Elmi moved back to London. "[151] The second round of remarks prompted the Democratic leadership to introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism that did not specifically refer to Omar. Omar "was living with her current husband, Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, throughout her entire legal marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, contradicting the story she tells to explain her multiple marriages," the Washington Examiner reported Sunday based on an extensive review of local records such as speeding tickets that display addresses. The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board said the first-term congresswoman also must pay the state a $500 . "[123][129] The comment, particularly the notion that Israel had "hypnotized the world", was criticized as drawing on antisemitic tropes. [79] Omar won the primary with 50.3% of the vote to Samuels's 48.2%, a margin of less than 2,500 votes. In 2009, she married a man named Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom she ultimately divorced in 2017. "Marriage Discrepancy Clouds Ilhan Omar's Historic Primary Victory." But lease and eviction records and traffic violations reviewed by The Post suggest Elmi was in the US the whole time living just 2.6 miles away from her at an apartment in downtown Minneapolis. [128], In 2018, Omar came under criticism for statements she made about Israel before she was in the Minnesota legislature. Omar is depicted with Hirsi and their children on Omar's campaign website here. On Wednesday, Trump was on the White House lawn when he made the comment. The FBI is looking into reports that Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) married her brother in order to ease his immigration to the U.S., the New York Post reported on Sunday. The couple had two children. Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006. No one named Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who is three years younger than Omar, could be seen listed in the documents. ", "Florida Republican condemned for suggesting Ilhan Omar be executed for treason", "Florida Primary Election Results: 13th Congressional District", "Trump under fire for racially-charged tweets against congresswomen", "House Votes To Condemn Trump's 'Racist Comments', "Federal agency: "Go back to where you came from" is discrimination", "Trump slams congresswomen; crowd roars, 'Send her back! [105] In a Washington Post op-ed, Omar wrote, "Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards. According to Omar's proffered version of events, she fled the Somalian civil war with her family in 1991 and lived for four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the U.S. in 1995. She released the first names of her six siblings in 2016 and provided a Star Tribune reporter with photographs of her and her siblings' original refugee resettlement documents and identification cards none of which listed Elmi as one of her brothers. [159][160] Less than two hours before the ban, President Trump tweeted that Israel allowing the visit would "show great weakness" when Omar and Tlaib "hate Israel & all Jewish people". The rumors allege that Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who some claim is her brother, as a shortcut for him to navigate immigration laws. [197] In November 2019, Danielle Stella, Omar's Republican opponent for Congress, was banned from Twitter for suggesting that Omar be hanged for treason if found guilty of passing information to Iran. After President Trump repeated an unsubstantiated rumor that Ilhan Omar's second husband was in fact her brother on Wednesday, there was fresh scrutiny on the Democratic congresswoman's tangled personal life and marital history. "[108], In October 2019, Omar voted "present" on H.Res. But as a British citizen Elmi could have studied at any university in the European Union or European Economic Area, and in some of those countries his education would have been tuition-free. Forliti, Amy. [80], Following Omar's election, the ban on head coverings in the U.S. House was modified, and Omar became the first woman to wear a hijab on the House floor. Also, if Ahmed Elmi were truly Omar's brother, why would he have needed to take the drastic step of marrying her in order to secure a path to U.S. citizenship? Two agents. In 2008 Omar and Hirsi reached an "impasse" in their relationship and separated (again under Muslim custom). "Scott reports that his sources told him, that Omar's legal husband was Omar's brother, and that she married him for fraudulent purposes, you mean like, coming into the United States maybe?". [192] Omar asked the court to be lenient with him. ", Trump poured more fuel on the fire in a Tuesday statement, accusing Omar, who came to the US as a young girl, of "abandoning her country" and saying "she should apologize for marrying her brother.". She co-sponsored a similar bill when she was a member of the Minnesota House. "[35], In June 2019, Minnesota campaign finance officials ruled that Omar had to pay back $3,500 that she had spent on out-of-state travel and tax filing in violation of state law, plus a $500 fine. The issue has raised questions about her relationships and allegations from conservative websites that her marriage to Elmi was a sham, intended for immigration purposes. [188], On April 7, 2019, Patrick Carlineo Jr., was arrested for threatening to assault and murder Omar in a phone call to her office. In January 2019, amid the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Omar joined Democrats Ro Khanna and Tulsi Gabbard in denouncing the Trump administration's decision to recognize Juan Guaid, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as Venezuela's interim president. [123] She compared the movement to people who "engage[d] in boycotts" of apartheid in South Africa. 