Lost count of Ilhan Omar’s incidents of antisemitism? That’s because they’re not mistakes. They’re a pattern. She has repeatedly told you who she is. It’s time to believe her.
A thread. 1/
A thread. 1/
First, Ilhan Omar tweeted that “Israel hypnotizes the world,” invoking the long running antisemitic myth of Jewish hypnosis. People called her out, and she half apologized: forward.com/fast-forward/4…
Second, Ilhan Omar claimed that US politicians were being bribed by Jews to support Israel, invoking another antisemitic trope. People called her out, and she half apologized again: haaretz.com/us-news/ilhan-…
Shortly after these first two incidents, Ilhan Omar invoked the “dual loyalties” antisemitic smear, claiming that US Jewish “influencers” have dual loyalties to Israel. People called her out, and she half apologized again: vox.com/policy-and-pol…
That same year, Ilhan Omar (along with Rashida Tlaib) shared a cartoon from a notorious winner of Iran’s “Holocaust cartoon contest.” People called her out, and she half apologized again. forward.com/fast-forward/4…
Worst of all, Ilhan Omar partnered with an infamous known antisemitic organization that publishes blood libel—claims that Jews use Christian children’s blood in matzah—and neo-Nazi antisemitic treatises. I can’t find an apology from her for this at all: forward.com/fast-forward/4…
That brings us to this week, when Ilhan Omar compared the US and Israel to terrorist regimes. She has thus far doubled down and claimed to be a victim after she was called out by Jewish democrats and democratic leadership: amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/j…
This pattern of behavior suggests that after initial half hearted defensive apologies proved successful in removing herself from scandal, Ilhan Omar has become more bold in her antisemitism. The only lesson she has learned is she can get away with it.
There must be accountability for hate in all its forms. Ilhan Omar—as a Black Muslim—deserves to live in a county where her elected leaders do not attack or discriminate against her based on her race or religion, or promulgate hateful offensive stereotypes. Jews deserve the same.
Ilhan Omar’s status as a target of irrational vile hate does not give her license to be hateful to a smaller minority group she has decided to blame and otherise. This is wrong. It is also wrong for her “progressive” allies to repeatedly defend and embolden her hateful comments.
In a time of an unprecedented ongoing wave of antisemitic violence in the US, Jews are seeing exactly who is speaking out, who is staying silent, and who is exuding and defending antisemitism. Far too many among my fellow democrats are silent. It’s disheartening and frightening.
If we, as democrats, cannot stand against hatefulness on our own side, we lose all moral authority to stand against hatefulness on the Republican side. Silence is complicity.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
