For the first time ever, two Muslim women will be sworn in as members of Congress.
Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib are being sworn in on Thursday.
Omar will be the first woman to appear on the congressional floor with a head covering, reports The New York Post. The rule dates back to 1837, when Congress created it as a departure from British custom. Omar tweeted her intentions for the ban in November.
No one puts a scarf on my head but me. It’s my choice—one protected by the first amendment.
And this is not the last ban I’m going to work to lift. https://t.co/7U3ZLTaWur
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 17, 2018
Omar is also the first Somali-American in Congress, a fact she mentioned in a touching tweet.
23 years ago, from a refugee camp in Kenya, my father and I arrived at an airport in Washington DC.
Today, we return to that same airport on the eve of my swearing in as the first Somali-American in Congress. #Hope
#Ilhan ???????? pic.twitter.com/jVeP3DOipN— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 2, 2019
Omar’s father was present for the momentous occasion.
My father and I greeting friends, family, and supporters who traveled across the country to share this special moment with us.#DemsTakeTheHouse
pic.twitter.com/eHcHDRSZHu— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 3, 2019
Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American to hold a congressional seat. She wore a thobe, a robe-like outfit from her culture, reports Click On Detriot. She posted a picture on Instagram and dedicated it to her yama, which means “grandmother” in Arabic.
Tlaib will be sworn in using Thomas Jefferson’s Koran, according to The Detroit Free Press. She's choosing the Muslim holy book to showcase America’s diversity.
“My mere existence, that I’m even of Muslim faith, is going to be a problem for them with or without me swearing in on any Koran,” she said. “I believe in secular government [and] my swearing in on the Koran is about me showing that the American people are made up of diverse backgrounds and we all have love of justice and freedom. My faith has centered me. The prophet Mohammed was always talking about freedom and justice.”
Tlaib's son will be alongside her to watch his mom make history.
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