Ilhan Omar: Difference between revisions

Ilhan Omar
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Keith Ellison
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 60B district
In office January 2, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Phyllis Kahn
Succeeded by	Mohamud Noor
Personal details
Born	Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (1982-10-04) October 4, 1982 (age 41) Mogadishu, Somalia
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Ahmed Nur Said Elmi (m. 2009, div. 2011 [within Muslim faith], 2017 [civilly])[1] Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi (m. 2002 [faith-based], div. 2008; 2nd m. 2018)[1] See Personal life section below
Children	3
Education	North Dakota State University (BA)
Website	House website

Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. The district includes all of Minneapolis and some of its suburbs.

Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 on the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party line. In 2018, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, marking a number of historic electoral firsts: she is the first Somali-American, the first naturalized citizen from Africa, and the first non-white woman elected from Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim women (along with Rashida Tlaib of Michigan) to serve in Congress.^[2][3][4]

Omar is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has advocated for a living wage, affordable housing and healthcare, student loan debt forgiveness, the protection of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She has strongly opposed the immigration policies of the Trump administration, including the Trump travel ban. She has been the subject of several conspiracy theories, death threats, and other harassment by political opponents.

A frequent critic of Israel, Omar has denounced its settlement policy and military campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territories, and what she describes as the influence of pro-Israel lobbies such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In early 2019, Omar was criticized by a number of Democrats, Republicans and Jewish civil rights groups for comments about American support for Israel that they said drew on anti-Semitic tropes. Omar apologized for some of the remarks.

Omar was born in Mogadishu on October 4, 1982,^[5][6] and spent her early years in Baidoa, Somalia.^[7][8] She was the youngest of seven siblings, including Sahra Noor. Her father Nur Omar Mohamed, an ethnic Somali, worked as a teacher trainer,^[9] and her mother, Fadhuma Abukar Haji Hussein, a Benadiri (a community of partial Yemeni descent), died when Ilhan was two.^{[10][11][12][13]} She was raised by her father and grandfather thereafter.^[14] Her grandfather Abukar was the director of Somalia's National Marine Transport and some of Omar's uncles and aunts also worked as civil servants and educators.^[9] She and her family fled Somalia to escape the war and spent four years in a Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa County, Kenya, near the Somali border.^[15][16][17]

After first arriving in New York in 1992,^[18] Omar's family finally secured asylum in the U.S. in 1995 and lived for a time in Arlington, Virginia,^[12] before moving to and settling in Minneapolis,^[12] where her father worked first as a taxi driver and later for the post office.^[12] Her father and grandfather emphasized the importance of democracy during her upbringing, and at age 14 she accompanied her grandfather to caucus meetings, serving as his interpreter.^[14][19] She has spoken about school bullying she endured during her time in Virginia, stimulated by her distinctive Somali appearance and wearing of the hijab. She recalls gum being pressed into her hijab, being pushed down stairs, and physical taunts while she was changing for gym class.^[12] Omar remembers her father's reaction to these incidents: "They are doing something to you because they feel threatened in some way by your existence."^[12] Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old.^[20][12]

Omar attended Edison High School and volunteered there as a student organizer.^[21] She graduated from North Dakota State University^[19] with bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies in 2011.^[22] Omar was a Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs.^[23]

Omar began her professional career as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota, working in that capacity from 2006 to 2009 in the Greater Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. In 2012, she served as campaign manager for Kari Dziedzic's reelection campaign for the Minnesota State Senate. Between 2012 and 2013, she was a child nutrition outreach coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education.^[24]

In 2013, Omar managed Andrew Johnson's campaign for Minneapolis City Council. After Johnson was elected, she served as his Senior Policy Aide from 2013 to 2015.^[23] During a contentious precinct caucus that turned violent in February 2014, she was attacked by five people and was injured.^[9] According to MinnPost, the day before the caucus, Minneapolis city councilmember Abdi Warsame had told Johnson to warn Omar not to attend the meeting.^[25]

As of September 2015, Omar was the Director of Policy Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network, advocating for women from East Africa to take on civic and political leadership roles.^[23] In September 2018, Jeff Cirillo of Roll Call called her a "progressive rising star."^[26]

In 2016, Omar ran on the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) ticket for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B, which includes part of northeast Minneapolis. On August 9, Omar defeated Mohamud Noor and incumbent Phyllis Kahn in the DFL primary.^[27] Her chief opponent in the general election was Republican nominee Abdimalik Askar, another activist in the Somali American community. In late August, Askar announced his withdrawal from the campaign.^[28] In November 2016, Omar won the general election, becoming the first Somali American legislator in the United States.^[29] Her term began on January 3, 2017.^[30]

