Once again, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar has been the subject of bigoted right-wing attacks. This time, the hate comes from fellow congresswomen Lauren Boebert, who posted a video of herself telling supporters in Colorado a story — one that Omar says is made up — of the two representatives sharing an elevator. In the video, Boebert refers to Omar as a member of the “Jihad squad” and implies that she feared the Minnesota Democrat could be a suicide bomber — remarks that brought laughter from the crowd.
Such ridiculous, hate-filled comments have sadly been a common experience for Rep. Omar. Since taking office in 2019, Omar and other members of The Squad have been the target of numerous racist, sexist and otherwise hateful attacks. Rep. Omar, a Black, hijab-wearing Muslim woman who immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, is often singled out for various aspects of her identity. Here are a few that are the most enraging.