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Omar Releases Statement Condemning Hate Without Apologizing for Her Anti-Semitism

Posted By Cameron Cawthorne On In Politics | No Comments

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and two other Democratic lawmakers released a joint statement following the House's passage of a resolution that condemns all kinds of hate, but it did not address her specific anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Omar, who was joined by Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Andre Carson (Ind.), posted the joint statement on Twitter touting the resolution as the "first time we have voted on a resolution condemning Anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation's history."

"We are tremendously proud to be part of  a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy," they wrote. "At a time when extremism is on the rise, we must explicitly denounce religious intolerance of all kinds and acknowledge the pain felt by all communities. Our nation is having a difficult conversation and we believe this is great progress."

All three lawmakers are Muslims.

The House voted on the resolution Thursday evening, passing it by a vote of 407-23. The vote was initially going to be earlier in the week, but Democrats were divided and started speaking out in support of Omar, who along with Tlaib are the only two Muslim women in Congress. Some of the progressive members of Congress pressured the House leadership to expand the language to "opposing hate" on all sides.

Earlier this month, Omar apologized for anti-Semitic tweets, some of which were quietly deleted last week. She also apologized for a past tweet where she accused Israel of hypnotizing the world and performing evil acts. There has been pressure from House Republicans and President Donald Trump to strip Omar of her House Foreign Affairs Committee seat, but Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), the chairman of the committee, rejected the call and said he doesn't have the power to do it.

Tlaib has profusely defended Omar in response to her most recent anti-Semitic controversy, saying that she has "real courage" and compared her to "civil rights icons" because of the way she has been targeted for her hateful rhetoric.

".@IlhanMN's strength inspires me and so many. She is being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies. As she uplifts my Sity and other Palestinians in the name of justice and peace, she shows us real courage," Tlaib tweeted.

Tlaib supports the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has said she would vote against aid to Israel. She also has a history of praising Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who called Jews "termites" last year.