The progressive wave of congresswomen after the 2018 midterms mobilized Republicans across the country against a growing popularization of unabashedly progressive ideas such as environmental policy overhauls, the end of mass incarceration, medicare and housing for all, and a wealth of other initiatives.
Few have taken the brunt of this opposition harder than Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN). A member of the famous "squad," Omar faces constant attacks from the right.
Perhaps most notably, bolstered by President Donald Trump, thousands of his supporters chanted at one of his rallies last year to "send her back," calling for the deportation of an American congresswoman who escaped war-torn Somalia in her youth. Not one to back down, Omar turned the phrase into her reelection campaign slogan.
Fox News' primetime commentators frequently insinuate that Omar isn't a "real American" and it only takes a quick scroll through her Twitter replies to see just how many people believe them.
Far-Right Fox host Laura Ingraham continued the xenophobic rhetoric against Omar in a recent segment.
Watch below.
Laura Ingraham warns that schools are being used to "turn your kids into mini Ilhan Omars" https://t.co/HLk96ZIkcN— Jason Campbell (@Jason Campbell) 1594260596.0
Ingraham said:
"Every subject, every extracurricular activity, will be perverted to turn your kids into mini Ilhan Omars. They're gonna learn that capitalism is racist, history as conventionally taught is racist, literature—most of that's racist, patriotic songs: racist, and the Declaration and the Constitution? Of course, they're racist. Are you sensing a theme here?"
She went on to say that the "three R's"—reading, writing, and arithmetic—would be changed to the "three C's": critical race theory, cancel culture, and community organizing.
Possibly unknown to Laura Ingraham, Congresswoman Omar's 17 year old daughter—Isra Hirsi—is an unapologetically vocal activist in her own right, with quite the impressive Twitter following to boot.
Hirsi responded to Ingraham's claim that education would be "perverted" to turn children into "mini Ilhan Omars."
i don’t think i’m all that bad 😳 https://t.co/T2yMVJ3aqR— isra hirsi (@isra hirsi) 1594315145.0
anyways school did not teach me anything, i did that myself
— isra hirsi (@israhirsi) July 9, 2020
The retort came just two days after Hirsi mocked Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for referring to her mother's "Marxist comrades."
didn’t know my mom was a comrade..... BASED https://t.co/fmdjqgejHS— isra hirsi (@isra hirsi) 1594170289.0
People praised Hirsi's response.
@israhirsi @TheDuhalde I love you so much @israhirsi. You are making me smile every day.— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib) 1594319493.0
@israhirsi You dropped this, lil queen 👑— Benjamin Dixon (@Benjamin Dixon) 1594328431.0
@israhirsi icon behavior— LIBERATE TRANS YOUTH (@LIBERATE TRANS YOUTH) 1594323446.0
@israhirsi that would be pretty ideal actually— shelby 🍓☁️ (@shelby 🍓☁️) 1594315287.0
@israhirsi how dare they teach kids facts even when it offends fox news viewers— haleyanmarie (@haleyanmarie) 1594319793.0
Besides, becoming a congresswoman is usually the reflection of a solid education.
@israhirsi My daughters are 19, 18, and 14, and if anyone ever called them mini-Ilhan Omars, they (and I) would tak… https://t.co/BP5jgitz7D— MarlaTaviano (@MarlaTaviano) 1594315599.0
@JasonSCampbell “Your child could become a member of Congress”— liz a loyal bayleydosstraps and dana fan aka fpimp (@liz a loyal bayleydosstraps and dana fan aka fpimp) 1594262022.0
@JasonSCampbell That's pretty rad if the low bar for public schooling results in a kid ending up being a congressperson.— Migisan (@Migisan) 1594260774.0
@JasonSCampbell Um...I have met and know Ilhan, as does my 11 yo daughter...they seem to not understand that this is a compliment.— Nate from South Minneapolis #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd (@Nate from South Minneapolis #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd) 1594262088.0
Truly scary stuff from @IlhanMN. https://t.co/DCnUFAVMF3 https://t.co/hoKMRUNV48— Waleed Shahid (@Waleed Shahid) 1594265010.0
Ilhan Omar faces her first primary reelection on August 14th.