BBC News
December 15, 2021
Elhan Omar, a Muslim Democrat in the US House of Representatives, has been widely criticized by right-wing politicians, even former President Donald Trump, but has recently been criticized on the floor of the House. The House had to delete those words.
During a debate on a bill against Islamophobia by Alhan Omar on December 14, Republican Congressman Scott Perry erroneously claimed that Alhan Omar belonged to a terrorist organization.
Discussing the bill, Scott Perry said that the American people's money should not go to the terrorist organizations to which the architects of the bill are affiliated.
Congress later passed Alhan Omar's bill, which all Democrats voted against and all Republicans voted against, and Scott Perry's words were removed from the House.
What is said in the bill proposed by Alhan Omar?
The bill, dubbed "International Islamophobia Counter", aims to appoint a special envoy under the US State Department to report incidents of Islamophobia around the world to the State Department. ۔
This envoy will be appointed by the President and it is clear that such a representative already exists in the US State Department whose job it is to report anti-Semitic incidents on a global scale.
The bill has been on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for the past several months, but the events of the past few days have breathed new life into the bill, after which it was passed.
Following Lorraine Bobert's comments, Democrats moved a resolution calling for the committee to be revoked as punishment. In this photo, Democrats are speaking at a news conference after introducing the resolution
In late November, a video surfaced of Republican Rep. Lorraine Bobert calling Alhan Omar part of the "Jihad Squad" and calling him a terrorist.
She said she was feeling safe near Alhan Omar in a Congress elevator because the latter was not running away with her backpack on the ground. A few days later, Republican Marjorie Taylor Green called Alhan Omar a "jihadist."
Therefore, the passage of this bill is considered important in the light of the events of the last two weeks. Elhan Omar later said on Twitter that the passage of the bill in the House of Representatives was a major milestone for Muslims around the world and a strong indication that Islamophobia could not be tolerated anywhere.
"By standing up against hatred, you may be attacked, but we must not be afraid," he added. Stand firm. "
The passage of this legislation in the House of Representatives is a huge milestone for Muslims around the world and a powerful signal that Islamophobia cannot be tolerated anywhere.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 15, 2021
Standing up against bigotry might expose one to attacks but we shouldn’t coward. Stand tall. ✊🏽 https://t.co/e51Ao9NapV
Support for the White House Bill
The White House has also backed the bill, saying freedom of religion is a basic human right.
So it is clear that Democrat President Joe Biden will support the bill, but in order to reach it, the bill will still have to be passed by the Senate, where 50 of the 100 seats are held by Republicans, 48 by Democrats and Independent candidates have two seats.
Given Tuesday's vote in the US House of Representatives, it will not be possible for Democrats to pass the bill in the Senate unless they have some support from Republicans.
"We are surrounded by a huge increase in anti-Muslim violence," Omar was quoted as saying by Reuters. Islamophobia is global in nature and we must make a global effort against it.
Reuters contacted Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to find out what his party was doing to get the bill passed in the Senate, but he did not respond to a request for comment.
Democrat Elhan Omar is from Somalia and has been criticized by right-wing politicians and observers for speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Along with him, another Democrat, Rashida Talib, has been the target of criticism.
