"we have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban".
- Ilhan Omar
There’s a section of her book where — well, I’ll quote it directly: “I am, by nature, a starter of fires. My work has been to figure out where I’m going to burn down everything around me by adding the fuel of my religion, skin color, gender or even tone.” Couldn’t that kind of language be interpreted as a form of demagoguery? Why is it helpful to express yourself in those terms rather than, say, in terms of building things up? It’s metaphorical. There are many times when people will say, “Something you said has agitated this space.” And it’s like, no, it’s me just showing up that did it. There are times when I will choose to not show up, because I know that my presence brings about intensity that isn’t going to be helpful. There’s no one else that exists in a space where they have to deal with the hate of anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-Blackness, but also with sexism. People will say it’s my “tone.” I’m like, you’reagitated by my tone because you think people like me should be sitting in a corner, not heard and not seen. Everything that comes out of my mouth is going to be filtered through the lens of you despising my existence. That’s the metaphorical adding-of-fire. That was a thing in the
1Omar won her primary in August, earning 58 percent of the vote. Her main challenger in the race to represent Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District was Antone Melton-Meaux, a first-time candidate who had raised millions of dollars in his effort to unseat her.
Ilhan is divisive. My being given the mic to say anything is angering, regardless of what the hell I say. I could say, “Good morning,” and they’re already angry.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/21/magazine/ilhan-omar-interview.html
She referred to the attacks of 9/11 as “some people did something.”
- Ilhan Omar