During her tenure as state Representative for District 60B, Omar was an Assistant Minority Leader for the DFL caucus.^[31][32] She authored or co-authored at least 266 bills during the 2017–2018 legislative session.^{[33][non-primary source needed]}

• Civil Law & Data Practices Policy
• Higher Education & Career Readiness Policy & Finance
• State Government Finance^[34]

In 2018, Republican state representative Steve Drazkowski publicly accused Omar of campaign finance violations,^[6] claiming that she used campaign funds to pay a divorce lawyer, and that her acceptance of speaking fees from public colleges violated Minnesota House rules. Omar responded that the attorney's fees were not personal but campaign-related; she offered to return the speaking fees.^[35][36] Drazkowski later accused Omar of improperly using campaign funds for personal travel to Estonia and locations in the U.S.^[6][37][20]

Omar's campaign dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and accused Drazkowski of using public funds to harass a Muslim candidate.^[20][38] In response to an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune arguing that Omar should be more transparent about her use of campaign funds, she said: "these people are part of systems that have historically been disturbingly motivated to silence, discredit and dehumanize influencers who threaten the establishment."^[20]

In June 2019, Minnesota campaign finance officials ruled that Omar had to pay back $3,500 that she had spent on out-of-state travel and tax filing in violation of state law. She was also ordered to pay a $500 fine.^[39]

On June 5, 2018, Omar filed to run for the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th congressional district after six-term incumbent Keith Ellison announced he would not seek reelection to that office.^[40] On June 17, she was endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party after two rounds of voting.^[41] Omar won the August 14 primary with 48.2% of the vote.^[42] The 5th district is the most Democratic district in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, (it has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+26) and the DFL has held it without interruption since 1963. She faced health care worker and conservative activist Jennifer Zielinski in the November 6 general election^[43] and won with 78.0% of the vote, becoming the first Somali American elected to the U.S. Congress, the first woman of color to serve as a U.S. Representative from Minnesota,^[3] and (alongside former Michigan state representative Rashida Tlaib) one of the first Muslim women elected to the Congress.^[44][45][46]

Omar received the largest percentage of the vote of any female candidate for U.S. House in state history,^[47] as well as the largest percentage of the vote for a non-incumbent candidate for U.S. House (excluding those running against only non-major-party candidates) in state history.^[47] She was sworn in on a copy of the Quran owned by her grandfather.^[48][49]

After her election, the ban on head coverings in the U.S. House was modified, and Omar became the first woman to wear a hijab on the House floor.^[12]

Omar is a member of the informal group known as "The Squad", whose members form a unified front to push for progressive changes such as the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all. The other members of "The Squad" are Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).^[50]

Template:U.S. Congress committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Education and Labor
• Committee on Foreign Affairs^[52]

• Congressional Progressive Caucus whip^[53]

Omar supports broader access to student loan forgiveness programs as well as free tuition for college students whose family income is below $125,000.^[54] Omar supports Bernie Sanders's plan to eliminate all $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt, funded by an 0.5% tax on stock transactions and an 0.1% tax on bond transactions.^[55] She will introduce a companion bill in the House of Representatives.^[56] In June 2019, Omar and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the bill No Shame at School to end marking of and punishments for students with school meal debts.^[57]

She supports Medicare for All as proposed in the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act.^[12][58]

Omar has said she is in favor of the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.^[59] She supports prosecuting federal officials who have been accused of physical and sexual assault of people in their detention.^[60] She supports the protection of sanctuary cities and a path to permanent status for DREAMers and their families.^[59] She opposes efforts to seal the border, calling Donald Trump's border wall plan "racist and sinful."^[61] In March 2019, Politico reported that Omar criticized Barack Obama's "caging of kids" along the Mexican border.^[62][63] Omar accused Politico of distorting her comments and said that she had been "saying how [President] Trump is different from Obama, and why we should focus on policy not politics," adding, "One is human, the other is really not."^[64]

In June 2019, Omar was one of four Democratic representatives to vote against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act, a $4.5 billion border funding bill that required Customs and Border Protection to enact health standards for individuals in custody such as standards for "medical emergencies; nutrition, hygiene, and facilities; and personnel training." "Throwing more money at the very organizations committing human rights abuses—and the very Administration directing these human rights abuses—is not a solution. This is a humanitarian crisis ... inflicted by our own leadership," she said.^[65][66]