18 August 2016. The unverified rumors that Omar married her brother originated from an anonymous user on a Somali-American internet forum in 2016, and have circulated around the internet ever since. Ahmed Elmi is Ilhan Omar's second husband who she married in 2009 in Minneapolis She had already been married to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi but only under sharia law - it was never recognized by. Despite a 2011 split, Elmi and Omar did not get a legal divorce until 2017. [70][71] Melton-Meaux was also endorsed by Minnesota's largest newspaper, The Star Tribune. In 2012, she served as campaign manager for Kari Dziedzic's reelection campaign for the Minnesota State Senate. Omar called the resolution "historic on many fronts" and said, "We are tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy. Ahmed Nur Said Elmir. 17 August 2016. It means "Inspiration" in Arabic. Elmi has campaigned in the past for causes in the country. They obtained. [193], In April 2019, Omar said that she had received more death threats after Trump made comments about her and 9/11, "many directly referencing or replying to the president's video". Elmi's social media account . [196], Two Republican candidates for congressional office have called for Omar's execution. The couple legally divorced in 2017. The post notes that Omar married Ahmed Hirsi in 2002. On Somalia What Trump said: "She smeared US service members involved in Black. Here are some of the key points from their report: In 2002, Omar, then 19, religiously married Ahmed Hirsi, but not legally. pic.twitter.com/v3VKm3ysLr, STRANGER THAN FICTION NEWS (@jonrohnson) February 14, 2019. [194] In August 2019, she published an anonymous threat she had received of being shot at the Minnesota State Fair, saying that such threats were why she now had security protection. [186] She was organizing the event and was a policy aide to Minneapolis City Councilman Andrew Johnson at the time. WASHINGTON, DC The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reviewing claims Rep. Ilhan Omar married her brother, The Post has learned. "[106] She also condemned the Assad regime in Syria. (Omar and Hirsi have three children together, two born during their initial relationship, and a third born in 2012). Why would Omar commit a federal crime and risk a prison sentence (and possibly her own citizenship status) in order to provide her brother with the opportunity to apply for something he would already have been eligible to seek? In short, he claimed to simply be a . Since 2011, I am happy to say that I have reconciled with Ahmed Hirsi, we have married in our faith tradition and are raising our family together. In August 2016 Omar released a statement saying, "I have yet to legally divorce Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, but am in the process of doing so." Several months later, Omar filed for divorce from Elmi in May of 2017, and research indicates he now resides in London. "[94], Omar supports broader access to student loan forgiveness programs, as well as free tuition for college students whose family income is below $125,000. After objections by a number of congressional progressive Democrats, the resolution was amended to include Islamophobia, racism, and homophobia. In 2011, Hirsi reconnected with his first life partner once more. Jennifer Smith Her three siblings who were granted asylum by the United Kingdom are Leila Nur Said Elmi, Mohamed Nur Said Elmi, and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Omar and Hirsi were engaged in 2002 but never legally married, having a Muslim ceremony instead, Omar said. [37][34] Omar was a Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. On August 9, Omar defeated Mohamud Noor and incumbent Phyllis Kahn in the DFL primary. Omar eloped with British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009. At the time, she'd already had two children with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi and had been married and divorced from him in sharia law but their union was never legally recognized. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Omar said. [242][243], Following a July 2019 tweet by Trump that The Squada group that consists of Omar and three other congresswomen of color who were born in the United Statesshould "go back" to the "places from which they came",[14] Omar and the other members of the Squad held a press conference that was taped by CNN and posted to social media. Ahmed Hirsi is an ex-husband of the US Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, Ilhan Omar. When Omar and Elmi separated in 2011, the congresswoman claimed she couldnt get in touch with him because hed moved to the UK and she didnt know where he was. [130] When asked in an interview how she would respond to American Jews who found the remark offensive, Omar replied: "I don't know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans. After marrying, they immediately moved to North Dakota and both enrolled at North Dakota State University. Ilhan Omar married her brother to help him immigrate to the U.S. [142] House Appropriations Committee chairwoman Nita Lowey also called for an apology and criticized the statements in a March 3 tweet, which led to an online exchange between the two. [169] In June 2019, she participated in Twin Cities Pride in Minnesota. "Poll: 20% Believe Barack Obama Was Born Outside U.S." [10][11] She has been the target of several death threats, as well as derogatory comments by political opponents, including Donald Trump, as a result of her background. [35][25], Omar attended Thomas Edison High School, from