File this one under chutzpah…
Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar is raising eyebrows following an appeal to President Trump to use his influence to advocate for the release of a leader of an organization that is every bit as controversial as herself.
Despite her inexperience and brief tenure in Congress, Omar has found herself embroiled in multiple mini-scandals for her incendiary comments about the powerful American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as well as Israel and Jewish people in general.
Many have called Omar’s remarks out as anti-Semitism but both her party and its leader Nancy Pelosi have defended her as well as shielded the Somali-born congresswoman from even a smidgen of accountability for her actions.
She also loathes Trump which makes her request for the leader of the free world to intervene in Egyptian state security matters by pressuring Cairo to free Hoda Abdelmonem who was arrested by authorities late last year for her “activism” on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood all the more curious.
Omar took to Twitter to make her appeal to Trump:
I recently met with @jkbadawy and @thefreedomi to talk about Hoda Abdelmonem, a political prisoner in Egypt. I hope that Trump brings up her case in his meeting with the regime that has imprisoned her. We must work to #FreeHoda. pic.twitter.com/3KMPNd4Kfb
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) April 2, 2019
Via The Daily Wire, “Ilhan Omar Urges Release Of Jailed Muslim Brotherhood Leader, Report Says”:
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) advocated on Tuesday for releasing a senior member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) — which is designated by several nations as a terrorist organization.
“I recently met with @jkbadawy and @thefreedomi to talk about Hoda Abdelmonem, a political prisoner in Egypt,” Omar tweeted from her official Congressional Twitter account. “I hope that Trump brings up her case in his meeting with the regime that has imprisoned her. We must work to #FreeHoda.”
Not that it matters to Rep. Omar but the Muslim Brotherhood has been classified as a terrorist organization by several countries including critical U.S. Middle East ally Saudi Arabia and promotes what many believe are political goals that are inconsistent with freedom and modernity.
I just confirmed: Hoda Abdelmonem is a ***senior female leader**** of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Why is an American congresswoman advocating for an Islamist activist?https://t.co/J6ZrcODgcJ
— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) April 2, 2019
According to Jordan Schachtel of The Conservative Review:
I quickly confirmed that this was the same Abdelmonem who has for years been a member of the MB, which advocates for Islamist takeover of Egypt.
Abdelmonem remains an influential figure and a senior leader in the Islamist outfit, and the campaign for her release has been a top priority item for Muslim Brotherhood-aligned individuals, groups, and governments. Muslim Brotherhood-tied media networks such as Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and Al Jazeera have dedicated nonstop coverage to this issue, often falsely portraying the Islamist activist as a human rights advocate. Muslim Brotherhood-tied campaigners in the U.S. have continued a full-court press for Abdelmonem’s release.
Additionally, these same entities all remain fiercely opposed to the rule of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who in 2013 ousted Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated former president in Cairo. So convincing the president to call for the release of their Islamist ally would arguably chip away at el-Sisi’s legitimacy.
The left will likely pounce if Trump responds in a negative manner by accusing him of being Islamophobic and a bigot because that’s just the way that they roll.
As for Omar, this is one more example of her questionable ties that continue to plague her even though she has somehow managed to restrain herself from any overtly anti-Semitic rhetoric for the last few weeks.
