On Tuesday morning, the Nation of Islam’s research group defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has come under fire for her comments minimizing the tragedy of the 9/11 terror attacks. The Nation of Islam Research Group, an arm of the Nation of Islam led by notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, tweeted a video in which Farrakhan claims the George W. Bush administration orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.
The tweet came after Omar supporters launched a tweet storm with the hashtag #IStandWithIlhan. The Nation of Islam interpreted Omar’s comments describing the terror attacks (“Somebody did something”) to be an endorsement of the 9/11 truther conspiracy.
“3,133 Scientists Back Ilhan Omar on 9/11,” the Nation of Islam research group claimed. “Deep skepticism exists about the gov’t version of 9/11. Many experts—architects & engineers—say the World Trade Center Towers were destroyed in a controlled demolition. Listen to [Louis Farrakhan].”
3,133 Scientists Back Ilhan Omar on 9/11
Deep skepticism exists about the gov't version of 9/11. Many experts—architects & engineers—say the World Trade Center Towers were destroyed in a controlled demolition. Listen to @LouisFarrakhan#IStandWithIlhan https://t.co/NSTJfKwyXc
— NOI Research Group (@NOIResearch) April 16, 2019
The Nation of Islam ended the tweet with the hashtag “I Stand With Ilhan,” associating the movement defending Omar with the 9/11 truther conspiracy.
A 2011 Pew Research Center poll found that less than a third of those Muslims surveyed in Jordan (22 percent), Egypt (21 percent), Turkey (9 percent), Pakistan (12 percent), Indonesia (20 percent), the Palestinian Territories (22 percent), Israel (27 percent), and Lebanon (28 percent) believed Arabs were responsible for the 9/11 attacks, even though the perpetrators were Arabs — radical Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia.
If skepticism about the 9/11 attacks is rampant across the Muslim world, it stands to reason that Ilhan Omar — who was born in Somalia, even though she grew up in Kenya and the U.S. — might harbor sympathies for this view. If not, she should denounce the Nation of Islam’s suggestion that her remarks had anything to do with the 9/11 truther conspiracy theory.
Also, if Omar wants to prove she is not anti-Semitic, she should also denounce the Nation of Islam’s clear anti-Semitism.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member