‘I’m a woman. I’m black. I’m a refugee, an immigrant, a Muslim, and I wear a hijab’: Ilhan Omar says her identities have been 'vilified by the Right' under Trump

Rep. Ilhan Omar said she has faced a number of challenges as a Muslim, a woman, and an immigrant under President Trump's leadership.

"I happen to embody multiple marginal identities. I’m a woman. I’m black. I’m a refugee, an immigrant, a Muslim, and I wear a hijab. And all of those are identities that have been vilified by the Right ... and weaponized by Donald Trump," Omar told the Independent.

The Minnesota Democrat was elected to the House in 2018, coming in with a new wave of liberal Democrats, and later became known as a member of "the Squad" along with Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley. Omar and Tlaib became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

Born in Somalia and later living in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years, she arrived to the United States in 1995. In her memoir, titled This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman, Omar says her first years in the U. S. were difficult due to racism and bullying. Her first impression of the country promised to her was disappointment, she said.

Now, Omar said the America... (Read more)

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