Iraqi-born Muslim Republican running against Omar calls out 'Hamas Squad' amid criticism of Israel
Republican congressional candidate Dalia al-Aqidi, a journalist, called out her opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for her comments condemning Israel.
An Iraqi Muslim immigrant who fled Saddam Hussein in 1993 and is now running as a Republican against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called out the left-wing "Squad" member for her condemnations of Israel in the wake of Hamas' bloody invasion.
Omar previously referred to Israel as an "apartheid" state and appeared to equate the killings of Israeli civilians by Hamas to the deaths in Gaza from the Jewish State's response.
Dalia al-Aqidi, a journalist by trade, told FOX News that Omar and her "Squad" colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., are part of Congress' "Hamas caucus" and that they have not sufficiently condemned the terror group's bloodshed.
"Let me tell you, it's not rocket science: You stand with your ally when in-need. That's Foreign Policy 101. And Ilhan Omar, my opponent, knows exactly who our allies are. Yet she chooses to stand with our enemies. That's not the first time. That's not the second time. She always does that," al-Aqidi said.
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Omar is seeking reelection in the Minneapolis-centric district, which enjoys a deep-blue D+26 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index, and has not elected a Republican since Rep. Walter Judd during the Kennedy administration.
Al-Aqidi said she is no fan of President Biden but that it is wrong for left-wing lawmakers like Tlaib and Omar to take issue with the U.S.' response in backing-up Israel. She added that she also holds concern for Palestinian civilians being put in danger by Hamas.
"I am with the Palestinian people. I feel for the Palestinian people. But the victims are no victims for the U.S. nor Israel. These are the victims of Hamas terrorists/the Islamic Jihad/Iran/Qatar (sic)," she said.
Al-Aqidi was asked on "America Reports" about billionaire Bill Ackman and others who took issue pro-Palestinian protesters and people like Tlaib defending the use of the chant "from the river to the sea." Tlaib said the chant is aspirational and not a call for death or hate.
The chant, Al-Aqidi said, effectively calls for the destruction of Israel as the "river" is Jordan and the "sea" is the Mediterranean.
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"These women in the Hamas Caucus or the Hamas Squad clearly cannot find it within themselves to at least condemn what Hamas is doing or at least say that Hamas is a terrorist group," she said, calling for "Squad" members' expulsion.
She said her campaign against Omar is the electoral version of trying to remove "Squad" members from the legislature – going on to recount a pair of the Democrat's controversies, a comment during a 2019 speech referencing the September 11 attacks and that "some people did something," and what was construed as an antisemitic barb about money: "all about the Benjamins."
The latter is a lyrical reference to $100 bills, to which Omar later "unequivocally apologized" on X – formerly Twitter – saying her intention was not to offend her constituents or Jewish Americans.
Al-Aqidi said she, like the Somali-born Omar, knows what it's like to live under oppression, and that such comments in the congresswoman's past speak for themselves.
"We suffered under the oppression until we fled the country (Iraq)," she said, adding that she sees a direct similarity between ISIS invading Mosul, Iraq and persecuting Christians.
"[That is] exactly what Hamas terrorists are doing. I've watched the video from the Israeli foreign ministry… I've seen these people carrying ISIS flags and chanting 'Allahu Akbar' while killing the Jews," she said.
For her part, Omar said Muslim Americans have been subject to "dishonest smearing" and claims they are a threat if they speak out against Israel's military response, according to the UK Guardian.
In a statement obtained by NBC News, Omar said during her congressional tenure, two individuals have pled guilty to threatening her life and that continuing threats are "very real."
"I fear for my children and have to speak to them about remaining vigilant because you just never know," Omar said.
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