Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (Photo: Getty)
The controversy erupted after Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman of Somali descent, gave a speech to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights group, in Los Angeles in March. In her 20-minute speech, she discussed issues affecting the Muslim community, such as anti-Muslim sentiment and the recent terrorist attack in New Zealand.
“This is the truth. We have been made to feel uncomfortable as second-class citizens for too long and, frankly, I am tired of it, and every Muslim in America is tired of it.”
“CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they realized that some people were doing something and that we were all starting to lose access to civil liberties,” said Omar.
Omar’s speech began to attract attention on April 9, when Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw shared the clip and said that such horrific attacks that she described with the phrase “some people did something” were “unbelievable”.
Conservative media outlets, including Fox News, then began to discuss the incident in depth.
Critics say the Muslim congresswoman downplayed the severity of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed about 3,000 people. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has even described Omar as “anti-American.”
US President Donald Trump also criticized the Minnesota congresswoman when he tweeted the message “WE WILL NEVER FORGET”, along with a video of the 9/11 attacks spliced into Ms. Omar’s speech. “Some people did something,” Ms. Omar said, spliced between video of planes hitting the Twin Towers in New York and people running from the buildings.
Democrats have defended her, saying her remarks were taken out of context. Some Democrats have accused Trump of inciting violence against her and Muslims.
Ms Omar also responded, describing some of the comments as dangerously inflammatory, especially the death threats she has faced. She also raised concerns about anti-Muslim sentiment surrounding her, including a Republican poster that combined her image with the Twin Towers burning during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Although she is a new figure in Washington politics, this is not the first time Ms. Omar has made controversial statements.
Ms Omar has been accused of anti-Semitism over comments she made about Israel and pro-Israel activists. After being criticised last month, including by Democrats, she apologised and said she was “learning and listening”.
Just last week, police arrested a 55-year-old man in New York state for calling her office to threaten her, calling her a “terrorist.”
An Binh/Dan Tri
Theo BBC
