Who are Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib, 2 US lawmakers announcing boycott of PM Modi’s address

New Delhi: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, two US Congress lawmakers, have made headlines by announcing their boycott of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to joint session of the US Congress. As PM Modi is on an official state visit to the USA and is scheduled to address the US Congress on 22nd June, the two Muslim Congresswomen from the Democratic Party have chosen to boycott his speech.

Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota’s 5th District, has been vocal in her criticism of Modi’s government, accusing it of “repressing minorities, emboldening Hindu nationalist groups, and targeting journalists/human rights advocates with impunity.” Instead of attending the address, she will hold a briefing with human rights groups to discuss what she perceives as Modi govt’s record of repression and violence.

Rashida Tlaib, the Congresswoman from Michigan’s 12th District, has taken an even stronger stance by calling PM Modi’s visit “shameful.” Tlaib is known for her anti-Israel rhetoric and has been involved in propagating anti-India propaganda on the issue of Kashmir.

Who are Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib?

Ilhan Omar, a former refugee from Somalia, has faced controversy throughout her political career. She has been accused of harboring Islamist views and promoting false Muslim victimhood. Omar has been criticized for trivializing the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and has faced backlash for her frequent rants against Israel. She once stated just because “some people did something” (9/11), Muslims have started to lose civil rights in the USA. Her visit to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and meetings with former Prime Minister Imran Khan drew criticism from India and led to a distancing by the US White House. In February of this year, Ilhan Omar faced repercussions for her frequent criticism of Israel, resulting in her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

There have been claims that Ilhan Omar married her own biological brother, a topic that was raised during the 2020 election campaign by former President Donald Trump. While these claims have been acknowledged by some Somali leaders, they remain controversial.

Rashida Tlaib, on the other hand, has a track record of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments. She participated in events and panels in 2021 that propagated anti-India narratives on Kashmir and has associated with organizations linked to Islamic terror sympathizers. This panel was linked to Sound Vision, an organization based in Chicago and connected to the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). The ICNA has notorious ties to terror groups such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Tlaib is an anti-Semite who denies Israel’s right to exist. She planned an event at the US Capitol calling the foundation of Israel a ‘catastrophe.’ Tlaib’s political career has largely revolved around spreading hatred against Israel.