Pro-Trump figures duped into thanking Satan, 'Iblis' for supporting Trump

Pro-Trump figures duped into thanking Satan, 'Iblis' for supporting Trump
Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar mocked conservative commentators including Tomi Lahren after they were caught up in a prank about the Arabic translation of Satan.
2 min read
30 October, 2020
Ilhan Omar mocked the likes of Tomi Lahren [Getty]


Conservative commentators took to Twitter to proudly thank Satan for supporting Donald Trump as they were unwittingly caught in a comedian’s prank.

Republicans who thanked "Iblis" - an Arabic name for Satan - for supporting the controversial US president include Fox News host Tomi Lahren, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka, and ex Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Comedian Ali Asghar Abedi used an app called Cameo in which he paid to get the Trump supporters to record personalised messages for him.

They were asked to send a message to Abedi, who asked them to thank Iblis.

The videos, which were edited together and reminded Americans to "Make America Great Again" quickly went viral as those online noted the prank and mocked them.

Sharing the video on Twitter, Abedi wrote: "MAGA-heads giving Iblis a shoutout for supporting Trump. What they don’t realise is that Iblis = Satan in Arabic."

Needless to say, Arabic speakers were amused.

Somali-American congresswoman Ilhan Omar took to Twitter and wrote: "Omg, they are so desperate and gullible. Watch as Trump surrogates thank ‘Iblis’ (Satan’s name in Arabic) for supporting Trump."

"How did this happen?" one Twitter user wrote.

"Genius! I spilled my tea when I read Iblis," another Twitter user added.

Abedi paid Lewandowski and Lahren $80 each to record the message; Arpaio was paid $30.

"They’re grifters who are stunningly ignorant and have no curiosity," Abedi old HuffPost. "I left clues for them. I told them that Iblis was Arab American. If they had a sense of the world beyond MAGA, they’d research what Iblis means in an Arab context. I guess they’re true adherents to capitalism, placing money ahead of their own dignity."

"I spelled it ‘Ebliz’ and laid out the pronunciation as ‘ibb-lease.’ But [I] figured mentioning that Iblis is Arab should have been a cue to vet the request with someone who knows Arabic."

Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to stay connected