October 21st 2023.
Since the start of the Israeli-Palestine war, Muslim members of Congress have been facing a surge in death threats, a phenomenon that is mirrored across the country. Rep. Ilhan Omar has been particularly targeted due to her criticism of Israel's policy and her family's emigration from Somalia. Omar has since been briefed by the U.S. Capitol Police and the House Sergeant at Arms about the threats, as well as Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American.
In response, Omar issued a statement condemning the violence and the “dishonest smear” against Muslim Americans. She explained that the language and imagery used against her had real-world consequences, and that voicemails were left with “vile and profanity-laced death threats” targeting her children. Consequently, members of Congress have been assigned security details, and Omar has received worse threats since the war began.
In the summer of 2022, a man from Florida was sentenced to three years of probation and a $7,000 fine for emailing threats to Omar and her fellow members of Congress, known as “The Squad.” However, not all members of Congress have been supportive of Omar and her Muslim Democratic counterparts; Rep. Lauren Boebert referred to them as the “Jihad Squad” and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene labeled them the “Hamas caucus.”
The Center for American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim advocacy group in the country, has reported a rise in violent incidents, such as a message left at a mosque in Oregon reading “DIE MUSLIMS DIE!” and the death of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was stabbed 26 times by his landlord outside of Chicago.
This surge in threats and violence is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue. We must stand together to protect Muslim Americans and reject any form of discrimination or violence.
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