Omar has been critical of U.S. foreign policy, and has called for reduced funding for "perpetual war and military aggression,"^[67] saying, "knowing my tax dollars pay for bombs killing children in Yemen makes my heart break," with "everyone in Washington saying we don't have enough money in the budget for universal health care, we don't have enough money in the budget to guarantee college education for everyone."^[67] She has also said, "By principle, I'm anti-war because I survived a war. I'm also anti-intervention. I don't think it ever makes sense for any country to intervene in a war zone with the fallacy of saving lives when we know they are going to cause more deaths. I also don't believe in forced regime change. Change needs to come from within."^[68] Omar has criticized the U.S. government's drone assassination program, citing the Obama administration's policy of "droning of countries around the world."^[62][63] She has said, "we don't need nearly 800 military bases outside the United States to keep our country safe."^[69]

In 2019, Omar signed a letter led by Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Rand Paul to President Trump asserting that it is "long past time to rein in the use of force that goes beyond congressional authorization" and that they hoped this would "serve as a model for ending hostilities in the future—in particular, as you and your administration seek a political solution to our involvement in Afghanistan.”^[70][71]

Omar has criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.^[72][73] In October 2018, she tweeted: "The Saudi government might have been strategic at covering up the daily atrocities carried out against minorities, women, activists and even the #YemenGenocide, but the murder of#JamalKhashoggi should be the last evil act they are allowed to commit."^[73] She also called for a boycott of Saudi Arabia's regime, tweeting: "#BDSSaudi."^[74] The Saudi Arabian government responded by having dozens of anonymous Twitter troll accounts it controlled post tweets critical of Omar.^[72]

Omar condemned China's treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uyghur people.^[75] In a Washington Post op-ed, Omar wrote, "Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards. And we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to repression in Saudi Arabia—a country that is consistently ranked among the worst of the worst human rights offenders."^[69] She also condemned the Assad regime in Syria.^[76]

Omar condemned the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, tweeting, "No person, of any faith, should be fearful in their house of worship."^[77]

While she was in the Minnesota legislature, Omar was critical of the Israeli government and opposed a law intended to restrict the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.^[78] She compared the movement to people who "engage[d] in boycotts" of apartheid in South Africa.^[74] During her House campaign, she said she did not support the BDS movement, describing it as counterproductive to peace.^[79][80] After the election her position changed, as her campaign office told Muslim Girl that she supports the BDS movement despite "reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution."^[81][82][79] Omar has voiced support for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[74][69] She criticized Israel's settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank.^[83]

In 2018, Omar came under criticism for statements she made about Israel before she was in the Minnesota legislature.^[78][80] In a 2012 tweet, she wrote, "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel."^[78][84] The comment, particularly the notion that Israel had "hypnotized the world," was criticized as drawing on anti-Semitic tropes.^[78] The New York Times columnist Bari Weiss wrote that Omar's statement tied into a millennia-old "conspiracy theory of the Jew as the hypnotic conspirator."^[85] When asked in an interview how she would respond to American Jews who found the remark offensive, Omar replied, "I don't know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans. My comments precisely are addressing what was happening during the Gaza War and I'm clearly speaking about the way the Israeli regime was conducting itself in that war."^[84] After reading Weiss's commentary, Omar apologized for not "disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used."^[86]

In an exchange with the journalist Glenn Greenwald in February 2019, Omar tweeted, "It's all about the Benjamins baby" in reference to American politicians' support for Israel and invoked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). A number of Democratic leaders—including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn—condemned the tweet, which was interpreted as implying that money was fueling American politicians' support of Israel.^[87] The Democratic House leadership released a statement accusing Omar of "engaging in 'deeply offensive' anti-Semitic tropes."^[88] The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) also denounced her statements.^[89] Omar issued an apology the next day, saying, "I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes," and adding, "I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry."^[88]

On February 27, 2019, Omar spoke at a bookstore and said of her critics: "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country." The statements were quickly criticized as allegedly drawing on anti-Semitic tropes of dual loyalty. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel said it was "deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens" and asked Omar to retract her statement.^[90] House Appropriations Committee chairwoman Nita Lowey also called for an apology and criticized the statements in a March 3 tweet, which led to an online exchange between the two. In response, Omar reaffirmed her remarks, insisting that she "should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee."^[91][92] Omar said she was simply criticizing Israel, drawing a distinction between criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and being anti-Semitic.^[93][94] Omar's spokesman, Jeremy Slevin, said Omar was speaking out about "the undue influence of lobbying groups for foreign interests."^[95]

