Ilhan Omar’s pro-Israel Muslim opponent makes her ‘final argument’ - Washington Examiner

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has represented Minnesota ’s Fifth Congressional District since 2019 a district that has been represented by Democrats since 1963 .

Republican opponent Dalia Al-Aqidi is hoping to bridge the divide between the district's large Islamic population and its Jewish constituents.

Omar 's tenure has been embroiled in controversy over her comments about Jewish people and Israel , especially in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in which 1,200 innocent people lost their lives and over 200 others were taken hostage.

Al-Aqidi is pitching herself as a pro-American alternative to Omar , whose comments about foreign policy have been criticized as anti-American .

She criticized Omar for having “led the effort to defund the police” despite the fact that “in our district, carjackings, shootings, and break-ins have become the norm” She also criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s “open border policies” as well as efforts to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.

Al-Aqidi was deported from Lebanon by Hezbollah in 2015 after she launched a campaign called, “We’re all Christians ” in opposition to the terrorists’ persecution of Christians in the region.

“I was always a supporter of Israel way before October 7 , because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East , and I’ve always believed that there is no way to reach any solution while a terrorist group like Hamas is in charge,” she said.

She called on the Palestinian people “to choose a wise leadership” instead of Hamas .