Ilhan Omar, a Democratic Representative from Minnesota, has shared a transcript of a telephone call she had with Lauren Boebert (R) Colorado after it was revealed that the Republican made Islamophobic comments regarding Omar at a recent event.
In a Monday statement, Omar saidBoebert called Omar and she refused to give up on her hateful statements. “Instead of apologizing for her Islamophobic comments and fabricated lies, Rep. Boebert refused to publicly acknowledge her hurtful and dangerous comments,” said Omar. “She instead doubled down on her rhetoric and I decided to end the unproductive call.”
Boebert is facing a potential campaignAfter a video was posted on social media, Omar compared Omar to a terrorist, she was removed from her committee assignments. At an event, the extremist conservative lawmaker told a story — which Omar has since disputed — about being in an elevator with Omar when a Capitol police officer rushed to protect her, thinking that Omar was a threat.
“Well she doesn’t have a backpack, we should be fine,” Boebert recounted saying. She also referred to Omar as being part of the “jihad squad,” a hateful nickname for progressive lawmakers dubbed by GOP officials.
Omar said Monday in a statement that she picked up her phone to have a civil discussion with Boebert. “I believe in engaging with those we disagree with respectfully, but not when that disagreement is rooted in outright bigotry and hate,” she said.
She ended the statement by criticizing Republicans for failing to get rid of anti-Muslim sentiments. that has long been embroiledConservatism.
“The Republican Party leadership has done nothing to condemn and hold their own members accountable for repeated instances of anti-Muslim hate and harassment. This is not about one hateful statement or one politician; it is about a party that has mainstreamed bigotry and hatred,” Omar said, calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) to take action.
In the press release, Omar’s office also pointed out that the progressive lawmaker is regularly subjected to death threats that are riddled with Islamophobic sentiment. Although the GOP has long spewed hateful rhetoric, it is still a party that supports the principles of equality. Seems like everyone has embracedIn recent years, political opponents have been subject to more violence and hostile tactics.
Boebert was not the first to issue A hollowCritics have pointed out that her words were disingenuous after she apologized for the video she posted over the weekend. Boebert has repeatedly shown that she does not regret the apology. suggestedOmar sympathizes and supports terrorists in another blatant display Islamophobia.
In response to Omar’s statement, establishment media outlets have framed the phone call as a spat between two lawmakers rather than a show of —And tacit endorsement of — bigotry by the GOP. Fox News and CNNOmar was very proud of Boebert, he said. NPR’s headline on the subject emphasized that the phone call was contentious; and The New York Times’s headline seemed to give Boebert credence for calling Omar.
These headlines suggest that both parties are equally responsible, suggesting that Omar, who has been subject to Islamophobic comments numerous times during her tenure as a Congresswoman, has also done something wrong in the political and social equation. This plays directly into the right wing’s hands, normalizing rhetoric that justifies their platform of militarism and imperialism, racist immigration policy and the expansion of the surveillance state. This rhetoric has the potential to inspire violence. The rapid rise of anti-Muslim sentiment over the past 20 years has been directly correlated with this rhetoric. a rise inAnti-Muslim violence and hate crime
Omar replied to a Fox NewsStory about Monday’s phone conversation saying, “There is only so much grace we can extend to others as humans before we must learn to cut our [losses] or hang up on someone in this case.”
It’s improbable that Republican leaders will take action against Boebert, who likely issued her supposed apology in order to avoid being reprimanded like Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona), who was censured after posting a video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). Gosar is who never apologizedfor his video and instead doubled its message, now faces calls from the public to be removed
