

    Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar

    Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar was organized by Movement for Black Lives to defend Rep. Ilhan Omar.

    Cjr.PNG

    Dozens of women from the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of African-American advocates, gathered April 30 2019 in support of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar who has been a target of hate-speech and trolling by right-wing politicians and their supporters.

    The women gathered in front of Washington’s Capitol building chanting, “We love you” to Omar in the event named “Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar.”

    "The thing that upsets the occupant of the White House, his goons in the Republican Party (and) many of our colleagues in the Democratic Party," Omar told the crowd, "is that they can't stand that a refugee, a black woman, an immigrant, a Muslim, shows up in Congress thinking she's equal to them."

    Miski Noor told Middle East Eye that Omar is facing such criticisms because of her identity. She is a Muslim woman and was a Somalian refugee when she arrived in the U.S.

    "There are people, because of their white supremacist and racist views of the world, (who) hate her because of her identities and based on fear," she said.

    "At the same time, we know Ilhan is being attacked because of the content of what she's saying,"added Noor.

    Ayanna Pressley, Omar’s fellow U.S. Congresswoman, shouted, "Hands off Ilhan,” while criticizing politicians from her own Democratic Party, for failing to stand with the legislator.

    She added, "silencing of Black women" won’t be acceptable anymore.

    "This is a reckoning. This is us assuming our rightful place, as the table-shakers, as the truth-tellers, as the justice-seekers, as the preservers of democracy," said Pressley.

    "We are demanding that you trust black women, that you see black women, that you believe black women and honor us for the role that we have played as healers and preservers of this democracy and this nation," emphasized Pressley.

    Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also criticized the attempt of silencing Black women.

    "They continue to police our words; they continue to police our positions," she said. "But I say 'hands off; hands off the women of color who serve in the United States Congress,” Tlaib said.

    Omar in her speech said that Islamophobia and anti-Jewish hatred are "two sides of the same coin of bigotry.”

    "The occupant of the White House and [his] allies are doing everything that they can to distance themselves … from the monster that they've created that is terrorizing the Jewish community and the Muslim community," the Congresswoman said.

    "We collectively must make sure that we are dismantling all systems of oppression," added Omar.[40]

    "Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar"

    Activist Angela Davis and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) joined numerous other black women activists and members of Congress in a rally Tuesday April 30 2019 rally to support Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

    Ilhamoarlicious.PNG

    Davis and Barbara Ransby, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and adviser to the Movement for Black Lives, told Democracy Now they planned the event, called Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar, in response to escalating attacks against the freshman Democrat, who said death threats against her spiked after conservatives accused her of minimizing the 9/11 attacks and President Trump tweeted a video interspersing her words with images from the attacks.

    Trump, Davis said, “uses this bizarre logic of fungibility, where one Muslim represents the worst—or all Muslims, rather, represent the worst deeds that any Muslim has ever conducted,” a logical process she said was “at the heart of racism.”

    “Trump has been vitriolic toward so many groups, but I think there’s a particular venom when it comes to black women,” Ransby added, citing both his attacks on Omar and his frequent taunts of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and his 2017 feud with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who accused him of making a Gold Star widow cry by telling her that her late husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, “knew what he signed up for.”

    “I am changing the things I can no longer accept, and from R. Kelly to Donald Trump, what we can no longer accept is the silencing of black women,” Pressley, who, like Omar, was elected to Congress in 2018, said at the event. “We are reclaiming our rightful place.”

    Omar and Pressley’s fellow freshman lawmaker Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also attended the event. Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.[41]

    Black Lives Matter Minneapolis fundraiser

    Ilhan Omar December 17, 2015:

    "I stand up because I know things need to change, and we can’t see change unless we see it in the State Capitol." - Ilhan

    Ilhanomar.JPG

    Last night, Ilhan spoke to hundreds of community members at the Black Lives Matter Minneapolis fundraiser at Mixed Blood Theatre Company.

