9/11 victim's son slams Ilhan Omar at memorial service over 'some people did something' remark, says 'we know who'
For first-time Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, there has been no dearth of controversy in her short political career. The 36-year-old Minnesota Representative was recently in the news because of trouble in her marital life. A member of the Squad, Omar has also found herself in the middle of political storms and on September 11, the list got extended after the kin to a victim of the 9/11 attacks lashed out at her over one of her past remarks about the event.
Nicholas Haros Jr, who runs an online Catholic organization called ‘Facebook Apostles’, lost his mother, Frances Haros, in the devastating terror attacks 18 years ago. Frances, who was 76 then, worked as a receptionist in a securities brokerage firm in the South Tower at the time of the attacks. Nearly 3,000 people were killed while several thousand others were injured after 19 terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and targeted various symbols like the iconic World Trade Center. It is the biggest ever attack on the American soil and had changed the dynamics of the country’s foreign policy for ever.
In March, Omar said before the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that the organization was founded after 9/11 (though it was founded in 1994 and its membership shot up after 9/11) when it was recognized that “some people did something." Haros Jr sported a shirt at an event commemorating the attacks’ 18th anniversary that had Omar’s controversial words “Some people did something” printed on it. The man stopped while reading the names of all those who died in the tragedy during the Ground Zero service and took on Omar.
'Why your confusion?'
“Madam, objectively speaking, we know who and what was done. There is no uncertainty about that. Why your confusion?” Haros Jr asked.
“On that day, 19 Islamic terrorist members of al Qaeda killed over 3,000 people and caused billions of dollars of economic damage. Is that clear?”
He continued amid cheers from even armed policemen. “But as to whom, I was attacked, your relatives and friends were attacked, our constitutional freedoms were attacked and our nation’s founding on Judeo-Christian principles were attacked. That's what some people did. Got that now?”
Haros Jr further said: “We are here today, Congresswoman, to tell you and the Squad just who did what to whom. Show respect in honoring them, please. American patriotism and your position demand it.”
He concluded his passionate speech by saying: “For God and country, Amen” and made the sign of the cross. Besides Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan complete the Squad. The four colored Congresswomen have found themselves at odds with not only the Republicans and President Donald Trump but also Nancy Pelosi of their own Democratic Party.
For Haros Jr, this is not the first time he has targeted politicians on a 9/11 anniversary. He did the same in 2018 as well, asking politicians to stop using the victims of the terror attack as “props."
In a touching statement, he said: “Stop. Stop. Please stop using the bones and ashes of our loved ones as props for your political theater. Their lives, sacrifices and death are worth so much more. Let’s not trivialize them or us. It hurts.”
Trump's take on Omar
Omar’s words saw a controversy snowballing in April as well when Trump retweeted a video to suggest that the former took the 9/11 attacks lightly. He even tweeted, saying: "WE WILL NEVER FORGET!" That time, it was the president who had come under fire as many accused him of inciting violence against the Somali-American Congresswoman and putting her life in danger.
The video that Trump retweeted showed a snippet of Omar’s CAIR speech in which she defined the 2001 attacks as “some people did something” and included a new footage of the two hijacked planes ramming the twin towers. The full quote or context of Omar’s remarks was not shown.
Omar said later that she was facing increased life threats post Trump posting the tweet. The Minnesota politician also faced criticism from the conservative benches but at the same time, found many people standing by her. Overall, the political ambiance was highly polarized at the time.