Ilhan Omar: Islamophobic remarks by Lauren Boebert are “no laughing matter”
Washington (QNN)- Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota said the Islamophobic remarks by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert are “no laughing matter”, demanding action from congressional leaders.
“Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter,” the Minnesota Democrat tweeted.
“[House Republican leader] Kevin McCarthy and [Speaker] Nancy Pelosi need to take appropriate action, normalising this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress.”
Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter. @GOPLeader and @SpeakerPelosi need to take appropriate action, normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress. https://t.co/A0VxI3uTmH pic.twitter.com/QTmqaGaZrM
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
Lauren Boebert made her Islamophobic remarks in her home district. She joked about encountering Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, in an elevator on Capitol Hill.
“Actually I have an Ilhan story for you,” Boebert told an audience, to laughter. “So, the other night on the House floor was not my first ‘Jihad Squad’ moment.
“So I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers. You know, we’re leaving the Capitol and we’re going back to my office and we get an elevator and I see a Capitol police officer running to the elevator. I see fret all over his face, and he’s reaching, and the door’s shutting, like I can’t open it, like what’s happening. I look to my left, and there she is. Ilhan Omar.”
And I said, ‘Well, she doesn’t have a backpack, we should be fine.’
The audience laughed and applauded.
“We only had one floor to go,” Boebert continued. “I said, ‘Oh look, the Jihad Squad decided to show up for work today.’”
The audience whooped and applauded again.
“Don’t worry,” said Boebert, “it’s just her staffers on Twitter that talk for her, she’s not tough in person. So … there’s a little bit of interactions with these folks.”
Over the Thanksgiving break, Lauren Boebert said she was recently in a Capitol elevator with Ilhan Omar when a fretful Capitol police officer ran up.
Lauren Boebert said: “Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine.”
Boebert then called Ilhan Omar, “jihad squad.” pic.twitter.com/Y7f0nFbnud
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 25, 2021
The remarks raised calls for Boebert to face formal censure.
In response to those remarks, Omar said Boebert “shamefully defecates and defiles the House”.
“Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout. Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation,” she tweeted.
Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.
Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation. https://t.co/S1APT7RbqW
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
In the face of widespread condemnation and backlash, Boebert later tweeted an apology “to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Representative Omar.”
She also claimed she had “reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.”
I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) November 26, 2021
