Ilhan Omar must pick a side between peace-loving Muslims and fringe elements, says 9/11 victim’s son
Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar faced flak on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks last week when the son of one of the victims criticized her over a remark she made about the tragedy in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Omar, a member of "The Squad", had said at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) fundraiser in March this year that “some people did something” and, as a result of which, people started losing access to their civil liberties.
Omar's words did not go down well with Nicholas Haros Junior, whose 76-year-old mother Frances died on the fateful day while on duty in one of the World Trade Center towers. On the 18th anniversary of the tragedy, he wore a shirt displaying Omar's words “Some people did something” and gave a passionate speech at the remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City on Wednesday, September 11.
'Some people did something’
“‘Some people did something," said a freshman congresswoman from Minnesota. To support and justify the creation of CAIR. Today I am here to respond to you exactly who did what to whom. Madam, objectively speaking, we know who and what was done. There is no uncertainty about that. Why your confusion?" Haros said.
"On that day, 19 Islamic terrorists, members of Al Qaeda killed over 3,000 people and caused billions in dollars of economic damage. Is that clear? 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?” he said, adding: “Show respect in honoring them, please. American patriotism... Your position demands it.”
'The weight of pain'
On Sunday, September 15, Omar responded to Haros’ statement. Speaking on the CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’, she conceded that she failed to understand the weight of the pain that the families of the victims of 9/11 felt. She said this when the host, Margaret Brennan, asked her whether she understood why people found her previous remark offensive.
“9/11 was an attack on all Americans. It was an attack on all of us, and I certainly could not understand the weight of the pain that the families of the victims of 9/11 must feel, but I think it’s important for us to make sure that we are not forgetting the aftermath of 9/11,” Omar said.
The 37-year-old also said that many Americans saw their civil rights getting stripped from them, and she also brought into relevance the fact that the Muslims living in the country were being seen as suspects after the tragedy. “Many Americans found themselves now having their civil rights stripped from them, and so what I was speaking to was that as a Muslim, not only was I suffering as an American who was attacked on that day, but the next day I woke up as my fellow Americans were now treating me as suspect,” she said.
Haros was on Fox Sports where he spoke with Martha MacCallum on ‘The Story’ on Omar’s reaction and said he was not impressed with Omar’s statement—even her conciliatory ones.
'Apologize to the people of America'
When asked about his thoughts on Omar's latest remark, Haros said: “I thought about it and what I heard her saying, the second time, was that she can not feel pain for the families. We should just remember and not forget, not a day but the aftermath.”
“Ilhan, I am a Christian, I am a Catholic, forgiveness must be in my vocabulary,” Haros, who also runs the online Catholic network called ‘Facebook Apostles’, said addressing the Democrat.
Haros said he didn't know much about Islam and urged the educators to propagate the religion of peace, forgiveness and compassion. He said he personally did not need an apology but he felt the Congresswoman needed to apologize to the people of America.
“My message was specific to your remarks and 19 specific terrorists. Muslims and my Catholic Church are at peace with each other,” Haros said, adding that the leader needs to decide on which side she wants to be. She (Omar) has to decide whether she wanted to be on the side of the peace-loving Muslims or on the side of the fringe elements, Haros added.