World Ilhan Omar: The 9/11 row embroiling the US congresswoman by Barbados Today 14/04/2019 written by Barbados Today Updated by Desmond Brown 14/04/2019 2 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 290 BBC – A Democratic congresswoman says she will not be silenced after facing a barrage of criticism over comments she made about the 9/11 attacks – including from Donald Trump. The US president tweeted “WE WILL NEVER FORGET” alongside a video showing footage of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks spliced with a speech by Representative Ilhan Omar. “Some people did something,” she is seen saying, in between footage of planes hitting the Twin Towers and people fleeing the buildings. Republicans have accused her of downplaying the attacks, but Democrats have largely rallied to her defence, saying she had been quoted out of context and some accusing Mr Trump of inciting violence against her and Muslims. Here is how the row developed. Who is Congresswoman Omar? Omar won a Minnesota seat in the House of Representatives last November, becoming one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to the US Congress. Her family originally came to the US as refugees from Somalia and she is the first congresswoman to wear the hijab. You Might Be Interested In Bangladesh opposition demand new vote German mass data attack ‘known for weeks’ by cyber officials Trump threatens ‘national emergency’ over wall Despite being a newcomer to Washington, this is not the first time Omar has made headlines. She has been accused of anti-Semitism over comments she made about Israel and pro-Israel lobbyists. After being rebuked last month, including by Democrats, she apologised and said she was “listening and learning”. The congresswoman has also raised the alarm about anti-Muslim rhetoric surrounding her, in response to a Republican poster that showed her alongside the Twin Towers. Just last week, police arrested a 55-year-old man in New York state for allegedly calling her office with a graphic death threat in which he reportedly labelled her a “terrorist”. What did she say? The “some people did something” quote was from a speech Omar gave to a civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), on March 23. In the 20-minute speech she discussed issues affecting the community like Islamophobia and the recent mosque attack in New Zealand. The comments in Trump’s video were taken from a point she made about the treatment of US Muslims in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks: “Here’s the truth. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. Cair was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.” A spokesman for Omar told the paper that she misspoke and meant to say the organisation’s size had doubled after the attacks. Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like A$AP Rocky, Rihanna share emotional hug after not guilty verdict is read... 18/02/2025 Delta jet flips upside down on a snowy Toronto runway and all... 18/02/2025 At least 10 dead in US floods and heavy rain 17/02/2025