    Student Power

    Zilhanoooo.PNG

    CPD endorsement

    Jennifer Epps-Addison from Center for Popular Democracy Action endorsed Ilhan Omar.

    Cgdsaqwer.JPG

    Ilhan Omar for Congress, July 13 2018.

    Progressive values mean uplifting the voices to those who have been pushed out—immigrants, working class families, those who were formerly incarcerated. That’s why I’m proud to have the endorsement of CPD Action.

    We’re fighting for a future that works for everyone.

    #NoMuslimBanEver coalition

    Niacbbbbbos.PNG

    NIAC June 27 2019 ·

    Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the SCOTUS decision to uphold the #MuslimBan. We joined Representatives Judy Chu, Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Ami Bera, and Ilhan Omar, as well as our partners in the #NoMuslimBanEver coalition, including ACLU, National Immigration Law Center, CAIR, among other allied progressive organizations to say #RepealTheBan!

    NIAC Virtual Gala

    May 6 2021 with reps Adam Smith, Barbara Lee, Jan Schakowsky, Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar.

    180877681 10159588731713938 6178812494132345617 n.png

    Plus Anna Eskamani, Azadeh Shahshahani, Hoda Katebi, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Juan Cole, Neda Maghbouleh, Persis Karim, Rahna Epting, Sepi Shyne, Shireen Ghorbani, Yassamin Ansari, Yasmine Taeb.

    NIAC 2020 endorsement

    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzng.PNG

    First Wave of 2020 Endorsements.

    The 2020 Election may be the most critical vote in our lifetime. It is more important than ever that Iranian Americans and our allies have a powerful voice at the ballot box.

    That’s why we are excited to announce NIAC Action’s first 2020 endorsements – our largest ever single wave of endorsements!

    We have an opportunity to elect more Iranian Americans into office than ever before.

    And we have our best chance ever to send the first Iranian American to the U.S. Congress!

    We have identified twelve champions of our community – incumbent members of Congress who have worked to prevent war and end Trump’s ban on our families, and Iranian Americans who are ready to make an impact in all levels of government. With your help, we can elect them to office and bring real change in 2020.

    By making a donation to NIAC Action PAC, you can help elect these champions of our community and send a powerful, united message that Iranian Americans will not be ignored on the political stage.

    Ilhan Omar – Incumbent, U.S. Congress (D, MN-5).

    Congresswoman Omar has championed many of NIAC Action’s priorities, including working to end inhumane sanctions and leading efforts to end the Muslim Ban. She is a member of the No War with Iran Caucus and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee..[42]

    NIAC staffer

    Mahyar Sorour currently serves as a Senior Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Prior to this, she served in the same role for Congressman Keith Ellison. .[43]

    In 2019 Mahyar Sorour unsuccessfully stood for the board of the National Iranian American Council.[44]

    Trump’s "Muslim ban" protest

    Minneapolis, MN - On June 26 2018, over 600 protesters rallied at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis and then marched through downtown to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Trump’s Muslim ban. The rally was organized by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) as an emergency response to the Court’s 5-4 decision in Trump v. Hawaii.

    Since being elected, President Trump has tried to implement his Muslim ban three times. Each time, thousands of Minnesotans have taken to the streets and to the airport to call Trump out on his attempt to put anti-Muslim bigotry into law.

    Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR - Minnesota, started off the protest. “I am here today on land stolen from Native Americans. I am standing here today with still the fear, the anger, all the emotions that we have felt this week - in North Minneapolis with Thurman Blevins loss. I am here today with the same horrific feeling that we saw on the border of this nation when children were removed from their parents and put into child prisons. I am here today in solidarity with all of the struggles and know that many of us are reminded of this every single day. So, what I want to tell you today is they have come for the Muslims but they are coming for everybody. The Supreme Court today was wrong, and we have to say that!”

