By Farrah Hassen
In her latest act of demonizing Muslims, Rep. Lauren Boebert recently insinuated at multiple events that Rep. Ilhan Omar could have been a suicide bomber because of her Islamic faith.
This might be business as usual for the Colorado Republican. But for Muslim Americans like myself, it’s another painful reminder of prevailing hatred in the country we call home.
In the past, Boebert has made other pointedly hateful anti-Muslim comments. She once called Omar the “Jihad Squad member from Minnesota” during a speech on the House floor, as well as an “honorary member of Hamas” on other occasions.
Boebert offered a non-apology apology on Twitter for her latest vitriol, but she refused to apologize directly to Omar.
More disturbingly yet unsurprisingly, Republican leaders have remained silent and refused to rebuke Boebert’s dangerous and bigoted rhetoric. Although House Democratic leaders have condemned Boebert’s latest comments, it remains to be seen whether they’ll issue a formal resolution or penalty regarding her statements.
Meanwhile, Omar has reported hundreds of death threats.
This episode isn’t just about an unhinged Congresswoman stoking the extreme fringe of the Republican base. The real issue is the ongoing normalization of Islamophobia in America, which has soared to frightening new heights since 9/11.
Islamophobia contains religious and racial components and generally refers to fear, prejudice, or hatred of Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslim. Islamic traditions, culture, and religion come to be viewed as threats to Western values, which often leads to hostility, intolerance, and discriminatory practices.
These views have become commonplace in our culture. Politicians and pundits routinely make false claims that Muslim Americans seek to replace the Constitution with “Sharia law.” Even more pervasively, Hollywood and the mainstream media endlessly portray Muslims as inherently violent or oppressed.
After 9/11, Muslims became the main target of U.S. government policies that resulted in racial profiling and FBI surveillance of mosques across America. And from 2000 to 2009, hate crimes against American Muslims spiked by over 500 percent, according to Brown University’s Watson Institute. People of Arab and South Asian descent who “looked” Muslim were also attacked.
Since 9/11, the world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims have had their religion conflated with the reprehensible terrorist acts of a few individuals. The Trump administration further exacerbated anti-Muslim sentiment through its policies, including the “Muslim ban,” which barred citizens of seven predominately Muslim countries from traveling to the U.S.
Twenty years after 9/11, a September 2021 report by UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute surveyed Muslim Americans and found that 76 percent had experienced Islamophobia recently. Close to a quarter of respondents identified “discrimination/racism/prejudice,” followed by “ignorance/misconceptions of Islam,” as the top issues facing Muslim Americans.
These survey results only confirm why Boebert’s Islamophobic remarks against Omar must be forcefully condemned, regardless of partisanship. Leaving this behavior unchecked would send a message that hatred against Muslims is totally acceptable.
Even worse, it may inspire more acts of anti-Muslim hatred on top of the over 500 incidents documented in the U.S. so far this year.
Regardless of whether it occurs in the halls of Congress or in our communities, Islamophobia must end because, just like other forms of hate, it has no place in a free and just society.
The Muslim American perspective is rarely sought out in public debates over matters of our own discrimination. In that context, Rep. Omar’s response provides a much-needed voice: “I know that when we proudly stand up for our values — when we celebrate the diversity of this country, and the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, others stand with us.”
Farrah Hassen, J.D., is a writer, policy analyst, and adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at Cal Poly Pomona.
Robert McCrimlisk says
We should keep a good eye on Muslims. Remember 9/11
Pierre Tristam says
The column wasn’t up two minutes before we had our first bigot underscoring its point.
Concerned says
Exactly!
Deb says
Did you say the same thing about Christians after the OKC bombing? I would guess not, and that makes you a bigot and very anti-American! Intelligent people know that people who commit terrorist acts do not represent any true religious beliefs. But they count on people, much like you, to resort to gross generalities that use labels to stir up hatred and keep it going. The 9-11 attackers were not representing a religion; they were representing a government!
Makeitso1701 says
We really should keep an eye on trumps insurrectionists, white supremacists. They are the real threat to this nation. Remember January 6.
Henry says
What planet does this person live on? We are the most tolerant place on earth. Open your eyes and stop listening to the lies.
Jimbo99 says
If as terrorist group comes out openly as affiliated to a specific religion, their acts in the name of their deity, who am I to call them liars for identifying as members of that religion ? I do appreciate that warning as a proclamation though. As for the Boebert & Omar quarrel of that back & forth, other constituents elected them as their leaders, I don’t have to like the way that vote turned out, but am a victim just the same, forced to abide by the results on a National level. Just as the inflations of Biden-Harris is very real as a victimization of the 2020 election. I don’t perceive those results as enhancing my life either at this point, don’t think I ever will change that viewpoint. On a personal level, I hope that neither of these opportunists ever moves in next door to me. I also hope neither’s work affects me in a negative way. It’s a risk & threat that I choose not to be exposed to. I hope they can respect my position & guarantee they will not darken my doorstep with these issues or their agendas. I choose to opt out on standing in solidarity with either. I stand to gain nothing from solidarity, have more to lose when one side wins advantage. Certainly don’t want my status quo changed either.
