Ilhan Omar touched on America’s international responsibilities by Khalid Hassan Yusuf

11:53 PM February, 24 2024

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There are those who attacked US Rep Ilhan Omar, on the basis of her statement that she would work to protect the unity of Somalia during her presence in the US Congress, as she had confirmed this during her speech at a celebration evening on the occasion of the inauguration of Said Abdullahi Deni as President of the Puntland Canton.

Her statement represents an honorable and legitimate position for her and is in line with the (declared) American policy towards Somalia, which calls for respecting Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the statement of American officials in this regard against the backdrop of Ethiopian transgressions that seek to impose a draft agreement concluded in early January 2024 with Musa Bihi Abdi, head of the separatist canton in Hargeisa. In light of the Somali government's rejection of the measure.

It is ironic that in light of the presence of American representatives, some of whom are of Jewish origin, who support Israel’s arbitrary policies against the Palestinians, their positions and statements in support of them do not find any objection from the American public or politicians, while the logical statement of Rep Ilhan Omar received great focus and great objection, after she met with him.Many Republican American politicians are trying to fish in troubled waters and try to undermine Rep Ilhan Omar, and their plots against the representative in question often end in failure.

These circles saw in the statement that it served the interests of Somalia and that Rep Ilhan Omar was working to harness the interests of the United States for the benefit of another country, which prompted her opponents to accuse her of betraying the United States, that she was working to harness her position in the US Congress for the benefit of another country, and that she had no loyalty. For the country and represents an external client!
While some demanded her removal from her position and deportation to Somalia.

Some of what was mentioned in Rep Ilhan Omar’s speech referred to was: “She is receiving calls from many people (Somali-Americans) who have raised to her the problem of Ethiopian intervention in Somalia and the pursuit of control over some of its lands and coasts, and the extent to which the American government can help in this regard"؟

In turn, she affirmed that what the American government will do is what we ask it to do (as Somali Americans), and that the coasts of Somalia cannot be controlled by others as long as it represents them in the American Congress, and that its supporters who contributed to appointing her as their representative should fear this, stressing What they want will be achieved by the American government, and they have the right to do so because they represent citizens and taxpayers. She added that Ethiopia had previously seized Somali lands, and this cannot be repeated"(1)

Rep Ilhan Omar was clear and responsible in her speech, which, of course, did not conflict with the interests of the United States, especially since the complaint that formed the entrance to her speech was received by her American constituents of Somali origin, and they are affected by the reality of the Ethiopian intervention in Somalia, which will destabilize security and stability in this country. The country, resulting in a deterioration of the security, economic and social reality, will result in a situation of external migration and its outcome will harm the Somali Americans who will bear humanitarian burdens as a result.

In turn, the United States will officially bear humanitarian burdens in the event of a political and military conflict in the Horn of Africa, not to mention that its foreign interests will be affected as a result.

Therefore, Rep Ilhan Omar vision represents a proactive response to the nature of the problem, which has reached the extent of requiring the UN Security Council to intervene in its details because it represents serious harm to international security and stability.

The irony is that the political opponents of Ilhan Omar’s representative, who mobilized their popular supporters, forgot that she did not bring anything unusual in American foreign policy, which stipulated that American representatives would play the role of lobbying for Israel, Ukraine, and others whenever that served their foreign political interests, so why not help an American representative؟ Is she of Somali descent, her country of origin, through official American channels؟

The campaign launched against the representative confirmed the extent of hatred and racism towards her and Muslims in general, and the desire of her opponents to target her. They bet on a wrong translation by her Somali separatist opponents of her speech in the Somali language, who stated that Somalis and Muslims represent her priorities and that the United States comes after her!

While this was not mentioned in her speech, and accordingly, they started from misleading information that ended them in an unenviable context, and despite the combined efforts of the haters, whether they were Somalis or Americans, the credibility of Rep Ilhan Omar has swept them all together, and they missed the fact that she is starting from the rules of the American political game.

Which allows it to sympathize with just international issues, including taking into account the sovereignty and unity of Somalia, regarding which three statements were issued by the US State Department. For its part, Ethiopia protested the speech of Rep Ilhan Omar, through its ambassador to the United States and his foreign minister, despite its undermining of the unity of Somalia, interference in its internal affairs, and transgression. His sovereignty over his lands.

Also, the entire hostile American political and media discourse that touched on the matter addressed the need for Rep Ilhan Omar to confirm her estrangement with her motherland and to make them sensitive to her speeches that affirm her Somaliness, despite her being a representative of Somali-Americans. They have forgotten that there are many Somali-Americans, and that their internal and external demands are... Of the concern of Rep Ilhan Omar and the Somali elite that has become part of American political life, and based on that, they must understand the rules of the American political game, which they want to harness for extremist partisan interests, and this is the real existing problem that Representative Ilhan Omar faces.

When Rep Ilhan Omar mocked the separatists and doubted their Somaliness and affiliation on the grounds that they wanted to divide Somalia and give its lands and coasts to Ethiopia, she was right, and whoever does this cannot be considered Somali.
Somalis must understand that it is not permissible to satisfy a Somali political or social component at the expense of the unity and sovereignty of Somalia as a state.

The matter constitutes a threat to their future, their existence and their identity, and Somalis in general must realize that there is a ceiling that their political and tribal conflicts cannot exceed.
This vision must represent the position of every Somali, as was confirmed by the statements of Ilhan Omar, who is keen on the unity and independence of her homeland.

1- Source: Speech by Rep Ilhan Omar, Universal TV, Minneapolis-US ,January 27, 2024, adapted.

Khalid Hassan Yusuf

Arabic Forum