    Speaker Tracy Molm, a member of the Anti-War Committee, explained the connection between Trump’s immigration policy and his foreign policy, “It is immoral for the Court to not see this ban for what it is – justification for a racist federal policy that attacks people from countries that the U.S. is bombing or threatening to bomb. We need to demand not only an end to the Muslim ban but to demand an end to U.S. drone strikes and special forces operations in Somalia, to an end to intervention in Syria, to war threats on North Korea and Iran and to threats to topple the government of Venezuela. Trump’s racist Muslim ban is directly related to his policy of expanding U.S. warfare and threats in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.”

    Mohamud Mohamed, an organizer with the Young Muslims Collective, gave an impassioned speech: “If legality is a measure for morality for you then you’re doing it wrong. If every time we tell you that these things are eating at the heart of our community and are tearing us apart and you say ‘Well the state legislature passed it...I don’t know what to say’ or ‘your state rep or the mayor said it was ok’ or ‘Andrew Luger said it was moral’ ...legality can never be a measure of what is moral because we have seen what that does to our country. We’ve seen policies that have pursued that we have known for a fact are unethical and fly in the face of what it means to be human. And the only thing evil needs is the silence of good people.”

    Other speakers at the rally included U.S. Representative Keith Ellison; the civil rights director from CAIR Amir Malik; Gordon Nakagawa from the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League; State Representative Ilhan Omar; Samantha Sanchez from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee; Rachel English from Jewish Community Action; Sarah Brenes from Advocates from Human Rights, and Leilah Issa from the Palestinian Youth Movement.

    John Keller, executive director at the Immigrant Law Center, said, “Just Sunday, President Trump explained his preference that anyone arriving on the southern border should be deprived of access to a court and deprived access to due process. These are elements of a similar policy that represents intolerance and I believe it represents a clear and present threat to our democracy.”[45]

    Endorsements

    Ilhan Omar won endorsements from the Sierra Club for her bold climate agenda demanding 100% renewable energy by 2035, as well as National Nurses United, Our Revolution, and a number of other progressive organizations.

    "Ilhan Omar's victory joins a wave of primary wins for climate progressives," said 350 Action executive director May Boeve. "Her campaign is lifting up climate action and challenging Big Oil billionaires as part of a broad platform for justice. Minnesotans deserve a representative in Congress who's willing to fight against dangerous fossil fuel projects like Line 3 and support the transition to a 100 percent renewable energy economy that puts millions of Americans to work."[46]

    Muslim endorsements

    Ilhan Omar June 28, 2018 ·

    It's great to be endorsed by Somali leaders like Siad Ali for Minneapolis School Board, Fartun Ahmed for Hopkins School Board, Commissioner, AK Hassan, and Mohamud Noor for House 60B!

    Muslimos.JPG

    "I'm proud to endorse Ilhan Omar for U.S. Congress to represent Minnesota's Fifth District. Ilhan understands the importance of providing a great education for every child—it's time to send her to the U.S. Capitol." - Minneapolis School Board Member Siad Ali.

    Black to the Future endorsement

    Blactf.JPG
    36530557 10215357173618332 7629393357004865536 n.jpg

    In 2018 Ilhan Omar was endorsed by the Black to the Future Action Fund.

    Mentor/Colleague

    Minneapolis City Council member Andrew Johnson was described at National Public Radio as Ilhan Omar's "mentor and friend."[47]

    The same report referenced Ilhan Omar's colleague and executive director of Women Organizing Women Network Habon Abdulle as praising Ilhan Omar for winning her candidacy as state representative in Minnesota.

    "Minneapolis said no to the narrative of making America hate again. Minneapolis tonight said yes to diversity. Minneapolis, and [the] 60B district particularly, you said Muslim women have space in the governing body of our state. Thank you."

    Hussam Ayloush connection

    Hussam Ayloush August 5 2018:

    Eurosghyui.JPG

    With Yousuf Bhaghani, Aleem Bilwani and Mehdi Hirji in Anaheim, California.