which she graduated in 2001, and volunteered as a student organizer. [154], On March 7, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 40723 to condemn "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry" in response to Omar's remarks concerning Israel. Coolican, J. Patrick. As the Star Tribune reported in June 2019, Omar filed joint tax returns with Hirsi in 2014 and 2015 while she was still legally married to Elmi. [192] In December 2019, George Buck, another Republican running for Congress, also suggested that Omar be hanged for treason. "[254], In 2020, HarperCollins published Omar's memoir, This Is What America Looks Like, written with Rebecca Paley. Omar and Hirsi got back together in 2012 and had their third child while Omar was separated from but still legally married to Elmi. [Minneapolis] Star Tribune. Jennifer Smith Only then will we achieve peace", "Ilhan Omar accused of supporting AIPAC after critiquing Assad", "Ilhan Omar: Sanctions are part of a failed foreign policy playbook. Hirsi, the father of her three children, remarried just 37 days after the divorce was finalized in November and Omar has been repeatedly photographed leaving the same Washington, DC, apartment as Mynett. Rep. Lauren Boebert revived unproven rumors sthat Rep. Ilhan Omar married her brother to commit immigration fraud. [132] Omar said Israelis should not vote for Netanyahu in the September 2019 Israeli legislative election. Why did Omar say in her 2017 divorce filing that she'd had no contact with Elmi since June of 2011 when she was seemingly photographed with him in London in 2015? President Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Minneapolis. Nur and other former Barre accomplices are living in the US illegally. Imam Makram El-Amin of Masjid An-Nur in Minneapolis said an Islamic marriage must include the officiant and at least two witnesses, preferably one from each side of the family, to be a valid. [102][103] In October 2018, she tweeted: "The Saudi government might have been strategic at covering up the daily atrocities carried out against minorities, women, activists and even the #YemenGenocide, but the murder of #JamalKhashoggi should be the last evil act they are allowed to commit. Prominent progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has for years found herself on the receiving end of a slew of incendiary attacks from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans including persistent but baseless rumors that she married her brother. [249][250][251] The campaign's contract with Mynett's firm became a focus of criticism by her Democratic primary opponent and conservative critics that received significant local and national media attention. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider [61] Omar won the August 14 primary with 48.2% of the vote. [60] On June 17, she was endorsed by the Minnesota DemocraticFarmerLabor Party after two rounds of voting. [25][99], On July 19, 2022, after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Omar and 17 other members of Congress were arrested in an act of civil disobedience for refusing to clear a street during a protest for reproductive rights outside the Supreme Court Building. [123] Then-The New York Times columnist Bari Weiss wrote that Omar's statement tied into a millennia-old "conspiracy theory of the Jew as the hypnotic conspirator". [2][4], In 2009, Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British Somali. (Screenshot/Power Line) In 2017, she filed for divorce from Elmi and said she hadn't seen him since 2012. [248] The divorce was finalized on November 5, 2019. Because the marriage was never recognized by law, neither is the separation, 2009: Omar marries Ahmed Elmi in Minneapolis, 2010: He enrolls atNorth Dakota State University to study fine art and lives with Omar as well as her first husband, 2011: Omar claims she and Elmi split this year and he went back to the UK. We also sent a list of questions to Powerlineblogger Scott Johnson, who responded on 25 March 2019 but offered nothing more substantive in support of the claim than inference and supposition. A frequent critic of Israel, Omar supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has denounced its settlement policy and military campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as what she describes as the influence of pro-Israel lobbies in American politics. 20:43 GMT 18 Jul 2019. [161][162][163][159] Omar said that Netanyahu had caved to Trump's demand and that "Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing". Omar then married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom she said is a British citizen, on Feb. 12, 2009, according to a marriage certificate issued in Hennepin County. He has been in Kenya for the last several weeks. This collaboration garnered almost half a million views. [38] During a contentious precinct caucus that turned violent in February 2014, she was attacked by five people and was injured. Politifact , the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have looked deeply into that question and none were able to reach a definitive answer one . Omar engaged in a civil marriage with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Joe Rogan accused of anti-Semitism while defending disgraced Rep. 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In June 2020, the "defund the police" slogan gained widespread popularity following the murder of George Floyd. Omar later clarified that she was referring to the well-documented influence pro-Israeli lobbyists, especially AIPAC, exert in Washington. Reacting to the murder of Floyd, the majority of the Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle the city's police department.