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Who is Ilhan Omar, what is her net worth and is she married? All about the Minnesota Congresswoman
ILHAN Omar made headlines when she clashed with Donald Trump in 2019 after the former president sparked outrage with a foul mouthed rant.
Trump told four female Democrat politicians, including Omar, they should “go back” to the “crime infested places” they came from.
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Who is Ilhan Omar?
Ms Omar was born the youngest of seven siblings in Somalia's capital Mogadishu in 1981.
Her mum died when she was two years old.
Brought up by her dad and grandfather, the family fled the country during the Somali Civil War and spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to the US in 1995, where they settled in Minneapolis.
She became a citizen in 2000, and taught herself English by watching American TV.
The mum-of-three won a Minnesota seat in the House of Representatives in November 2022, becoming the first Somali-American legislator in the US.
Before she was elected to Congress – one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to the law-making branch – she served in Minnesota's state legislature.
Shortly after Ms Omar entered the House of Representatives, the 37-year-old successfully overturned a 181-year ban on headwear in the House, allowing her to wear a hijab for her oath of office.
Controversies
Ms Omar has been accused of anti-Semitism over comments she made about Israel and pro-Israel lobbyists.
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She ignited a bipartisan uproar in Washington and Minnesota during her first weeks in Congress in 2019 when she suggested on Twitter that members of Congress support Israel for money.
Many Jewish leaders denounced her remarks as reviving old stereotypes about Jews, money and power.
Ilhan Omar questions Blinken during House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing
A few weeks before her “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” tweet, a 2012 tweet surfaced in which she said Israel “hypnotised the world”.
She denied anti-Semitism was intended but later released a statement "unequivocally" apologising for her offending tweets and said she was "listening and learning".
Ms Omar has also faced criticised from conservatives for comments on 9/11 that Democrats insist were taken out-of-context.
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A clip of Ms Omar apparently describing 9/11 as "some people did something" in a speech from March began circulating online.
President Donald Trump and Republicans accused her of trivialising the September 11 attacks with her remarks.
He tweeted a video titled WE WILL NEVER FORGET showing footage of the terrorist attacks cut with Ms Omar's speech.
It was viewed millions of times and resulted in "an increase in direct threats on my life", said Ms Omar.
But the politician said her words had again been taken out-of-context.
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She had given a speech at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) event a week after the New Zealand mosques massacre which resulted in the deaths of 51 Muslim worshippers during a shooting rampage on March 15, 2019.
Referring to the American Muslim community, she said: "Many of us know that this is not a one-off incident.
"Many people expect our community to feel like it needs to hide every time something happens.
"But repeatedly, we have shown them that we are not to be bullied, not to be threatened, we are not to be terrorised; we are strong and resilient, and we will always show up to be ourselves because we know we have a right to a dignified existence and a dignified life."
Ms Omar also said: "For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it."
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders claimed that Ms Omar had spoken "dismissively" about the 9/11 attacks.
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Mr Trump has also hinted she supports terror group al-Qaeda, saying: "I look at Omar. I don't know, I never met her.
"I hear the way she talks about al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda has killed many Americans.
"She said you can hold her chest out, you can 'when I think of al-Qaeda I can hold my chest out'."
He was referring to comments by Ms Omar in 2013, after the bombing of a Kenyan shopping mall by terror group al-Shabab.
During an interview for a current affairs programme, the host, Ahmed Tharwat, pointed out that Arabic names for groups like al Qaeda, Hezbollah and al-Shabab are often cited in America, reports .
DISGUSTING LIES
He said it was "interesting that we keep the Arabic name [when reporting] such a violent...entity".
She replied that such usage was a "product of sensationalised media".
Her brief political career has also been dogged by controversies in her private life.
When she first successfully ran for office in Minnesota in 2016, conservative bloggers claimed she had been married to two men at the same time, for immigration fraud purposes, and that one of those men, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was her brother.
Ms Omar has called those allegations "disgusting lies".
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What has Ms Omar's response been to President Trump?
In July 2019, President Trump told four Democrat Congresswomen to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came".
His series of tweets concluded: "These places need your help badly, you can't leave fast enough.
