Rep. IIhan Omar

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

    During President Trump's state of the union address 2019, there was a mention and applause with the high amount of women who have been elected in the democratic cabinet congress. This is really quite an achievement, because whilst I continue to believe that the voices of men are as important as women's, women have historically and to the present day experienced barriers, that really do prevent them from attaining specific goals, or enter fields / professions that tend to be male dominated. Of course there are barriers within the criteria of being a woman, that further divide women as to which woman, or what kind of woman should be expected to rise. For instance: other factors can come to play, such as skin color, religion, faith, (dis) ability. A current good example to demonstrate my thoughts can be associated with Democratic representative for Minnesota IIhan Omar. She was blasted for tweets that were viewed as anti-semitic. Whilst I believe that fellow politicians, law-makers, have a right to oppose what she has said, including groups within America, I wondered what if a woman who was not a Muslim, and who was not wearing a head-scarf (hijab)said the same comments. Would the response / reaction have been different? Given the various patterns of behaviour, thought, or dispositions held, it is quite likely that we can entertain the idea of discrimination upon Omar based on her belief, faith and being a person of color. However, there must be room to give IIhan Omar the benefit of the doubt, because we have to remember  that she is viewed as a freshman / newbie, entering congress. Who is now in the realms of public scrutiny for every utterance. At times can be equally pleasurable as well as frightening. 

    Of course the subjectivity is supported when we think objectively. America is an ally to Israel, just as America is an Ally to many other foreign nations. We have to think, is America Israel? If America was Israel, then why is America not called Israel? The fact is that America is named America, because that is the identification for the nation of America. But this is not about being pro-Israeli, or not, but rather to be mindful that Jewish communities are citizens, and contributors to America. Their presence is valued. Just as Muslim are citizens and contributors in America, whose presence should also be considered of value to America. 

    We are all learners. Life long learners. Just because someone obtains a paid position, does not mean that one has perfected that position, or the duties and responsibilities associated with the position. So instead of using the comments to bash a politician who has sworn the oath, why not use these as teachable moments, to teach, and the opportunity to strengthen relations with diverse politicians / lawmakers. As well as the communities that they serve. We have to remember that the elected official is a representative of societal populations, the least the critics can do is to commend her for her public apology. 

     IIhan Omar is also presented with an opportunity to learn about Anti-semitism, the cycles of trauma, and the very real effects. Which can also be related to the recent chemical gas attacks / warfare in Syria, which I have also compared to the Nazi occupation in earlier writings. Omar's opportunity, regardless of political affiliation offers another opportunity for the Muslim woman, and voice as positioned in America, to attempt to break down certain stereotypes associated with Islamaphobia. Because if we think about these events from a critical stance, IIhan Omar is a very real face of America, where the existence and contributions of American Muslims should also be thought of as value, just as fellow Jewish communities. 

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand written on march 5th, 2019.
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