Ilhan Omar (born October 4, 1982) is a Somali-born American politician. She was born into a Muslim family in Somalia and fled to Kenya in 1991 due to the civil war, spending four years in a refugee camp before immigrating to the United States in 1995.
In 2016, Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, becoming the first Somali-American legislator in the U.S. Then, on November 6, 2018, she won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, making her the first Somali-American to do so. She was also the first hijab-wearing woman and the first refugee to serve in Congress, along with Rashida Tlaib, as one of the first Muslim women in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In March 2019, she appeared alongside Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jahana Hayes on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, in an article titled "Women Shaping the Future," highlighting the achievements of female leaders, including women at NASA.
Her Stance on Israel and Lobbying
Omar has been a vocal critic of Israeli policies, referring to it as an "apartheid regime" and stating that "Israel has hypnotized the world" to divert attention from its attacks on civilians. She also suggested that the University of Minnesota should cut ties with Israeli funding.
On February 10, 2019, she tweeted that U.S. politicians support Israel "because of the Benjamins, baby", implying financial influence, which led to accusations of antisemitism. Nancy Pelosi condemned the tweet, and then-President Donald Trump called for her resignation. Omar later apologized but reaffirmed concerns about lobbying influence, particularly AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).
Journalist Mehdi Hasan praised Omar in The Intercept for breaking the taboo on criticizing pro-Israel lobbying in U.S. politics, despite acknowledging concerns over her wording.
Expulsion from the Foreign Affairs Committee
On February 2, 2023, the U.S. House voted 218-211 to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The White House condemned the decision as "a political stunt."
Republicans justified her removal over her stance on Israel, while Democrats saw it as "political retribution."