Reaction among Democratic presidential candidates was mixed. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders defended Omar.^[96] Senators Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio regarded her statements as disturbing.^[97][98] According to The Guardian, election records archived by OpenSecrets "suggest a correlation between pro-Israel lobby campaign contributions and Democratic presidential candidates' position on the controversy."^[99] Some members of the Black Caucus believed Omar was unfairly targeted because she is a black Muslim, noting that "the Democratic leadership did not draft a resolution condemning Donald Trump or other white male Republicans over their antisemitic remarks."^[99] The second round of remarks prompted the Democratic leadership to introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism but without naming Omar. Following objections from a number of congressional progressive Democrats, the resolution was amended to include Islamophobia, racism, and homophobia,^[100] and on March 7 the House passed the amended resolution. Omar called the resolution "historic on many fronts," and said, "We are tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy."^[101] Some Minnesota Jewish and Muslim community leaders subsequently expressed continued concern over Omar's rhetoric and language and indicated that the issue remained divisive with Omar's district.^[102]

On May 20, 2019, protesters gathered in Times Square in New York City to call for Omar's removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “In my lifetime, I cannot think of any other politician who presents a bigger threat to the alliance between the US and Israel and to America’s Jews,” "Ilhan Must Go" founder and rally organizer Joe Diamond told The Jerusalem Post ahead of the protest.^[103] Across the street, a smaller group of counter-protesters organized by progressive Jewish organization IfNotNow supported Omar; "I’m just sick and tired of seeing this one part of the Jewish community try to silence those who criticize Israel,” one said.^[104]

Omar was endorsed in 2018 by the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBT civil rights advocacy group. In response to the endorsement, Omar stated, "I will fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in Washington D.C."^[105]

In March 2019, Omar addressed a rally in support of a Minnesota bill that would ban gay conversion therapy in the state. She co-sponsored a similar bill when she was a member of the Minnesota House.^[106] In May 2019, Omar introduced legislation that would sanction Brunei over a recently introduced law that would make homosexual sex and adultery punishable by death.^[107]

Omar supports a $15 hourly minimum wage.^[108][12]

In January 2019, amid the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Omar joined Democrats Ro Khanna and Tulsi Gabbard in denouncing the Trump administration's decision to recognize Juan Guaidó, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as Venezuela's interim president.^[109] She described Trump's action as a "U.S. backed coup" to "install a far right opposition". Omar added that the U.S. should not "hand pick" foreign leaders^[110] and should support "Mexico, Uruguay & the Vatican's efforts to facilitate a peaceful dialogue."^[109]

In February 2019, Omar questioned whether Elliott Abrams, whom Trump appointed as Special Representative for Venezuela in January 2019, was the correct choice given his past support of right-wing authoritarian regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala, his initial doubts about the number of reported deaths in the El Mozote massacre in 1982, and his two 1991 misdemeanor convictions for withholding information from Congress about the Iran–Contra affair, for which he was later pardoned by George H. W. Bush.^[111][112]

In May 2019, Omar said in an interview on Democracy Now! that U.S. foreign policy and economic sanctions are aimed at regime change and have contributed to the "devastation in Venezuela."^[113]

In February 2019, the FBI arrested United States Coast Guard Lieutenant Christopher Hasson, who was allegedly plotting to assassinate various journalists and left-of-center political figures in the United States, including Omar. According to prosecutors, Hasson is a self-described "long time White Nationalist" and former skinhead who wanted to use violence to "establish a white homeland." Prosecutors also alleged that Hasson was in contact with an American neo-Nazi leader, stockpiled weapons, and compiled a hit list. Prosecutors allege that Hasson's plans to commit domestic terrorism were inspired by Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik's 2011 domestic terrorist attacks.^{[114][115][116]}

On March 1, 2019, the West Virginia Republican Party held "WV GOP Day," an event to celebrate the Republican Party, at the West Virginia Capitol. An exhibitor, not associated with the GOP, displayed a poster at the event falsely connecting Omar to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, along with Islamophobic flyers. State delegate Mike Pushkin, in attendance at the event, said that no Republican delegates condemned the poster. The poster was condemned the following day by the WV GOP party, which said, "The West Virginia Republican Party does not approve, condone, or support hate speech." Omar pointed to the poster as an example of why she is targeted with violence, also citing white nationalist domestic terrorist Christopher Hasson placing her on his hit list and "Assassinate Ilhan Omar" being written in a Minnesota gas station.^{[117][118][119][120][121][117]}