    Women for Political Change

    Ilhan Omar December 8, 2015:

    Mattoplgfd.JPG

    Ilhan met with Women for Political Change tonight on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

    Students for Ilhan Omar

    Students for Ilhan Omar November 6 2018:

    With Cassidy Drummond and Jenny Howard, Riley Fletcher, Claire Anderson, Sonia Neculescu, Guillermo Perez Soberanes and Payton West.

    Epps-Addison connection

    Jennifer Epps-Addison November 16 2018:

    Fdsawertyuvvvvvv.JPG

    Jennifer Epps-Addison, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Rashida Tlaib.

    CPC new members

    2018 Congressional Progressive Caucus new members included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Deb Haaland, Veronica Escobar, Jesus Garcia, Joe Neguse, Andy Levin, Mike Levin.[48]

    Lozano connection

    Ilhanoiubbbbbbbb.PNG

    Ilhan Omar, and Rudy Lozano, Jr.

    Peace Action

    Peace Action endorsed Ilhan Omar in the 2018 election cycle.[49]

    Trip to Ethiopia and Eritrea

    March 5, 2019 , Representative Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and Representatives Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) returned from a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Ethiopia and Eritrea. The goal of the visit was to support regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa and to encourage countries to place human rights at the center of the reforms.

    “It was important our first Congressional Delegation trip of this Congress be to the Horn of Africa because of the change the region is going through following the historic peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea that ended 20 years of conflict,” said Representative Bass. “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into office with a serious reform agenda aimed at ending political repression. Since coming into office, the Prime Minister has freed thousands of political prisoners, opened the media, and appointed women to half of the cabinet posts. I was in Ethiopia shortly after the Prime Minister took office and looked forward to an update on his progress. Our delegation was fortunate to meet with the President of Ethiopia and several of the new female cabinet members.

    “In addition to wanting to send the signal that we support Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reform agenda, our delegation was also meant to encourage the new peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The last U.S. Congressional Delegation to visit the country was in 2005, when my predecessor on the Subcommittee, the late Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey, traveled to Eritrea. Our delegation had a number of productive conversations with Eritrean government officials. We discussed the need for transformation and urged officials to be vigilant about human rights abuses in Eritrea and to implement respect for civil liberties. We also discussed Eritrea’s unlimited national service requirement, which is one of the main reasons why thousands have fled the country. The government officials we met with informed us that the policy is under review now that the security situation in Eritrea has improved. We also met with young Eritreans and were able to hear about their daily lives and their hope for the future.

    “This Congressional Delegation to the Horn of Africa was critical because it signals to the region as a whole that we are supportive of positive reforms.”

    “I echo Chairwoman Bass’ statement, and appreciated the opportunity to join her on this diplomatic CODEL trip to Ethiopia and Eritrea,” said Representative Neguse. “I look forward to further discussions with my colleagues and the State Department on how to further promote peace, security, human rights, and democratic reforms in the region.”

    “I was impressed with the regional thaw in East Africa after Eritrea and Ethiopia made peace,” said Representative Omar. “As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, my focus has been on peace and human rights and shifting our focus on humanitarian aid to developmental aid. It was a great honor to join Chairwoman Bass for the first official CODEL to the Horn of Africa. America has been supportive of Prime Minister Abiy’s reform agenda, and I believe we must use this opportunity to foster prosperity in the region and make investments that will fundamentally transform our relationship with the region.”[50]

    Staff

    Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar on Dec. 20, 2018 announced her five-person leadership team for her Washington office and Minnesota District office. Last month’s midterms saw Omar become the first black person born in Africa to be elected to the US Congress.

    Connor McNutt

    Omar’s picks included that of chief of staff, local district office director, local deputy district director, legislative director and a communications director that will double up as a strategist.

    Minnesota native Connor McNutt will serve as Omar’s chief of staff. McNutt was her legislative assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives and has experience working for the congresswoman-elect. A notable difference for both of them in their new roles will be the fact that, while at the Minnesota House, Omar’s party was in the minority during her term. At the US House, the Democrats took over the reins in convincing fashion last month.

