Ilhan Omar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1981) is a Somali-American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. The district is based in Minneapolis and also includes Edina, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley and Fridley.
In 2016, Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, making her the first Somali American elected to legislative office in the United States.[1] On November 6, 2018, she became the first naturalized citizen from Africa and first Somali-American elected to the United States Congress. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress and the first woman of color to serve as a U.S. representative from Minnesota.[2][3][4]
A critic of Israel, Omar has attracted controversy for her position and comments on the issue. In 2019, she drew condemnation from Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leadership, and a number of Jewish organizations for a tweet that was perceived as antisemitic, in which she suggested that American support for Israel was rooted in money spent by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She later apologized for the tweet in a statement, and added that she "reaffirms the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry."
Early Life and Career
Omar was born on October 4, 1981, in Mogadishu[5] and spent her early years in Baydhabo, Somalia.[6][7] She was the youngest of seven siblings. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, a Somali, worked as a teacher trainer.[8]Her mother, Fadhuma Abukar Haji Hussein, was a Benadiri, and died when Omar was two years old.[9] She was thereafter raised by her father and grandfather.[10] Her grandfather, Abukar, was the director of Somalia's National Marine Transport, with her uncles and aunts also working as civil servants and educators.[8] After the start of Somali Civil War in 1991, she and her family fled the country and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya.[11]
In 1995, Omar and her family's application to be resettled as refugees in the U.S. was approved, and they initially settled in Arlington, Virginia.[9][12]In 1995, they moved to Minneapolis, where she learned English. Her father worked initially as a taxi driver, later as a postal office worker.[9] Her father and grandfather emphasized during her upbringing the importance of democracy, and she accompanied her grandfather to caucus meetings at age 14, serving as his interpreter.[10][13] Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old.[14][9] She has spoken about being bullied for wearing a hijab during her time in Virginia, recalling classmates sticking gum on her hijab, pushing her down stairs, and jumping her when changing for gym class.[15] Omar remembers her father's reaction to these incidents: "They are doing something to you because they feel threatened in some way by your existence.”[16]
Omar attended Edison High School, and volunteered there as a student organizer.[17] She graduated from North Dakota State University[13] with bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies in 2011.[18][19]
Omar was a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.[19]
Early Career
.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1981) is a Somali-American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. The district is based in Minneapolis and also includes Edina, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley and Fridley.
In 2016, Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, making her the first Somali American elected to legislative office in the United States.[1] On November 6, 2018, she became the first naturalized citizen from Africa and first Somali-American elected to the United States Congress. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress and the first woman of color to serve as a U.S. representative from Minnesota.[2][3][4]
A critic of Israel, Omar has attracted controversy for her position and comments on the issue. In 2019, she drew condemnation from Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leadership, and a number of Jewish organizations for a tweet that was perceived as antisemitic, in which she suggested that American support for Israel was rooted in money spent by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She later apologized for the tweet in a statement, and added that she "reaffirms the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry."
Early Life and Career
Omar was born on October 4, 1981, in Mogadishu[5] and spent her early years in Baydhabo, Somalia.[6][7] She was the youngest of seven siblings. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, a Somali, worked as a teacher trainer.[8]Her mother, Fadhuma Abukar Haji Hussein, was a Benadiri, and died when Omar was two years old.[9] She was thereafter raised by her father and grandfather.[10] Her grandfather, Abukar, was the director of Somalia's National Marine Transport, with her uncles and aunts also working as civil servants and educators.[8] After the start of Somali Civil War in 1991, she and her family fled the country and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya.[11]
In 1995, Omar and her family's application to be resettled as refugees in the U.S. was approved, and they initially settled in Arlington, Virginia.[9][12]In 1995, they moved to Minneapolis, where she learned English. Her father worked initially as a taxi driver, later as a postal office worker.[9] Her father and grandfather emphasized during her upbringing the importance of democracy, and she accompanied her grandfather to caucus meetings at age 14, serving as his interpreter.[10][13] Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old.[14][9] She has spoken about being bullied for wearing a hijab during her time in Virginia, recalling classmates sticking gum on her hijab, pushing her down stairs, and jumping her when changing for gym class.[15] Omar remembers her father's reaction to these incidents: "They are doing something to you because they feel threatened in some way by your existence.”[16]
Omar attended Edison High School, and volunteered there as a student organizer.[17] She graduated from North Dakota State University[13] with bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies in 2011.[18][19]
Omar was a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.[19]
Early Career
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