Ilhan Omar Takes Victory Lap: Antisemitism Resolution First Vote Against ‘Anti-Muslim Bigotry’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) celebrated the passage of a resolution against antisemitism in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, even though her own antisemitic remarks triggered the vote, because it was the first time Congress had condemned “Anti-Muslim bigotry.”

The World Jewish Congress criticized Democrats for “watering down” language on antisemitism after including a variety of other groups that had little or no relation to the controversy. The resolution also failed to name Omar.

In a joint statement with Reps. Rashid Tlaib (D-MI) and André Carson (D-IN), the other Muslims in Congress, Omar said:

Today is historic on many fronts. It’s the first time we have ever voted on a resolution condemning Anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation’s history. Anti-Muslim crimes have increased 99% from 2014-2016 and are still on the rise.

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. At a time when extremism is on the rise, we must explicitly denounce religious intolerance of all kinds and acknowledge the pain felt by all communities. Our nation is having a difficult conversation and we believe this is great progress.

Omar neither retracted nor apologized for her own antisemitic comments, in which she claimed that Americans who support Israel owe “allegiance to a foreign country.” It was her second antisemitic outburst in recent weeks.

Omar and her supporters pointed out that she had been the target of anti-Muslim slurs, including a display in the West Virginia state legislature that portrayed her under the exploding World Trade Center on Sep. 11, 2001.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Eliot Engel (D-NY) called Omar’s comments a “vile anti-Semitic slur.” But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who appointed Omar to the committee, said Thursday she would not demand that Omar apologize.

Update: The House actually passed a resolution condemning anti-Muslim bigotry less than a week after 9/11.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.