Democratic Party representative Ilhan Omar ousted from US Congress panel

The US House of Representatives has ousted Ilhan Omar, a Democratic lawmaker from the influential Foreign Affairs Committee. The House voted mainly for her bigoted anti-Jewish remarks on Thursday to remove her from a committee she had previously used to campaign against India. The vote was along party lines, 218 to 211, in the House, which was captured by the Republican Party in last year's election. The leadership and members of the Democratic Party stood firmly behind her.

Fellow Democrat Pramila Jayapal, leader of the Progressive Caucus, who is also a critic of India, said in an emotional voice that her exclusion from the panel was an attempt to silence her "strong and necessary voice" and an act of revenge. by the Republicans. A defiant Omar said, "We did not come to Congress to be silent," adding that despite the expulsion, "my voice will be louder and stronger."

The U.S. has seen an increase in attacks and harassment against Jews, and the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors the incidents, said it reached an all-time high with 2,717 incidents recorded in 2021. Omar is a member of the left-wing Democratic Party and one of four in a radical group called "Squad". One of three Muslim women in Congress, she represents a Minnesota constituency with a large number of Somali immigrants like her.

Two months after visiting Pakistan and the part of Kashmir it occupies, she introduced a resolution in Congress last June condemning India for what she called "violations of human rights and violations of international religious freedom." This resolution, which received the support of 12 Democrats, did not even pass a vote. During her visit to Pakistan, she approached the Line of Control and complained that Kashmir was "not being talked about as much as it needs to be in Congress, but also with the administration." She met with Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, whose office said he appreciated her "courage of conviction and her political struggle". Omar also voted against a bill in 2019 that would have shortened the waiting period for Indians for permanent residency or green cards, which extends for several decades, making the wait for many futile.