Somali-American Ilhan Omar is celebrating after becoming one of the first Muslim women to get elected to US Congress.
Omar – a former refugee whose family escaped the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya – won Minnesota’s fifth congressional district, replacing the first Muslim congressman, Keith Ellison, who vacated his seat to run in the state’s attorney general race.
Omar arrived in the US at the age of 14 after fleeing civil war in Somalia. Her campaign ahead of the mid-term elections was pegged on her experiences growing up, and the experiences of those around her. The 37-year-old politician called for universal healthcare and tuition-free colleges.
“I remember I took my grandfather to his first caucus,” Omar said in an interview with Elle Magazine, where she remembered her first brush with democratic politics in America. “I was his translator, both culturally and linguistically. I just fell in love with politics and with what it could do.”
Her election comes despite a study released by the New America Foundation and the American Muslim Institution, which found that around two in five Americans thought Islam was incompatible with American values, and that a similar number believed Muslims were not as patriotic as other citizens.
Somalis and Kenyans have widely congratulated Omar for her achievement.
When your heart is in the right place with regards to serving, you’ll overcome all the odds! Congratulations to her.
— Tabby Mwangi (@Redemee) November 7, 2018
The first Somali-American congresswoman,,Ilhan Omar. A million congratulations to Somali people worldwide, this is just to show that with enough dedication and determination, anything and everything is possible!! #IlhanOmar @IlhanMN pic.twitter.com/yv6j6PWNdb
— 和丹 Dr Hodan Osman (@DrHodanOsman) November 7, 2018
Congratulations @IlhanMN Ilhan Omar escaped war-torn Somalia and grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp. Her family immigrated to America with nothing. And tonight she became the first Somali American congresswoman in US history!#wadadapamoja #Inspire pic.twitter.com/azdUX1UnHw
— Wadada Pamoja (@WPamoja) November 7, 2018
Best wishes and Congratulations, Ilhan Omar we proud to you as a Somali nation
— Shure Madobe (@MadobeShure) November 7, 2018
What great news to wake up to this morning. Congrats to my sisters @IlhanMN and @hodan4house.Ilhan becomes the first Somali-American congresswoman and Hodan wins a seat in Minnesota House Of Representatives.#SomaliSucessStory pic.twitter.com/aT8puZfM5Y
— Mohamd Ahmd Cantoobo (@Cantoobo) November 7, 2018
