While fending off hate-filled remarks, Rep. Omar has been accused of bias. Omar is a staunch defender of Palestinian rights and a fierce critic of Israel, and she has opposed American funding for programs like Israel’s anti-missile Iron Dome. Omar has been accused of anti-Semitism, as some of her remarks about Israel and pro-Israel lobbying interests have appeared to some as dipped into anti-Semitic tropes, for which Omar has apologized for in the past.

Rather than simply criticizing Omar for her comments or disagreeing with her over Israel, many of her opponents have used these instances to engage in Islamophobia and to smear Omar as a traitor and terrorist. For example, Omar recently called out the Minneapolis Star Tribune for equating Omar’s opposition to Israel with terrorism, according to the Jerusalem Post:

US Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted an open letter against the Minneapolis Star Tribune last week after the paper republished a New York Times opinion piece that criticized The Squad for opposing Iron Dome financing.

The main issue that the letter discussed regarding the piece was the headline. In the New York Times piece, the headline was "A Foul Play by Progressives Over Israel's Iron Dome," but the Star Tribune changed the headline to "Omar, 'Squad' Launch Another Anti-Israel Strike" and accompanied it with a photo of Hamas rockets launched at Israel.

Rep. Omar also condemned the paper, tweeting, “The Star Tribune regularly uses Islamophobic and racist language in their coverage of communities of color.”

We can no longer be silent. The @StribOpinion regularly uses Islamophobic and racist language in their coverage of communities of color. Proud of the Minnesotans who led and signed this letter calling for systematic changes to their personnel and policies. https://t.co/1COC844N1r

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 15, 2021

Jihad-Squad

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