Réfugiée somalienne, musulmane, élue du Congrès… Pourquoi Ilhan Omar obsède Donald Trump
Minnesota congresswoman, former Somali refugee, and emblematic figure of the American left, Ilhan Omar has become a prime target of Donald Trump.
Regularly targeted by Donald Trump, the 43-year-old congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, finds herself once again at the center of the president's attacks, who in recent days has multiplied hostile remarks towards her and towards the Somali community of Minnesota.
This week, he again referred to Somali immigrants as "scum" and raised the idea of "deporting" her, despite her American citizenship. This latest escalation reignites a much older political and personal conflict. But who is Ilhan Omar? A profile of a Democratic congresswoman who has become one of the symbols of progressive resistance against Donald Trump.
Arrived in Minnesota in 1997
Born in Somalia in 1982, Ilhan Omar experienced the civil war before fleeing as a child with her family to a refugee camp in Kenya. It wasn't until 1997 that she arrived in Minneapolis, a city in the north of the country that is now home to one of the largest Somali communities.
From a very young age, her grandfather encouraged her to take an interest in politics. Before entering the electoral arena, she worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota and then as an analyst and political advisor at the Minneapolis City Council.
First African refugee in Congress
Her election to the House of Representatives in 2019 marked a historic turning point. Ilhan Omar became the first African refugee to serve in Congress, and one of the first two Muslim women elected.
In Minnesota's 5th district, she quickly established herself as the spokesperson for the working class and immigrant families, advocating for student debt cancellation, ambitious immigration reform, an increase in the minimum wage, and more radical climate policies.
"Send her back," a long-standing hostility
This meteoric rise immediately stirred the hostility of Donald Trump. As early as 2019, during a rally, he allowed a crowd of supporters to chant "send her back," after a barrage of attacks against the congresswoman.
Back in power, the Republican White House has intensified its rhetoric. Trump now accuses Somalis of having "destroyed the country" and insinuates that Ilhan Omar is involved in fraud, without providing a shred of evidence. The congresswoman sees this as a well-honed political strategy: diverting attention from economic and social difficulties by designating a scapegoat, mixing racism, Islamophobia, and conspiracy theories.
"He knows he's failing," so "he stirs up hatred."
In an op-ed published Thursday in The New York Times, the congresswoman responded: “He knows he’s failing, so he’s resorting to what he does best: stirring up hatred to divert attention.” She asserted that these attacks have very real consequences: each time the president speaks out, a surge of death threats against his family, his staff, and members of the Somali community is unleashed. “What worries me most is not my safety,” she wrote. “It’s the people who share my identities—Black, Somali, Muslim, immigrant—who are likely to pay the price.”
Yet, far from being weakened in her state, Ilhan Omar remains supported by her constituents. A large majority of Somalis in Minnesota are American citizens, often proud of an elected official who symbolizes their integration and success. At a time when Donald Trump is making the fight against immigration the centerpiece of his second term, Ilhan Omar appears more than ever as his antithesis: a woman, Black, Muslim, progressive, and a product of exile. A perfect adversary for a president who likes to shape his enemies. But she insists she will not back down: "The people of Minnesota not only welcome refugees, they sent one to Congress."
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Commentaires (23)
À part cela, elle a un beau sourire et Trump devrait la laisser en paix, n'est-ce pas?
L'autre determinant a ete l'economie et notamment l'inflation. Pour comprendre cette dynamique de l'inflation il faut remonter a la periode covid. Il y avait une mini recession et a l'epoque les taux d'interets etaient presque a zero. Il y a eu une relance economique avec beaucoup d'argent distribue aux menages. Cela a permis de relancer l'economie du pays par la consommation qui constitue a peu pres 70% du PIB. Cet epiphenomene a relance l'inflation qui etait presque inexistante. Biden a herite de cette inflation et les couches vulnerables (minorites en majorite) sontles plus affectees. Certains n'ont pas hesites a voter Trump qui leur promettait mont et merveille. La suite nous la connaissons tous.
jusqua present tu n'as pas repondu a la question du debat ! j'ai comme l'impression que tu fais beaucoup de bla bla bla. pensant etre plus intelligent que les autres.. Oui tout le monde sait que les Somaliens se declarent Somaliens, et qulils ne sont ni noirs, ni africains biensur qu'ils sont des batards.. les arabes ont enceinter leurs ancetres.. cest comme les malgaches.. eux aussi ne veulent pas etre noirs ni africains et detestent les africains dailleurs.. ils oublient qu'ils sont les descendants des arabes, borneos etc.. qui ont enceintes leurs ancetres pour leur faire ce quils sont aujourdhui car le malgache comme meme les soudanais du nord, les somaliens eux tous ne veulent pas etre noirs, mais en Amerique ils ont beaucoup profite des benefices donnes aux noirs americains.. ils ont eu free housing, medical, school etc.. et aujourdhui ils disent qu'ils sont somaliens. quelle betise.
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