    Omar’s congressional campaign treasurer, K. Davis Senseman, will be her local district office director. Senseman was in the past the supervisor of the Business Law Clinic at Mitchell Hamline School. He will be assisted by Ali Isse who will serve as deputy district director. Isse has served critical roles in Omar’s two successful campaigns as the field organizer for her Minnesota House race and was the outreach director for the historic congressional campaign.

    Kelly Misselwitz, currently the vice president of government at US Telecom was announced as the legislative director. Misselwitz will now have another go at serving a history-making legislator. She previously worked for U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire as a legislative assistant. Shaheen, the current senior US Senator for New Hampshire was that state’s first female US senator and prior to that, the state’s first female governor.

    The Center for American Progress’s Jeremy Slevin will serve as both communications director and strategist for Omar. Slevin’s current job at the Center for American Progress is that of Director of Antipoverty Advocacy. He has experience with the Fifth District as he was Keith Ellison’s communications director.[51]

    Ilhan Omar's Global Green New Deal

    As reported at RAIR Foundation USA:[52]

    "Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar joined a gathering of European communists to discuss methods to build big government in Europe. During a discussion held in June titled “Strengthening Public Sector in the Post-Pandemic Era” Omar bragged that “progressives” like herself have had to do “almost little to zero work” in getting their agenda items passed under the Biden Administration.
    The conference featured members of Die Linke, an ally of Antifa that is the “direct descendant of the former East German Communist Party”. One of the speakers, Manon Aubry, expressed excitement over the massive amounts of money being printed by the Biden Administration. “I do believe that Biden’s significant move toward a progressive agenda – that has been forced by the left wing of the democrats – is a game changer for us,” she said during the discussion."

    Ilhan Omar's comments transcribed:

    “I wanted to thank you all for the invitation to meet today. I think we can all agree that with the rise of a very coordinated global right wing, it is critical for us to be gathering and forming a united internationalist front on the global left. Meetings like these are crucial to building these alliances. I’m honored to be here with you all today. I want to speak on some of the challenges I think we are collectively all facing to begin with the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic are going to be enormous. And they are going to hit particularly hard in the Global South.
    I know some of my fellow panelists joined the letter that we sent with Senator Sanders to the World Bank and the IMF [International Monetary Fund] last year asking for a debt cancellation and Special Drawing Rights. And I think we’ve made a little progress on that but we all need to keep pushing and not let our brothers and sisters in Africa, Asia and Latin America suffer disproportionately the economic impacts of the pandemic.
    And as my colleague was just alluding to, it goes without saying that the biggest crisis in all – on all of our hands is the pending Climate Catastrophe. Manon Aubry has been an incredible partner already in building a global coalition to push for a Global Green New Deal. She understands that coordination on climate needs to be fully global in order to have an impact. So I look forward to the work that we do together moving legislation on our own countries that take this threat seriously. And just as importantly – you know I look forward to all of the other efforts we are going to be collaborating on that are really creating a crisis both in our countries here in the United States and in Europe as well.
    It has been incredible in so many ways for us progressives to have built a massive movement that's allowed for essentially a very moderate president and his administration to take on alot of the policies that we have been advocating for. And for us to do little to almost zero work in pushing on those main policies in regards to the economic – the economy, in regards to healthcare, and infrastructure. And now do the work of trying to get them to go a little farther in particular investments in regards to the amount of dollars that will be invested in these programs.
    As we deliberate now in regards to legislation to invest on our infrastructure and job creation, it’s gonna be really important for us to continue to lead and push for sustainable investments in regards to these projects. We have done many – now I think four recovery packages – the biggest one being the American Rescue Plan.
    Most of us understood how important it was for us to go big and bold and create investments that allowed for many to go into the pockets of people so that they are able to sustain themselves during this pandemic and the economic crisis that came from it. But, you know, we all understand that the recovery investments that have been made in regards to the pandemic are all a crisis investment. They’re not investments that are made in the long term.
    Many of the programs that were funded in the community including one of my old legislations which helped to feed 22 million children are all just a year or two type of investment. Though what we are now looking at the investments going forward, is how to make these investments sustainable for ten years, for twenty years so we could actually see the impacts they will have on the lives of people.
    I know that people have Bidenmania, but we here in the United States have Europemania. Many of us understand that there are programs that have been implemented in European countries that we use as a model for the things that we push for here in the United States. And so it is really important for us to both use each other as inspiration and opportunities to recognize the challenges that arise and collectively come up with ideas to address those challenges.

