Ilhan Omar Faces Tough Congressional Challenge from Fellow Muslim

In New York, Scherie Murray is running for the House of Representatives, looking to unseat Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and turn the seat red. Well, Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar (D), another member of “the Squad” will also be facing a tough reelection campaign, and her challenger is Republican Dalia al-Aqidi.

Al-Aqidi is a Muslim Iraqi refugee who has made waves in the political arena since announcing her intention to unseat Rep. Omar. Arguing that Omar “needs to be stopped,” Al-Aqidi added, “I truly believe that I’m strong enough to beat her at her own game” during a Fox News interview.

When speaking to the Washington Examiner, Al-Aqidi explained that she “chose to launch this campaign after thinking, watching, and researching.”

In commenting on the job that Rep. Omar has done on behalf of Minnesota and the United States, Al-Aqidi detailed that she thinks “that Ilhan Omar is doing irreparable harm to her district, to Minnesota, and to the whole country,” noting that “somebody needs to stop her” as “she continues to spread anti-Semitism and hateful rhetoric.”

During her early 20s and joined by her family, Al-Aqidi fled an Iraq governed by Saddam Hussein. She moved to the United States, became a citizen and she pursued a career in television journalism.

She felt motivated to run in the 2020 election because she believes that Rep. Omar’s “far-left politics are the politics of extremism and grievance and anti-Americanism.”

In making the distinction between herself and the incumbent lawmaker, she commented, “I have used my life experiences to expose oppression and boost the U.S. while Omar has done the opposite – stoking fear, inspiring hatred, inciting violence, and embarrassing America.”