In a long-running barrage of religiously divisive comments, Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) recently launched another salvo on Twitter — this one against Christian worship in public, over the Easter weekend, no less.
On Saturday, the Minnesota congresswoman — a member of the Squad, the group of young progressive Democrats in the House — retweeted a clip of passengers on a chartered flight singing a cheerful song about Jesus Christ. It was reportedly chartered by Kingdom Realm Ministries, flying between Georgia and Philadelphia, per Fox News’ reporting. While the plane was airborne with seatbelt signs turned off, a man stood up to play a guitar and sing, and other passengers joined.
Omar, however, was quick to retweet: “I think my family and I should have a prayer session next time I am on a plane. How do you think it will end?”
I think my family and I should have a prayer session next time I am on a plane. How do you think it will end? pic.twitter.com/5696Erwsl5
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 17, 2022
A Muslim woman of Somali descent who wears a hijab, Omar was hinting at the profiling of Muslim travelers after 9/11. The notion that public demonstrations of Muslim faith might cause a passenger to make some unfair assumptions is not completely far-fetched (recall the Juan Williams controversy from 2010), but her tweet also makes some unfair assumptions about passengers — and about religious tolerance in America generally. The backlash was swift.
Republicans pointed out that First Amendment rights in the U.S. permit Muslims to pray during air travel, with many airports having dedicated prayer rooms. “In America, Muslims can & do pray in public,” said Jose Castillo, a candidate for Congress in Florida’s Ninth District. Cicely Davis, who is running in the GOP primary to challenge Omar for Minnesota’s Fifth District seat, pointed to Islamic national airlines like Qatar Airways, which play Muslim prayers over intercom systems prior to takeoff (including on U.S. flights). No federal law prohibits prayer or music on flights, provided that safety procedures are followed.
Over Easter weekend, which coincided with Passover and Ramadan, Americans expected to unwind in a happy and collegial manner — respectful to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of all faiths. Even Ilhan Omar — known for such rhetorical hits as “all about the Benjamins, baby” and “Some people did something” — should have taken the weekend off from fueling division. Instead, she cynically used a group of Christians singing about God and love to attempt a clumsy point about Islamophobia.