Ilhan Omar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ilhan Omar
Official portrait, 2019
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Keith Ellison
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 60B district
In office January 2, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Phyllis Kahn
Succeeded by	Mohamud Noor
Personal details
Born	Ilham Abdullahi Omar (1982-10-04) October 4, 1982 (age 42) Mogadishu, Somalia
Citizenship	United States (2000–present)
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Ahmed Nur Said Elmi ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2017)​ Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi ​ ​ (m. 2018; div. 2019)​ Tim Mynett ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	3, including Isra Hirsi
Education	North Dakota State University (BA)
Signature
Website

Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician. Since 2019, she has been the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. This area includes the city of Minneapolis and some of its suburbs. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Omar is known for being part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group that supports ideas like a $15 minimum wage, healthcare for all, and forgiving student loan debt. She is also a frequent critic of the Israeli government's actions in the Palestinian territories. Her comments about Israel have led to disagreements and accusations that she is being unfair to Jewish people. In 2023, she was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee because of these comments.

She is the first Somali American and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in the United States Congress. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

Early Life and Journey to America

Ilhan Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 4, 1982. She was the youngest of seven children. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, was a colonel in the Somali army. Her mother died when Ilhan was only two years old. She was raised by her father and grandfather.

When the Somali Civil War began, her family had to flee the country. They spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya. In 1995, when Omar was a teenager, her family came to the United States. They first lived in Virginia before settling in Minneapolis. Her father worked as a taxi driver and later for the post office.

At age 14, Omar started going to local political meetings with her grandfather. She acted as his interpreter. She has said that she was bullied in school in Virginia for wearing a hijab (a head covering worn by some Muslim women). Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17.

She graduated from North Dakota State University in 2011 with a degree in political science and international studies.

Early Career and Community Work

Omar with U.S. officials in Paris in 2017.

Before entering politics, Omar worked as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota from 2006 to 2009. She also managed political campaigns for other local politicians.

In 2013, she worked as a senior policy aide for Minneapolis City Council Member Andrew Johnson. By 2015, she was the Director of Policy Initiatives for the Women Organizing Women Network. This group helps women from East Africa become leaders in politics.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Omar speaking at a political event in 2016.

In 2016, Omar ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives. She won the election and became the first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature in the United States. Her term began on January 3, 2017.

During her time as a state representative, she was an assistant minority leader for her party. She helped write and introduce 38 bills.

In 2018, another state representative accused Omar of using campaign money for personal reasons. After an investigation, officials ruled in 2019 that she had to pay back $3,500 in campaign funds and a $500 fine. Her campaign said the issues were not intentional.

U.S. House of Representatives

Omar at the Twin Cities Pride Parade in 2018.

Elections

In 2018, Omar ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. She won the election with 78% of the vote. She became one of the first Muslim women in Congress. When she was sworn in, she used a Quran that belonged to her grandfather.

Omar won reelection in 2020, 2022, and 2024. In her 2020 primary, she faced a strong challenger but won with 57.4% of the vote. In the 2022 primary, she won by a smaller margin of just over 2,500 votes.

Time in Congress

Omar (second from left) with other female members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2019.

After Omar was elected, a rule banning head coverings on the House floor was changed. This allowed her to become the first woman to wear a hijab while speaking in the House.

Omar is a member of a group of progressive congresswomen known as "The Squad." The other members are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. They work together to support progressive policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

In July 2019, Omar introduced a resolution supporting the right of Americans to participate in boycotts. This was related to her support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which targets Israel.

Committee Work

For the 118th Congress, Omar serves on these committees:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
• Committee on the Budget

What Ilhan Omar Believes In

Omar speaking during her 2020 re-election campaign.

Omar's political positions are generally considered progressive. This means she supports major social and political change.

Healthcare and Education

Omar supports Medicare for All, a plan for a single-payer healthcare system. She also supports making college tuition free for families who earn less than $125,000 a year. She introduced a bill to get rid of all student loan debt in the country.

Foreign Policy

Omar has been a strong critic of Saudi Arabia's human rights record. She has also criticized China's treatment of its Uyghur people. She believes the U.S. should be consistent in how it treats all countries that violate human rights.

She has also called for less U.S. military spending. She believes the money used for wars could be better spent on things like healthcare and education at home.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Omar is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian people. She has criticized the Israeli government for building settlements in the West Bank. She also supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Her comments about Israel and its supporters have caused controversy. In 2012, she tweeted that "Israel has hypnotized the world." Critics said this used an old, harmful stereotype about Jewish people. She later apologized for using the stereotype without realizing its history.

In 2019, she made comments suggesting that money from pro-Israel lobbying groups, like AIPAC, influenced American politicians. Many leaders from both parties said her comments were offensive. Omar apologized but stood by her criticism of lobbying in politics.

Because of her past comments, the House of Representatives voted in February 2023 to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

In August 2019, Israel banned Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib from entering the country. The decision came after then-President Donald Trump said it would show "great weakness" to let them visit.

Personal Life

Omar has three children. Her oldest daughter, Isra Hirsi, is a well-known climate activist.

In 2018, Omar married Ahmed Hirsi. They divorced in 2019. In March 2020, she married Tim Mynett, a political consultant.

In 2020, Omar published a memoir called This Is What America Looks Like.

Electoral history

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

See also

In Spanish: Ilhan Omar para niños

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of Muslim members of the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

Images for kids

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  Omar at a rally for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2020.

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  Omar speaking at a worker protest against Amazon in December 2018.