Under tremendous pressure and facing a well-funded Democratic primary challenger, freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) remains defiant. Over the past two years, she has emerged as a polarizing, national figure— an inspiring member of “the Squad” of progressive activists and young people of color, one of the first Muslim woman elected to Congress, and a mainstay on Fox News as a subject of fear, loathing, and numerous anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
In this interview, conducted last week and edited for clarity and length, she hits back, not just at Republicans and their media channels, but also at Senator Chuck Schumer and Mark Zuckerberg, whom she blames for enabling the hate against her and Muslims. I followed up with her Wednesday morning, after Rudy Giuliani retweeted a 1978 photo, taken four years before Omar was born, that circulated on the right last August along with the claim that it showed the congresswoman at a terrorist training camp in her native Somalia, and that she’d brought up in the course of our interview as an example of what’s wrong with Facebook.
Omar replied, “This is not normal. Unfortunately it’s not surprising that someone complicit in the president’s crimes would share such a false, Islamophobic post. I am now accustomed to the hate speech and death threats that flow from their reckless lies. What is surprising is that Twitter does nothing to crack down on the rampant misinformation and hate speech on their platform.”
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ALI
Recently, you said, “So we cannot stop at the criminal justice system. We must begin the work of dismantling the whole system of oppression wherever we find it.” What is this tangible “dismantling” that the Biden administration needs to pursue if he wins?
OMAR
One, enacting the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act we passed in the House. Another is addressing the social and economic neglect that many of our communities face. Here in Minnesota, the Black community is 50 percent under or uninsured with severe health-care disparities. We face discrimination in the housing system whether it’s as renters or owners, and that really is a systematic problem because those problems stem from redlining and such, policies that were instituted for a long time. We deal with systematic injustices within the criminal justice system. There is a school-to-prison pipeline, the war on drugs, and the raging mass incarceration that is ripping our community apart.
When we think about addressing injustices, we have to look at how the system has not only neglected to address these issues, but also has upheld and uplifted policies that have systematically discriminated against us.
These injustices have been laid to bare due to COVID-19 and the economic crisis we’re witnessing right now. We need policies that have a racial equity lens that deal with economic and social neglect that many of our communities have faced over decades.
ALI
For the record, you're not talking about dismantling democracy.
OMAR
No, no, I am not. (Laughs.) I will say this: I think Republicans are really good at projecting, because they have been after dismantling our democracy and weakening our systems. They project that onto others.
ALI
Speaking about Republicans, your quote on “dismantling the whole system of oppression” was picked up by Senator Marsha Blackburn, who tweeted, “Ilhan Omar took an oath to defend and protect the Constitution, not shred it. Omar and her Marxist comrades are a threat to our democracy. Omar should resign.” For the record, are you a Marxist?
OMAR
No, I don't think that she actually even knows what that is.
ALI
Will you resign?
OMAR
No.
ALI
OK. Moving forward. That quote animated the right-wing ecosystem this month. Fox News did multiple segments about it. Laura Ingraham warned that schools in the United States are being used to,“turn your kids into mini Ilhan Omars.” Why do they hate you so much? There are attacks on “The Squad,” but there seems to be a specific fixation on you. Is it your blackness, your hijab, your gender? What do you think it is?
OMAR
I think all of that. For them, it really is also about the fear of the other, whether it is someone of a different country of origin, a different race, a different religion, and I think it really speaks to this messed up [idea]: if someone is succeeding, it’s taking away from the other. And we should be an example of pushing for everyone to have a voice at the table, for everyone to have access to opportunities, for everyone to see themselves as an American that is part of the story and fabric of this nation.
ALI
But there are so many progressives who [say] exactly what you're saying, but they don't have Trump tweeting videos against them. They don't have the GOP creating posters equating them with 9/11. They don't have multiple news segments attacking them for a quote. What is it specifically about you that seems to animate this type of interest?
OMAR
I think it's a trifecta of hate that those of us who are black, immigrant, and Muslim often deal with in this country. We're not only dealing with the racism that comes to us as black people, we are dealing with the Islamophobia that really has lasted in some segments of our nation. Then we're dealing with xenophobia that also exists, and that's become a favorite talking point for Republican talking heads. For me, it is even more amplified because of my gender, of my physical identity as a Muslim woman, and I think that my country of origin has also a lot to do with the vitriol in which the attacks take place.
ALI
[Somalia] is one of the shithole countries according to Trump. It's not Norway.
OMAR
Yeah. It's also a country that is currently on the Muslim ban. It is a country that oftentimes is in the news for activities that make people want to insinuate [something] bad [about] all of the people of that nation. It's really dangerous to dismiss the amount of hate and anger that people have [against] Muslims and especially black African immigrant Muslims. I think a reason that people were fixated on the hateful birther conspiracy with President Obama wasn't that he was Muslim, but it was that he was a Muslim who was born in Africa.
ALI
And he's not Muslim, and he wasn't born in Africa.
OMAR
No. Now you have a Muslim who was born in Africa. Now they get to direct all of that anger that was misplaced for President Obama onto me. Now that really is amplified because [I am] an actual manifestation of everything they said he was; now that actually exists in Congress and in the halls of power. Now [I have] a platform and an ability to deliver successes and help lead a movement. So that really is quite frightening for them.
ALI
In November 2019, Senator Chuck Schumer praised retiring Congressman Peter King. He tweeted, ”King stood head and shoulders above everyone else, and fiercely loved America, Long Island, and his Irish heritage and left a lasting mark on all three.” Peter King also is one of the most notorious anti-Muslim bigots who spearheaded the very divisive hearings on the radicalization of Muslim Americans.
