Why did the New York Times claim in an obituary for Rep. Ilhan Omar's father that he was "was a teacher in Somalia" when the Somali Sahan Journal reported instead that he was a prestigious colonel in the Somali Army of genocidal dictator Siad Barre?
sahanjournal.com/remembering-mi…
Although Rep. Ilhan Omar tells reporters her father was "a teacher of teachers" back home, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that his nickname among Somalis in the Twin Cities was "Colonel."
startribune.com/nur-omar-moham…
Presumably, this smokescreen is all tied into the long-running scandal over whether Rep. Ilhan Omar's ex-husband is her brother. She claims her father was a teacher named "Nur Omar Mohamed" but he was more likely "Colonel Nur Said Elmi."
theblaze.com/op-ed/ilhan-om…
Rep. Ilhan Omar's late father is reported to have served as a colonel in Somalia's war of aggression in 1977 and defense in 1982, both against Ethiopia.
Whether or not he engaged in internal war crimes, such as the Isaaq Genocide of 1987-1989, is currently unknown.
Rep. Ilhan Omar recounts that when her family's mentor, the genocidal Somali dictator Siad Barre, fell in 1991, 20 armed men shot up their compound, causing them to flee Somalia. Evidently, the family had done enough things that lots of their neighbors wanted to kill them.
In general, we are indoctrinated to imagine that refugees are always innocent victims. But, some of the time, refugees were bully boys back home who had to flee when they lost the whip hand and the loved ones of their victims came for vengeance.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.