Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib said that people find it easier to attack fellow Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar due to her status as a black female Muslim in a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I think she becomes an easier target, is what I’m trying to say,” Tlaib stated when asked why there were strong reactions to Omar’s statements about Isreal.
“And that’s what worries me is that I don’t understand why others can say something probably is worse and probably stemmed on white supremacy can get away with it but then Ilhan, who is really coming from a place of disagreeing with the policies of the country of Israel, where my grandmother lives currently right now with inequality, is not treated with any human dignity. That if she speaks up, that it’s seen and because she’s Muslim and because she’s black, she’s an easier target for them to attack and target.” (RELATED: Minnesota Democrats Want To Topple Ilhan Omar And Nominate New Candidate)
Tlaib also discussed the fact that Democrats attacked Omar’s statements, saying that other members of her caucus have said worse things than Omar did, and got away with it due to their privileged status.
Rep. Omar suggested that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was buying support for Israel in a tweet, a statement that was widely condemned as anti-Semitic. Omar claims the tweet was simply her questioning a U.S. policy decision and wasn’t rooted in any hatred toward any people.
She also made news in February for another anti-Israel tweet she wrote in 2012, before she was a sitting member of Congress.
“Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel,” she wrote in 2012.