Congresswoman Ilhan Omar calls Jewish Democrats ‘Islamophobic’ for asking her to explain why she said America and Israel are like terrorists.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Radical Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota let her Jewish colleagues in the Democratic Party known on Thursday that she stood by her comments equating America and Israel with the Taliban and Hamas terror groups and accused them of harassing her by being “Islamophobic” for asking her to explain herself.
A statement signed by 12 Jewish Democrat members of the House of Representatives released on Wednesday questioned Omar about her comments earlier this week in which she said: “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.”
Congressman Ben Scneider of Illinois and the other representatives questioned Omar for appearing to legitimize terrorism by putting her own country and Israel in with the Taliban and Hamas – both groups on the U.S. government’s list of terror organizations.
“Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided,” the statement read. “Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one’s intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.”
“The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups. We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the U.S. and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban,” the representatives said.
Omar accused her colleagues of going after Muslims.
“It’s shameful for colleagues who call me when they need my support to now put out a statement asking for ‘clarification’ and not just call,” Omar tweeted, and then accused them of being anti-Muslim.
“The Islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive. The constant harassment & silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable,” added Omar.
Omar said her statements were “not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel.”
“I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,” she added.
Last month, Omar said Israel committed an “act of terrorism” for retaliating to Hamas rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities, but refused to condemn Hamas or the rockets.
“Omar’s response is classic gaslighting: She spent weeks defending Hamas but now calls it ‘Islamophobic’ for colleagues to ask about giving cover to terrorist organizations,” tweeted Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor at Newsweek. “She says they are silencing her when they are literally asking her to clarify – i.e. to speak!”
Last year Omar was nominated as the “biggest anti-Semite of 2019” for “accusing American Jewry of possessing dual loyalty,” “submitting a resolution in the House of Representatives comparing boycotting Israel to boycotting the Nazis,” and receiving an endorsement from infamous neo-Nazi David Duke.
Omar was also recognized for her staunch refusal to walk back her anti-Semitic statements or express remorse for stoking Jew-hatred.