Ilhan Abdullahi Omar made history in 2019 when she became the first Somali American in the U.S. Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She was also one of the first Muslim women in Congress along with Michigan's Rashida Tlaib. Both are core members of the "Squad", an informal group of progressive Democrats, who are a favorite target of many Republicans. The latest brouhaha flared up earlier this after a clip of Omar making a speech in Somali went viral on X. In it she was purportedly bragging about advancing a Somalia First agenda in Congress. As context, Omar was expressing support for the Somali government in its dispute with a breakaway republic within Somalia, called Somaliland, that is not recognized by the U.S.
The meltdown from the right was swift and predictable. Fellow Minnesotan and GOP Majority Whip, Tom Emmers, demanded Omar resign in disgrace. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that she should be expelled from Congress, stripped of her citizenship and deported. Naturally, Majorie Talyor Greene called her words treasonous and sought to censure her. Except...that Omar never said any such thing. The video of Omar’s speech was circulated on social media with distorted English captions.
As per the Intelligencer, the "captions made it appear that Omar had said that she and her audience were “Somalians first, Muslims second,” and that “The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders.”
However independent reviews by the Minnesota Reformer and the Minneapolis Star Tribune found significant differences between the videos’ claims and what Omar actually said.
Per the Star Tribune, that part of Omar’s speech actually went as follows: “My answer was the U.S. government will do what we tell the U.S. government to do. We as Somalis should have that confidence in ourselves. We live in this country. We pay taxes in this country. It’s a country where one of your own sits in Congress. As long as I’m in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea. And the United States will not support other people to rob us. Rest assured, Minnesotans. The woman you sent to Congress is aware of you and has the same interest as you.”
In fact, Omar's position on the issue of Somaliland is in line with U.S. policy. So, there shouldn't have been any controversy. But if you're Somali, Muslim, and/or both, things are always a little more complicated. Best for Omar keep her speeches in English at all times...so nothing gets lost in translation.
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