"I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"
Ms Omar first responded by quoting Maya Angelou poem Still I Rise, and later tweeted: "I am where I belong, at the people's house and you're just gonna have to deal!"
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Ms Omar later slammed the President for his offensive language saying: "He's spewing his fascist ideology on stage, telling US citizens to go back because they don't agree with his detrimental policies for our country."
She added: "We have condemned his remarks. I believe he is fascist. This is what this president and his supporters have turned our country into."
President Trump has since tried to distance himself from his supporters' chants of "send her back" - after he said she and four Democratic congresswomen could "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came".
I don't have a Racist bone in my body!
Donald Trump
Besides Ms Omar, the other three he has been targeting are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley.
The chanting was reminiscent of calls to "lock her up" during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In characteristic fashion, Mr Trump defended his comments about the congresswomen, tweeting: "I don't have a Racist bone in my body!"
He added: "I felt a little bit badly about it...I would say that I was not happy with it. I disagreed with it. But again I didn't say that. They did. And I disagreed with."
However, during his rally, Mr Trump listened to the chants from the crowd for 13 seconds before resuming his verbal attack.
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What's been the response in the US and UK?
Among the many Democrats stating their support for Ms Omar were a number of contenders for the presidency.
Kamala Harris said the spectacle "defiles the office of the President", while Elizabeth Warren said "calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative".
Jon Favreau, a former member of Barack Obama's staff, described the spectacle as "one of the most chilling and horrifying things I've ever seen in politics".
All of us who stand for liberal values, and for decency, must stand up to Trump's disgusting racism and the hate he sows
Sir Ed Davey
Many social media users responded by using #IStandWithIlhan – which trended worldwide on Twitter.
In the UK, London mayor Sadiq Khan said the four congresswomen targeted by Mr Trump "represent hope for the future".
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said the "racist rally sends shivers down my spine".
Her party colleague Jess Phillips said: "This is what fascism looks like. We must fight it at home and abroad."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey wrote: "This is heartbreaking and terrifying.
"If we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.
"All of us who stand for liberal values, and for decency, must stand up to Trump's disgusting racism and the hate he sows."
What is Ilhan Omar's net worth?
Ms Omar's net worth was thought to range anywhere from $45,000 in 2018, according to .
And, according to Fox News, a 2021 financial disclosure “does not appear to list any of the congresswoman’s personal bank accounts”, despite this being required by federal law.
The outlet also said it's possible Ms Omar does not have a personal bank account matching the $5,000 that must be reported.
Ms Omar signed a $100,000 book deal with publishing giant, HarperCollins in 2019.
However, according to , the money was paid to her co author.
Is Ilhan Omar married and does she have children?
After graduating high school in 2001, Omar wed her childhood sweetheart, Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, in a religious ceremony that was not legally binding.
She gave birth to a daughter, Isra Hirsi, in 2003.
Ms Omar graduated in 2005, the same year she had her second child, a son called Adnan Hirsi.
The marriage was dissolved in 2008 and she eloped with her friend Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.
In 2012 she left Elmi and rekindled her romance with Hirsi, and had her third child, daughter Ilwad Hirsi.
Miss Omar legally married Hirsi in 2018, but they divorced after just one year.
In 2020 she married Tim Mynett, a political consultant, and as of 2024 the pair remain together.
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Who is Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi?
In April 2024, Ms Omar's daughter Isra Hirsi claimed she was left "homeless and hungry" after she was suspended from Columbia University for opposing the university's investments in Israel and Israel's invasion of Gaza.
Hirsi has claimed that she will continue protesting until her "demands are met".
She was born on February 22, 2003, and is an American environmental and anti-Israel investment activist.
Aged just 12 she was already joining protests and passionate about standing up for her beliefs.
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Hirsi went to Minneapolis South High School which is where her enthusiasm for activism began to grow after joining her high school's environmental club.
She enrolled at Columbia University, Barnard College, in 2021.
She has also been at the helm of hundreds of student-led strikes across the United States and even co-founded her own activism group, dubbed U.S Youth Climate Strike.
She has won the Brower Youth Award and the Voice of the Future Award.
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