    References

    Template:Reflist


  2. 13 Iconic Women Who Nevertheless Persisted, accessed February 8 2017

  4. Ilhan Omar's Twitter Page, accessed February 8 2017

  6. [http://www.aaiusa.org/from_refugee_to_st_house_race_ilhan_omar_looks_to_break_new_ground From Refugee to St. House Race, Ilhan Omar Looks to Break New Ground, accessed February 8, 2017]

  8. [1]

  10. [2]

  12. [3]

  14. [4]

  16. [5]

  18. [6]

  20. [7]

  22. [8]

  24. [https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3446/cosponsors?r=5&s=1

  26. [9]

  28. [10]

  30. [indivisible.org/statement/indivisible-green-new-deal-network-groups-announce-thrive-agenda]

  32. [11]

  34. [12]

  36. [13]

  38. Jerusalem Post Ilhan Omar is a 'Qatari asset,' Florida court hears By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS NOVEMBER 26, 2019 14:07

  40. [14]

  42. [http://www.startribune.com/marriage-discrepancy-clouds-ilhan-omar-s-historic-primary-victory/390247381/Star/TribuneMarriage discrepancy clouds Ilhan Omar's historic primary victory Website claims candidate is married to two men, including her brother. By J. Patrick Coolican Star Tribune AUGUST 16, 2016]

  44. Conservative Review, When Omar met Erdogan: The unearthed report from their 2017 meeting Jordan Schachtel · March 19, 2019

  46. [15]

  48. Ro Khanna press release RELEASE: REPS. RO KHANNA, BARBARA LEE AND ANDY KIM INTRODUCE RESOLUTION CALLING FOR FORMAL END TO KOREAN WAR February 26, 2019

  50. [16]

  52. Minneapolis City Council condemns Trump travel ban; directs city to protect refugees, accessed February 8, 2017

  54. First Somali-American Lawmaker Threatened And Called ‘ISIS’ By Racist Cab Driver, accessed February 8, 2017

  56. Minnesota: Muslim state rep claims “Islamophobic” harassment, doesn’t report it to cops, accessed February 8, 2017

  58. [17]

  60. [18]

  62. Founding Statement of Our Revolution Board of Directors, accessed October 27, 2016

  64. Organizing Upgrade, The Path Through the Party: Movements and the Democrats

  66. Ray Jul 18 Should TCDSA Endorse Ilhan Omar + other endorsement thoughts

  68. [https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/09/207297/democratic-socialists-midwest-young-women-2018-elections Refinery 29, The Reds Are Coming—& They're Young, Female, & Determined To Win America's Heartland TOREY VAN OOT SEPTEMBER 10, 2018]

  70. Primary Election August 14; The hardest choice, Ed Felien August 6, 2018

  72. [19]

  74. [20]

  76. [21]

  78. Peace Action Cleveland February 22, 2019 by Peace Action Cleveland

  80. [22]

  82. The Hill Angela Davis, Ayanna Pressley lead rally in support of Ilhan Omar BY ZACK BUDRYK - 04/30/19 03:09 PM EDT

  84. [23]

  86. [24]

  88. [25]

  90. [26]

  92. [27]

  94. Somali Refugee Makes History In U.S. Election, accessed February 10, 2017

  96. [28]

  98. [29]

  100. [30]

  102. [31]

    104. Media Blackout: Ilhan Omar Brags at Global Communist Meeting - Biden is Giving Us Everything We Want (Video) (accessed August 14, 2021)
Posted by at
Labels: ,

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )