From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Minnesota elects first Somali-American Muslim woman lawmaker
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleMinnesota voters elect the first Somali-American Muslim woman legislator in a state where the uneasy assimilation of large numbers of Somali refugees became an issue in the US presidential campaign.
Ilhan Omar, a 33-year-old former refugee who wears the hijab, ran uncontested for a seat in the legislature of the Midwestern state, home to a sizeable Somali population.
Her victory is notable in a campaign season that saw Republican Donald Trump disparage Muslim immigrants and refugees before going on to win the White House.
“Even though his message is supposed to function as a fear element in making sure that we don’t vote, so we don’t see ourselves as part of the American system, it’s had the opposite effect,” Omar tells AFP about Trump.
In the campaign’s final week the real estate magnate had blamed the Somali community for Minnesota’s travails.
“Here in Minnesota, you’ve seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with very large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, without your support or approval,” Trump told a rally near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
“Some of them (are) joining ISIS (the Islamic State group) and spreading their extremist views all over our country and all over the world.”
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.