OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Far-left ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, who was born in Somalia and became the first Muslim refugee elected to serve in Congress, is often condemned as the most radical member of Congress.
Omar’s most recent legislative effort includes sponsoring a bill that would establish a new office at the State Department which is dedicated to fighting alleged “Islamophobia” worldwide.
Omar, who once referred to the 9/11 attacks as a day when “some people did something,” has been outspoken in her defense of Muslim and Islam.
She is admittedly more focused on fighting back against the American government’s own actions following 9/11. She said, “I think it is really important for us to make sure that we are not forgetting, right, the aftermath of what happened after 9/11.”
Unfortunately, Democrats in the House have sided with Omar and forced through this ridiculous bill which would create a new office at the State Department.
The bill, which is called “Combating International Islamophobia Act,” was approved 219-212.
All the votes for the bill came from Democrats. Not a single Republican agreed.
The bill fails to define what makes up “Islamophobia.”
The bill does identify President Donald Trump and forbids travel bans that Trump placed on nations that are strictly ruled by Islamic law and who have vowed to kill Americans.
More from Western Journal:
The bill instructs the secretary of state to create an “Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia” led by a presidentially appointed “special envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia.”
The legislation also mandates that, starting 180 days after its enactment, the State Department include acts of anti-Muslim violence and incitement in its annual human rights reports on countries worldwide and in its annual international religious freedom report.
A final provision in the bill prohibits any funds allocated to the bill’s fulfillment from going to efforts to “promote or endorse a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement ideology” or “used to promote or endorse a Muslim ban, such as the one instituted by former President Trump”…
“As a country that was founded on religious liberty, our leadership on international religious freedom depends on recognizing that Islamophobia is global in scope, and that we must lead the global effort to address it,” Omar, who is Muslim and a member of the so-called squad of progressive lawmakers, said during a House debate on the legislation.
According to The Associated Press, the bill is viewed as a Democratic response to Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who had earlier said that Omar was part of the “jihad squad” of lawmakers in Congress.
Boebert was also filmed making a remark that some considered to be Islamophobic, the AP reported.
The video showed the conservative firebrand narrating to her constituents that a police officer at the Capitol approached her with a “fret on his face” after she got inside an elevator.
“I look to my left and there she is — Ilhan Omar. And I said, ‘Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine,’” Boebert then reportedly said, with a laugh.
Some who thought Boebert was saying Omar was not carrying a suicide bomb considered the backpack reference offensive.
