Omar Calls Out Senator Kennedy’s Bigotry as ‘Merely Scratching the Surface’

Rep. Ilhan Omar noted the importance of this week’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the rise in hate crimes since the previous October. The inclusion of testimonies on crimes against Palestinians, Muslims, and Arab Americans was a significant milestone. However, Omar also highlighted how the event demonstrated the ongoing prevalence and acceptance of Islamophobia among top government officials, including lawmakers.

The Democratic representative from Minnesota addressed remarks made by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to witness Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute. Kennedy accused Berry of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and suggested she should be ashamed, using the phrase “hide [her] head in a bag.”

Omar emphasized in an op-ed published by The Guardian that Kennedy and his Republican colleagues couldn’t resist indulging in anti-Muslim hate speech during a hearing about the spike in hate crimes. She pointed out that the American public was given a clear display of the hearing’s purpose: to bring attention to the normalization of hate speech.

Omar commended Berry’s dignified and sensitive response to the offensive remarks, as she stood against hate speech and violence towards all groups. This was a marked departure from Congress’s approach to bigotry since October, when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel.

Omar observed that while antisemitism has prompted many Congressional hearings, this was the first one since October 7 that addressed hate aimed at Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Americans. She stressed the need to condemn bigotry in all its forms and lamented the frequent neglect of hate speech against these groups.

Berry argued during the hearing that hatred towards any one group is indistinguishable from hatred towards all, advocating for a collective and collaborative approach to combating hate.

Omar pointed out that not only Kennedy’s comments but also those of Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) revealed Congress’s acceptance of hatred against Muslims and Arab Americans.

Graham dismissed the inclusion of any form of bigotry other than antisemitism in his opening remarks. Meanwhile, Cruz claimed that the Democratic Party has a “pro-Hamas wing,” referring to those who question the Israeli military’s U.S.-backed assault on Gaza. This conflict resulted in over 41,000 deaths, primarily civilians, since the previous October.

Omar wrote that Islamophobia appeals to their voter base, and therefore, they are determined to incite hate speech, even at the expense of communities across the country that they consider ‘other,’ including their own constituents. She argued that despite his offensive comments, Kennedy will face no repercussions due to his power, position, privilege, and incompetence, which is why we must call out this hate speech to invoke change and ensure the safety of Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian American communities.

Omar stated that Kennedy’s comments warrant unequivocal condemnation from every single sitting member of Congress, highlighting the severe concerns they raise about the normalization of Islamophobic hate speech in the United States.

Several rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Center for American Progress, and the ACLU, have denounced the senators’ statements. However, there has been limited condemnation from their colleagues.

Omar cautioned that failing to widely condemn Kennedy’s comments could have real-world repercussions, referring to the violent attacks that Arab Americans have experienced since the previous October. In the aftermath of Israel’s assault on Gaza, three Palestinian students were shot in Vermont, leaving one paralyzed. Shortly after, six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, a Palestinian American, was killed in Chicago.

As Omar’s op-ed was published on Friday, the right-leaning National Review released a political cartoon depicting Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) with an exploding pager, referencing Israel’s recent bombings in Lebanon using communication devices. Dearborn, Michigan mayor and rights advocate Abdullah Hammoud condemned the illustration as “utterly disgraceful.”

“As someone who has repeatedly been the target of death threats and offensive Islamophobic speech, I understand the harm of hate speech firsthand,” said Omar. “This speech is eroding our democracy, the fabric of our communities, and the future of our country.”

If Kennedy felt comfortable enough to publicly accuse an Arab American rights advocate of backing terrorism during an official hearing, Omar suggested that Islamophobia is becoming increasingly widespread within Congress and the Republican Party.

Omar declared that Kennedy’s comments were merely the beginning of a larger issue. She emphasized the need for everyone to call out hate speech wherever it appears because combatting bigotry in all its forms means addressing every instance of it.