Ilhan Omar condemns 'anti-Muslim' poster linking her to 9/11

Ilhan Omar condemns 'anti-Muslim' poster linking her to 9/11
A poster linking US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to the 9/11 attacks has caused outrage.

2 min read
03 March, 2019
Ilhan Omar was elected in November [Getty]

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar slammed a poster displayed at a Republican stall in the West Virginia legislature that linked her to the 9/11 attacks.

The poster showed an image of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre buildings as well as a picture of the American-Muslim congresswoman with the words "Never forget - you said. I am the proof - you have forgotten."

Omar responded in a tweet suggesting the "anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist" justified threats of violence against her.

"No wonder I am on the 'hitlist' of a domestic terrorist and 'Assassinate Ilhan Omar' is written on my local gas stations," she said, referring to a plot by self-proclaimed white nationalist Christopher Paul Hasson who planned to target Omar and other prominent Democratic politicians.

"Look no further, the GOP's [Republican] anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them."

The West Virginia House of Delegates Anne Lieberman resigned following accusations in the House that she made an Islamophobic remark.

According to Democratic Delegate Michael Angelucci, Lieberman said all Muslims were terrorists during the row over the poster.

Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in US Congress and the first to wear a headscarf in the House of Representatives, caused uproar in the US last month after criticising pro-Israel politicians.

The Minnesota Congresswoman, responding to a tweet about a Republican representative leading a campaign against her, wrote "it's all about the Benjamins baby", a colloquia reference to the American $100 bill suggesting her pro-Israel rival was financially beholden.

The original tweet came from Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald on Sunday, sharing a story about Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who seeks to ostracize Omar and fellow congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for their criticism of Israel.

Omar apologised for the remarks saying "anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.”

Hundreds of Omar’s supporters referred to the anti-semitism row over the weekend, highlighting the lack of outrage seen over the Islamophobic poster.

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