Progressive Spotlight: Ilhan Omar.

Given all the talk about Rep. Ilan Omar’s political ideology, policies, and commitment to social justice, people often neglect to mention the groundbreaking nature of her political rise.

When voters in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District elected her to the House of Representatives in 2018, Omar captured a few “firsts”: the first African refugee elected to Congress and the first woman of color in the history of Minnesota to serve in that position.

Omar and her Squad colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (elected in 2018 as well) also became the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress—marking significant progress for a country that for the last 17 years had experienced widespread Islamophobia, both in public and private life.

Everything from local and national policing initiatives to federal programs designed to ostensibly “counter-extremism” contributed to the stereotyping of Muslim Americans across the country. There were multiple Congressional hearings on so-called “Muslim radicalization” during the height of the “war on terror.” Years later, Donald Trump emerged out of the political chaos and called for a complete “shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S.—and followed that up with his notorious Muslim ban, which set off a refugee crisis.

Anti-Muslim hysteria was pervasive and never fully reckoned with. And we see it today in the context of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, where even moderate criticisms of Israel’s campaign are dismissed as hate-filled rhetoric. The attacks on Omar began almost immediately after she earned a seat in Congress and culminated with her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

These issues are incredibly personal to Omar, a refugee herself. Omar and her family arrived in the U.S. when she was 12 years old. The Somalian Civil War forced Omar and her family, which includes seven siblings, to flee to a refugee camp in Kenya when she was eight.

Omar recently wrote about the struggles refugees face, especially inside camps that aren’t meant to care for people for prolonged periods. She characterized coming to the U.S. as winning a “golden ticket,” allowing her and her family to begin a new life together.

“We escaped war in Somalia and found refuge at the Utange camp in Kenya,” Omar wrote in The Atlantic. “During my four years living in a refugee camp with little food or water, I saw the best and worst of humanity. I witnessed the joy of a mother welcoming a baby safely into the world, despite the odds stacked against her. I witnessed the death of friends and family members in a camp where malaria, dysentery, and respiratory diseases were rampant. I am grateful that I made it out alive. But I would not be here without the generosity of the Kenyan people, the resolute efforts of UN workers, the help of resettlement organizations such as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the welcoming spirit of the American people who gave me and my family a second chance at life.”

Omar shared her story in the context of today’s “unprecedented displacement crisis” enveloping the world, caused by everything from armed conflict, climate change, food insecurity, and more. According to Oxfam, only five countries account for two-thirds of displaced people. They include Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Venezuela. The UN reported in May that at least 114 million people are currently displaced by “war, violence and persecution.”

“I’m here today only because of the kindness of strangers who fought to open the door for those fleeing unthinkable circumstances,” wrote Omar, as she also called on Biden to raise the cap on refugee admissions.

As one of the few true progressives in Congress, Omar has spent her career fighting for various causes important to the left, including healthcare, education, the climate crisis, economic justice, and American foreign intervention. Omar made a splash in her first term in Congress when she took on Elliott Abrams, the former State Department official implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal.

“Mr. Abrams, in 1991 you pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress regarding the Iran-Contra affair, for which you were later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush,” Omar said. “I fail to understand why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony you give today to be truthful.”

Time and time again, Omar has shown that she’ll stand up for the marginalized, even in the face of partisan backlash. Her commitment to true “justice” is what makes her an incredibly popular figure in her district, which resoundingly supported her candidacy in her re-election race in 2022. The next test of how durable Omar’s support is will come in a few short weeks when voters in Minnesota head to the polls for the Democratic primary.

Image Source

• Fibonacci Blue from Minnesota, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Changes were made.
• Kristie Boyd; U.S. House Office of Photography, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Changes were made.