On March 9, 2019, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro made what were widely condemned as prejudiced^[122] and Islamophobic comments on her show when she questioned Omar's loyalty to the United States because she wears a hijab.^{[123][124][125]} Fox also condemned the remarks and Pirro's show was not aired the following week.^{[124][126][127]}

On or before February 22, 2019, "Assassinate Ilhan Omar" was graffitied in a Rogers, Minnesota Holiday gas station restroom, prompting an FBI investigation.^[128]

On April 7, 2019, Patrick Carlineo Jr., an ardent supporter of President Trump, was arrested for threatening to assault and violently murder Omar. The threats were made in a phone call to Omar's office.^[129][130] In May 2019, Carlineo was released from custody and placed on house arrest.^[131]

On April 11, 2019, the front page of The New York Post carried an image of the World Trade Center burning following the September 11 terrorist attacks and a quotation from a speech Omar gave the previous month. The headline read, "REP. ILHAN OMAR: 9/11 WAS 'SOME PEOPLE DID SOMETHING'", and a caption underneath added, "Here's your something ... 2,977 people dead by terrorism."^[132] The Post was quoting a speech Omar had given at a recent Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) meeting. In the speech Omar said, "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us [Muslims in the U.S.] were starting to lose access to our civil liberties."^{[133][134][135][136]} (In fact CAIR was founded in 1994, but many new members joined after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.)^[136][137]

On April 12, President Donald Trump retweeted an altered video that selectively edited Omar's remarks to remove context, showing her saying, "Some people did something."^{[138][139][140]} Her remarks were first criticized by fellow representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas.^[141] Some Democratic representatives condemned Trump's retweet, predicting that it would incite violence and hatred. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Trump to “take down his disrespectful and dangerous video” and asked the U.S. Capitol Police to increase its protection of Omar.^[142][137]

On April 30, 100 black women activists held a demonstration in support of Omar in Washington in response to Trump's comments, urging Democratic leaders to formally censure the president.^[143] Speaking at the event, Omar blamed Trump and his allies for inciting Americans against both Jews and Muslims.^[144]

On July 14, 2019, President Donald Trump tweeted about The Squad, four Democratic congresswomen of color including Omar. Trump wrote that they should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough."^[145][146] On July 17, it was reported that the federal agency U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had listed the phrase "Go back to where you came from" as an example of "harassment based on national origin".^[147]

Also on July 17, Trump continued to attack the four congresswomen at a campaign rally: "They never have anything good to say. That's why I say, 'Hey if you don’t like it, let 'em leave, let 'em leave.' ... I think in some cases they hate our country."^[148] Trump specifically named Ilhan Omar and misrepresented comments Omar made in 2013, falsely claiming that Omar had praised al-Qaeda. As Trump continued that Omar "looks down with contempt" on Americans, the crowd of Trump supporters reacted by chanting: "Send her back, Send her back."^[149][150]

In 2014, Omar was named a rising star in the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party's Women's Hall of Fame.^[151]

She received the 2015 Community Leadership Award from Mshale, an African immigrant media outlet based in Minneapolis. The prize is awarded annually on a readership basis.^[152]

In 2017, Time magazine named Omar among its "Firsts: Women who are changing the world," a special report on 46 women who broke barriers in their respective disciplines, and featured her on the cover of its September 18 issue.^[153] Her family was named one of the "five families who are changing the world as we know it" by Vogue in their February 2018 issue featuring photographs by Annie Leibovitz.^[154]

In 2018, Omar was featured in the video for Maroon 5's "Girls Like You."^[155]

The 2018 documentary film Time for Ilhan, directed by Norah Shapiro, chronicles Omar's political campaign.^[156] It was selected to show at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Omar is Muslim and belongs to the Majeerteen clan from Northeastern Somalia.

In 2002, she became engaged to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi (né Aden). The couple applied for a marriage license, but the application was not finalized. They did, however, have a faith-based marriage.^[1] The couple had two children together before separating in 2008. The next year, Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen.^[1] In 2011, she and Elmi had a faith-based divorce,^[157] and that year she reconciled with Hirsi, with whom she had a third child in 2012. In 2017, Elmi and Omar were legally divorced,^[36] and in 2018 Omar and Hirsi were legally married.^[20] They and their three children live in Minneapolis.^[23] Her daughter, Isra Hirsi, is one of the three principal organizers of the school strike for climate in the US.^[158]

• List of African-American Representatives
• List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

• Official House of Representatives site
• Ilhan Omar for Congress
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart