The Life of Ilhan Omar
She fled her country and spent four years in a refugee camp. Now, she’s the first Somali-American in Congress. This is Ilhan Omar's story.
She fled a civil war and became the first Somali-American in Congress
Earlier years
Ilhan Omar was born the youngest of seven siblings in Mogadishu in 1982. At age 8, she fled the country with her family to escape its civil war — then spent four years in a Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the U.S. in 1995. In 1997, the family settled in Minneapolis’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood — the heart of the Somali diaspora in the U.S. Omar’s interest in politics began at 14, while acting as an interpreter for her grandfather at local DFL caucuses. In 2000, Omar became a U.S. citizen — she was 17.
Speaking out about an American promise not kept
After graduating from North Dakota State University, she started working as an educator in 2006. At 34, she launched her campaign for the Minnesota State House. She won House District 60B in southeast Minneapolis with 78.2% of the vote on November 8, 2016. 2 years later, she ran for Congress and became the first Somali-American lawmaker and one of the first of 2 Muslim women to be elected to Congress, along with Michigan's Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she has advocated for a living wage, Medicare for all, cancellation of student debt, abolishing ICE. On February 2019, she grabbed headlines over her tough questioning of Trump’s special envoy to Venezuela. Omar faced accusations of anti-Semitism for criticizing the power of the Israeli lobby in Washington and questioning U.S.-Israeli relations. She also became a major target of Donald Trump — who accused her of praising al-Qaeda and downplaying the 9/11 terror attacks. On July 2019, Omar was once again at the center of Trump’s attacks, along with 3 other congresswomen. A mother of 3, Omar has been seen alongside her daughter and climate activist Isra Hirsi. From refugee to Congresswoman, Omar will publish her memoir titled “This is What America Looks Like” in 2020.
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2447 comments
Chris W.
12/27/2020 15:48She’s a terrorist
Richman M.
12/25/2020 00:49Masha Allah my dear Sister 👏👏👏👏
Carmen D.
12/17/2020 18:13Useless person
Usman M.
12/10/2020 01:25So cute before.
Tulsidai B.
12/04/2020 09:19Why don't u do this in your own country. But again the usa let all kinds of outsiders do what ever pleases them in the usa
Ibrahim H.
11/27/2020 06:28You deserve more sister
Ali A.
11/24/2020 12:58I wish you a great success
Shihabudeen D.
11/24/2020 02:48Mashaallah irhan umar
Haruna S.
11/22/2020 23:38Nice
M A.
11/21/2020 16:16Omar Ilhan, may Allah have mercy on you. Therefore, live in good health and longevity in America. Congratulations on winning the election,
Sani A.
11/20/2020 20:25Masha Allah.....
Lori M.
11/20/2020 12:28Racist racist racist and hates America why come here only to spread her venom
منتصر م.
11/18/2020 13:27I congratulalate her
منتصر م.
11/18/2020 13:27Ithink she is the best one or woman to present the light face for an africans woman and muslims
Wiil W.
11/18/2020 11:16To day she is Congressman but tomorrow she became president I’m proud to be somali.keep going ilhan.
Buharin K.
11/17/2020 16:40All the best. Sister Omar.
Wad E.
11/17/2020 10:24Nicer
Elman A.
11/16/2020 18:06This is not Mogadishu isn’t rea picture
Taha I.
11/16/2020 06:11She is super women mashaAllah
Qadii M.
11/13/2020 17:24naghs