The speech didn’t stay uncontroversial for long, however, as she shifted to a more aggressive position.
Acknowledging the protesters outside, many of whom were expressing concern about her antisemitism, Rep. Omar said “I know many of them drove miles to get here, spent a lot of energy, and resources, and money to purchase the signs that they have. But I don’t think any of them realize that people like myself and many of the people in this room could care less about what they have to say — because we know who we are and where we belong.”
Rep. Omar turned back to New Zealand, saying that “many of us know this isn’t a one-off incident” and that many Muslims were “holding their breath” and waiting for something like this to happen.
She then blamed Trump for the massacre carried out by an Australian man in New Zealand.
“We all kind of knew that this was happening, but the reason I think that many of us knew that this was going to get worse is that we finally have a leader, a world leader in the White House, who publicly says Islam hates us. Who fuels hate against Muslims. Who thinks it is okay to speak about a faith and a whole community in a way that is dehumanizing, vilifying — and doesn’t understand, or at least makes us want to think that he doesn’t understand, the consequences that his words might have. Some people, like me, know that he understands the consequences. He knows that there are people that he can influence to threaten our lives, to diminish our presence, but what we know and what Islam teaches us — and what I always say, is that ‘Love Trumps Hate.'”
Addressing the ban immigration from terror hot spots, Rep. Omar repeatedly referred to it as a “Muslim ban,” despite the fact that it is not a ban on every, or even most, Muslim nations.
Speaking about the outrage over her remarks about Israel, Rep. Omar said that their faith’s “initial foundations were built by a prophet who was vilified” and had “stones thrown at him,” so “you know that when Ilhan is facing some… controversy… that is not something to be afraid of.”
Rep. Omar went on to angrily explain how Muslims are expected to be “good,” “get an education,” “raise their children,” and “not bother anyone.” She lamented that they are expected to not “make anyone uncomfortable” — but that even when they are “the best neighbor” people work on “finding a way to not allow for every single civil liberty to be extended to us.”
She then channeled her inner-Jeb Bush and whispered to the crowd that they can clap, which they obliged.
“It doesn’t matter how good you were if you can’t have your prayer mat and take your 15 minute break to go pray in a country that was founded on religious liberty,” Omar said to applause. “It doesn’t matter how good you are if you one day find yourself in a school where other religions are talked about, but when Islam is mentioned, we are only talking about terrorists and if you say something you are sent to the principal’s office.”
“So, to me, I say raise hell. Make people uncomfortable,” Rep. Omar said to the excited audience. “Because here’s the truth, for far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and frankly I am tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it.”
Rep. Omar urged the crowd to confront people if someone looks at them strangely. She explained that people are less hateful once they meet someone.
Approximately 17 and a half minutes into the speech, Rep. Omar addressed why she is so focused on Israel — though she did not say the nation’s name. She said that when she is having a conversation and someone asks her why she keeps talking about “this particular country” and not other countries, she said her “choice of a country to talk about is not my preference of country. It is based on what country is violating basic human rights.”
The speech received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Omar shared the stage at the event with Hassan Shibly, the executive director of CAIR Florida, who believes that Hezbollah and Hamas are not terrorist organizations and despises gay people.
The director of CAIR-Los Angeles, Hussam Ayloush, previously suggested that the US is “partly responsible” for the San Bernardino terrorist attacks. This seems to be a sentiment Rep. Omar could relate to, as she previously made excuses for a 2013 terrorist attack, claiming the incident which left 71 people dead and over 200 wounded was “a reaction” to “our involvement in other people’s affairs.”
Additionally, as a Minnesota state representative, Omar asked a judge to show leniency for a group of men who were convicted of trying to join ISIS.
“The best deterrent to fanaticism is a system of compassion,” Omar wrote in a letter to the judge presiding over the case. “We must alter our attitude and approach; if we truly want to effect change, we should refocus our efforts on inclusion and rehabilitation.”
One of the men she had asked for compassion for had told the judge, “I was not going there to pass out medical kits or food. I was going strictly to fight and kill on behalf of the Islamic State.”
CAIR has been named as unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorist financing case in U.S. history.
Rep. Omar has conveniently called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — as well as the Department of Homeland Security — to be defunded.