The Washington Post | In Minnesota, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments cause pain and confusion
Contributed Reporting
Asked Friday about the controversies, several Somali Americans in Minneapolis came to Omar’s defense, particularly in light of a poster discovered this month at the West Virginia Capitol that featured an image of her underneath one of the World Trade Center towers in flame on Sept. 11.
“Ilhan has nothing to do with that. That’s not what America stands for,” said Abdi Ali, 40, who runs the Barwaaqo Juice and Coffee shop in Minneapolis’s Midtown Phillips neighborhood.
Of the criticism Omar faces, Ali said: “I think Ilhan is a soft target because of her background — being Muslim, black, immigrant.”