Last week, a video clip of Ilhan Omar, a Somali origin congresswoman was mistranslated and sparked a debate online. The video’s translation wrongly claimed Omar had said she was “Somali first and Muslim second”. Despite proof that the lawmaker was misquoted, some far-right House Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, called for Omar to be censured. Greene, a leading supporter of Donald Trump, called Omar a “foreign agent in our government” & a “terrorist sympathizer”. She said she would introduce a censure bill which could see the Minnesota Democrat removed from the remaining committees she serves on. The bill was on the House agenda, though it’s unlikely to move past her political stunt.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer also called on Omar to resign, calling her words a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office. Florida Governor & unsuccessful presidential candidate Ron DeSantis also added onto the pile of bigotry, commenting on the mistranslation with “Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!” Former US President Donald Trump also used a 2020 campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina to attack Ilhan Omar, who opposed his policies, calling her “hate-filled extremist”. The crowd chanted “Send her back!” while Trump relished the moment. Ilhan Omar responded to them saying “The attacks being lobbied against me are not only completely false, they are rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia. This is a manufactured controversy based on an inaccurate translation taken entirely out of context. I’m no stranger to these types of misinformation campaigns targeting Muslim elected officials.” https://x.com/african_stream/status/1755582893047349304?s=20