On Thursday (December 9), the US House of Representatives announced that it will vote on a bill to combat Islamophobia in the country. The voting will take place on Tuesday (December 14) on the bill laid down by Representative Ilhan Omar. The said bill seeks to create an office within the State Department to fight Islamophobia.
The development came at the backdrop of alleged anti-Muslim comments made by House Representative Lauren Boebert. The Democratic party wanted to seize the opportunity to put out a united fight against ‘Islamophobia’ and oust Lauren Boebert from her committees. “We have a responsibility to show this country that bigotry is unacceptable,” claimed Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
It must be mentioned that Islamist Ilhan Omar had first introduced the bill in October this year to monitor and combat the supposed rise of anti-Muslim incidents.
Pressure tactics by Muslim staff in Congress
On Wednesday (December 8), about 62 Muslim Congress staffers wrote an open letter, raising concerns about the recent comments of Lauren Boebert against Ilhan Omar. They claimed that the remarks had induced a ‘feeling of anxiety and fear’ at Capitol Hill. The letter was also signed by 378 other staff members of the Congress, who were allied with the cause.
“Witnessing unchecked harassment of one of only three Muslim Members of Congress – and the only visible Muslim Member – we feel that our workplace is neither safe nor welcome. We must now come to work every day knowing that the same Members and staff who perpetuate Islamophobic tropes and insinuate that we are terrorists, also walk by us in the halls of Congress,” read the letter.
It also called upon House representatives to reject ‘hateful’ rhetoric that endangered the well-being of the Muslim staffers. “We know first-hand that without consequences, this type of harmful behavior normalizes hate against an entire religious community that has already faced decades of derogatory rhetoric, hate crime, surveillance, distrust, discrimination, demonization, and violence,” the letter said.
The Background of the ‘Islamophobia’ controversy and aftermath
Ilhan Omar, who is accused of marrying her brother in immigration fraud, is a known antisemite. During the Israel-Palestine crisis of 2021, Ilhan Omar sided with anti-Israeli forces. While criticising the stance of fellow Representative, Lauren Boebert had tweeted in May, “Ilhan Omar should decide whether she wants to be a Congresswoman or a full-time propagandist for Hamas. Why are her fellow Democrats so silent about her disgraceful comments?”
“Ilhan Omar, honorary member of Hamas, just compared the US military with the Taliban. Sadly, it’s not even surprising anymore. We have terrorist sympathizers in Congress and it is being normalized by the MSM,” she wrote in another tweet in June.
During a Staten Island Conservative Party dinner held on September 2, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was heard referring to Ilhan Omar as a ‘blackhearted’ and ‘evil’ woman. She went on to claim that Omar was part of the Jihadi ‘squad’ of Democrats. Boebert added that she only felt safe in the elevator with Ilhan Omar because she was not carrying a suicide bombing backpack.
“One of my I staffers, on his first day with me, got into an elevator in the Capitol. And in that elevator, we were joined by Ilhan Omar. It was just us three in there and I looked over and I said, well, look there, it’s the Jihad Squad. She doesn’t have a backpack, she wasn’t dropping it and running so we’re good,” Boebert was heard telling the audience at the dinner party.
Her comments drew the ire of the Democratic Party leaders, including Ilhan Omar, who sought action against Representative Lauren Boebert. “Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter. GOP leaders and Speaker Pelosi need to take appropriate action, normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress,” wrote Omar.
Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter. @GOPLeader and @SpeakerPelosi need to take appropriate action, normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress. https://t.co/A0VxI3uTmH pic.twitter.com/QTmqaGaZrM
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
Following the controversy over her remarks, Lauren Noebert tendered an apology. She tweeted, “I apologise to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep Omar. I reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.”
On November 30, she took to Instagram and said, “I have reflected on my previous remarks, now as a strong Christian woman who values faith deeply I never want anything I say to offend someone’s religion. ” She accused Omar of hanging up on her following a verbal confrontation on the issue of public apology.
“I will fearlessly continue to put America first, never sympathizing with terrorists. Unfortunately, Ilhan can’t say the same thing and our country is worse off for it,” she concluded. The bill on Islamophobia is a manifestation of the long-standing duel between Republican Representative Boebert and Democratic Representative Omar.
