By Vakkas Dogantekin
(AA): Messages of support continue to pour in for U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar after being targeted in a smear campaign led by the country’s president, Donald Trump.
Trump most recently targeted the Muslim lawmaker after comments surfaced of her talking in Los Angeles weeks ago about the Islamophobia Muslims faced in the post-Sept. 11 era.
Trump and Israeli lobbies such as The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have been waging a political war against Omar ever since she criticized AIPAC’s role in U.S. policy making.
They accuse Omar of anti-Semitism, an allegation strongly denied by the lawmaker.
Several leaders, activists, and faith groups, including the Jewish and Christian movements, also disagree with Trump and AIPAC.
They interpret the lynching process a systematic method of silencing any criticism of Israel and the controversial policies of the Trump administration.
Jewish Voice for Peace, an activist movement in the U.S., urged anyone who “support truth, justice and dignity for all” to stand with Omar.
Earlier, the same group tweeted that “Today, more than ever, Jewish Voice for Peace stands with @Ilhan under nearly constant attack by far right politicians and not defended nearly enough by fellow Democrats. Show her support NOW.”
“Shabbat shalom to @IlhanMN and our Black & Muslim family. The attacks on you from the President are violent and unconscionable,” said Bend the Arc-Jewish Action, a progressive Jewish movement in the U.S.
“Our Jewish community has your back. We will not be silent. We will keep fighting for a world where your faith & your leadership are respected,” Bend the Arc added.
More support for Muslim congresswoman Omar
One of the California representatives in the Congress, Mark Tokano, also raised his voice against Trump.
“Shame on @POTUS [President of the U.S.) for inciting hatred against @IlhanMN [Ilhan Omar] and the Muslim community. His desperate attempt to distract from his failures is dangerous and contrary to our values. I condemn his life-threatening attack on my colleague and stand with her & our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Tokano tweeted.
San Antonio mayor and a presidential hopeful in 2020 U.S. elections, Julian Castro also slammed Trump.
“I am grateful for @IlhanMN’s courage and leadership and I stand with her – and with others targeted by the President’s anti-Muslim rhetoric,” Castro tweeted.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter released a statement early April from his non-profit Carter Foundation in support of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is viewed as a threat by the Israeli lobbies.
The BDS works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law, according to its website.
Supported by Omar and countless other leaders in the U.S., BDS is considered by Israel as the most effective and dangerous platform against Israeli ambitions and image in the world.
“Under our Constitution, people and legal entities have the right to express political views without fear of consequences,” Carter said in his statement.
“U.S. courts have protected the right of individuals to participate in boycotts as a form of political protest. The same protection applies to the right to advocate or oppose BDS. The House of Representatives should reject this unconstitutional bill,” Carter added.
[Photo: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Photographer: Leopaltik1242/Creative Commons]