Muslims see this from Democrats and say, “Wait, if Democrats are praising Islamophobes, where are we in this mix? Are we being taken for granted?” What's your response to that?
OMAR
That's an honest question to ask ourselves. I recently read an article that was written by a Muslim about the lack of defense [of] me as Fox News attacked me. I think there is that linkage, right? Because every time Trump said something about me... it's not just about me, it’s about everything that I represent that resonates with Muslims. So when they see everything reverting back, [Muslims] have these questions. And as I said to Chuck Schumer then and will say again: Exactly how much of our pain do you refuse to acknowledge? That wouldn't take place for any other community in the way in which [King] was hateful towards our community. We still deal with the repercussions and the fallout of those hearings [several] years later. It's an extremely painful thing. I think it goes to show the lack of recognition of our pain and struggle.
ALI
What did Chuck Schumer say to you when you addressed this collective pain and suffering of the community when it came to his tweets and actions?
OMAR
He didn't say anything, and that was very disappointing. I know that many Muslims and non-Muslims expressed outrage [at] his comments and he has yet to respond in addressing that.
ALI
In contrast, Senator Tammy Duckworth was recently attacked by Tucker Carlson over her patriotism, her loyalty. She lost both legs. There was vociferous pushback by Senate Democrats. At the same time, like you mentioned, you were also being grilled day and night. Many people of color looked at this and said, well, where's the outrage and pushback by Senate Democrats to protect Ilhan? Do you feel frustrated and abandoned sometimes by members of your own party in their lack of defense for you? Because some say why is it always “The Squad” that has to do the lifting? And if I'm wrong in this assessment, let me know.
OMAR
You are not. I think the fact that these communities are left wondering, that is really the most painful part. I don’t personally care.
ALI
But you have to personally care. You’re a human being. You get death threats.
OMAR
Yes. But, I mean I don't care what Tucker Carlson has to say, you know? But what I do care [about] is what he says and what that means to the countless young people and Muslims who get to see that and internalize it and live with the pain of knowing that when their identity is attacked, no one really speaks for them. If this project of becoming an American and participating means that you're allowed to participate as long as you don't say anything, then why participate at all? My challenge and my fight in Congress is way more than just pushing for a policy change, but also pushing people to think differently and to see us as true members of our society who have a right to speak and push for change.
ALI
To be fair, I’ve heard Muslims, say, “Ilhan always steps in it, and we can't spend equity always defending her.” What is your response?
OMAR
I don't know what that even means. To call for dismantling systems of injustices wherever we find it is not “stepping in anything” that is not out of our mandate. That’s what we need to do not just as policy makers, but as humans living in a society where injustices are rampant in all of our systems. Whether it's our workplaces, systems of government, our systems of financial institutions; it's everywhere. That's the work that we have to do. These are statements that are literally made by almost every member of Congress. The “stepping in it” is that I am not supposed to say and push for change because we are expected to be the grateful immigrant who smiles and waves and bows and to accept that you don't expect to be an American that is equal to everyone else. I refuse to do that.
ALI
Speaking about this hate that has been directed towards you. I saw a live conversation where you said you blamed [Mark] Zuckerberg and Facebook for a target on your back? Why do you blame them?
OMAR
There is massive amounts of disinformation that is on Facebook and their clear refusal in taking that information down and discontinuing the accounts of people who practice disinformation. The majority of the death threats that come into my office are not due to actual things I have said or done. They are literally due to things that are made up. For example, in 1976 or 1978, I was in a training camp. I wasn't even born [then.] [Or] I want to dismantle Social Security. Or [saying] I want to put white men in chains until they convert to Islam. It's just ridiculous amounts of stuff that is out there that is horrendous. And to have a platform continue to give stuff like that an ability to exist is not only dangerous to me, but it's dangerous, really, to our democracy and the fabric of our society.
ALI
Do you blame [Mark Zuckerberg], Congresswoman, for creating this climate of hate?
OMAR
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. We say responsibility rests with the leader. He is the leader and the responsibility rests with him. And so every moment that myself, my children, my family, my staff, many who share my identity, spend looking at this stuff that makes all of us want to vomit is, I believe, on him as much as it is on the people who are putting this stuff out there. Because they wouldn't have the opportunity if he didn’t create it for them.
ALI
Has the Biden campaign reached out to you for help? If they do, what must Biden do to show his commitment to reaching out to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party?
OMAR
They have [reached out]. I think that they are making really tangible outreach to progressives in soliciting, I would say, advice and input and that has been evident in some of the changes we have seen in their approach. It gives me hope as we fight to get [Biden] elected, we can feel confident in knowing that change could be possible if we continue to push. As a progressive who believes in doing solidarity work between those that are oppressed around the world, and solidarity work for the working class, as a former Union member, I feel confident that they have been listening to some of the progressive foreign policy recommendations and commitments that we have as progressives and that there will be an inclusion of our voices. And on the Muslim front, since both of us are Muslim, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised in the kind of outreach work his campaign is doing with Muslims. We're going to do a forum with him and with Muslims pretty soon I think. (On Monday, Biden spoke at the Million Muslims Voter Summit organized by Emgage Action, the largest Muslim American political action committee.)
ALI
And as I let you go, Warren or Harris for VP?
OMAR
They would all be really great choices. I am really pleased to see everyone being talked about, and excited to see what happens with that.
ALI
Very diplomatic, excellent answer. But does Ilhan lean in any direction? Any leanage?
OMAR
I’ll stick to my answer. (Laughs.)