As awful as Boebert’s words may or may not have been, this is Omar. I’m not the whitest white man in this world, but IO’s comments as a response is both concerning & disturbing. If authors in articles are calling out words. I have empathy for those that face discrimination, but get in line, I face those discrimination(s) too on a daily basis. When you realize, you’re never going to be on their team and always left behind, that you were nothing more than duped as a pawn to achieve another’s objective, regardless of how noble the cause is or isn’t. this world has reinforced that message over at least my lifetime.
Pierre Tristam says
Of course what Omar is saying is concerning and disturbing. She is referring to white, extremist terrorism, which is the leading cause of terrorism in this country, has been for two decades. She is pointing out the hypocrisy and absurdity of worrying about Islamic terrorism (or Islam, in general, as we see here) when the perpetrators of political violence (not to mention all sorts of other violence) in this country are white men, Exhibit A being the Jan. 6 insurrection. Here’s the full exchange:
Interviewer: “A lot of conservatives in particular would say that the rise in Islamophobia is the result not of hate, but of fear a legitimate fear they say of, quote unquote, Jihadist terrorism, whether it’s Fort Hood or San Bernardino or the recent truck attack in New York. What do you say to them?”
Omar answered: “I would say our country should be more fearful of white men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country. And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe, Americans safe inside of this country, we should be profiling, monitoring and creating policies to fight the radicalization of white men.”
Nothing she says is not factual and documented again and again. And domestic terrorism’s threat long pre-dates 9/11.
Fredrick says
so in Chicago we should fear black men who are doing the most shootings and they shoudl be profiled and monitored? And that’s ok? I just need to know the rules….
Jimbo99 says
I hope that as many shootings & murders that have already occurred are solved crimes. It doesn’t do anyone any good that those individual(s) are still at large.
Would like to see a FlaglerLive story on the Jussie Smollett trial. The comments would be equally interesting discussion on a real vs fabricated event.
Jimbo99 says
That was voluminous reading for links. That said, I don’t care what the descriptors of the perpetrator(s) are for any acts of crime/domestic terrorism, be it threats or actually carried out. Illegal is illegal, crime is crime, those individual(s) are unwelcome for those being motives in their hearts & minds. It’s bad enough that I might be an accidental coinciding in a public space to those presence(s).
I did find page 11 of the pdf link interesting, that the 2016 Orlando Night Club Shooting (Pulse) was listed. A dude named Omar Mateen was that terrorist and it was against LGBTQ, not the Muslim people that the shooting was committed against. What makes it even more ironic, Mateen himself was both Muslim & LGBTQ. I’m not going to spend more time trying to disprove/find flaw for each and every thing listed in linked reports. Both individual & mass shootings are zero tolerance. For example, when weekend Chicago murder counts are higher than mass shooting counts for BoB (black on black) murders. This madness simply has to stop.
https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/211209.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Mateen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting#Motive
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52984535
Laureen says
Rep. Lauren Boebert is my Hero. YOU GO GIRL !!!!
KathyS says
The ugly face of bigotry seen here. Laureen is bigotry personified.
Monica Campana says
I found Boebert’s holiday pic of her kids holding weapons by the decorated tree extremely threatening. White boys with guns are scary as the data shows. As Ana Navarro said “hope they used those guns to shoot up those hideous drapes”. Tasteless in more ways than one and not representative of what we aspire to be.
Timothy Patrick Welch says
Look and see how Muslims are treated in Christian majority countries.
Then, look and see how Christians are treated in Muslim majority countries.
How do you want to live?
Nancy N. says
I would like option 3: to live in a country where no majority discriminates against or persecutes a minority, which is the lofty promise made to the people of this country by our founding documents.
Sherry says
All these fear filled BS false equivalencies! Instead of lamely trying to justify (as FOX does) all the hateful bigotry in our country by saying that other countries and people are worse. . . we should be aspiring to live up to the great potential of ourselves, and of our Democracy.
Our evolving goals should include consciously and “actively” pursuing true “Equality”, “Equal Justice” and “Freedom of ALL Religions” each and every day, in every way . Each one of us can make a difference by returning to the ethics and teachings of such things as “The Golden Rule”. “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”.
The fear and hate mongers (bolstered by Russian and Chinese propaganda) on the extreme right, and the extreme left, are dividing us against one another intentionally. When we are not “United” we are terribly weakened. We become pawns of the corrupt political power brokers in our own country, and abroad.
When we stand strongly together against all forms of Bigotry, the ideals of Democracy shine brightly in the darkness of human oppression. What world are you consciously creating for yourselves, your children, your grandchildren? Do you prefer the soulless darkness of lies, fear and hate. . . or the light of honesty, courage and kindness? It really is up to each one of us.
Beginning with you, Laureen!
Happiest of Holidays ALL! Stay Safe Everyone!
Frank Wierenga says
The comments of one Republican woman is not reflective of all Republicans any more than the comments of any member of the squad, Polosi or Schumer.