From Daadab refugee camp in Kenya to becoming the first Somali-American US legislator

By:   Suleiman Abdikadir ( @mv_suleiman)

Ilhan Omar becomes the nations first Somali-American legislator. Photo/ COURTESY

Ilhan Omar made history Tuesday night as the nation’s first Somali-American legislator with a commanding win  in a race that was predicted to go in her favour.
Ilhan Omar, who faced only nominal Republican opposition in a heavily DFL Minneapolis district begins an unlikely political journey amid the uncertainty that linger on the next occupant of the White House.
Ms Omar arrived in the United States aged 12 after fleeing the civil war that ravaged her home country, Somalia.She spent 4 years at a Kenyan refugee camp.
She migrated to the United States as a preteen, knowing only a few words of English to start living with her family in Minneapolis Cedar-Riverside area.

She attended middle school in Arlington, Virginia when she, her siblings, and her father, Nur Omar arrived in the US in 1995.

She states her father opted to move them to Minnesota for economic security and because of its reputedly excellent education system. She has lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota since then.

Omar has shown interest in politics since the age of 14 and obtained her degree in political science and international studies at North Dakota State University.
The 34-year-old mother of three, who proudly wears the hijab is suddenly thrust into leadership of a rapidly emerging DFL coalition that is younger, more urban and more racially and ethnically diverse than at any time in its history.

Paul Thissen the House Minority leader described her victory as a statement about the States future: “It says something important about the future of Minnesota, and what it means to be a Minnesotan.”
Ms Ilhan said of her victory, ” I am so proud of this win, because district 60B represents Minnesota at its finest.

“Tonight we are celebrating this win, our win, but our work won’t stop. We will continue to build a more prosperous and equitable district -state and nation – where each and every one of us has opportunity to thrive and move forward together.”
Ms Ilhan, who is also director of policy at Women Organizing Women Network – a group dedicated to pushing East African women into civic leadership – is credited with being a talented organizer of a multiracial coalition that includes Minneapolis progressives.

That in turn helped her defeat Rep.Phyllis Kahn- the house longest-serving member- in a three-way DFL primary that included another formidable Somali-American opponent.
Ms ilhan faced major uphill in her nascent political career with an immediate snag, just days after her primary victory, when questions arose about her marital status.

Claims that she lives with Hirsi Ahmed, the father of her three children but legally married to another man with whom she said she’s contemplating to divorce.

Though the matter was later solved ,conservative websites have speculated that the legal marriage was to her brother for the purpose of committing immigration fraud.

She released a statement during her campaign saying that there was no immigration fraud, but a more conventional story about trouble in her relationship with Hirsi.

Omar’s biggest battle was fought during the August primary when she defeated a 44-year incumbent to become the Democratic nominee. In the state House of Representatives, she will represent a diverse, liberal district that encompasses most of Minneapolis.
Despite her troubled past, her victory is seen as a win for progressive cause, and for electing more minorities and women to public office.
“It is the land of liberty and justice for all, but we have to work for it,” Ilhan told the Huffington Post last month.

“Our democracy is great, but it’s fragile. It’s come through a lot of progress, and we need to continue that progress to make it actually Justice for all.”

She says its the inequality in the US that inspired her to become involved in politics as a teenager, fighting for justice in her community and for others across her State.
Ilhan recognized the historic significance of her election as a House Representative and the milestones she had overcome to win the House seat.
” Oftentimes, you are told to be everything but bold, but I think that was important for me running as a young person and running as someone who is Muslim, a refugee, an immigrant,” she said.
“To believe in the possibility that all of my identities and otherness would fade into the background, and that my voice as a strong progressive would emerge if I was bold and believed in that – that made a huge difference for me and my candidacy,” she added.
Ilhan’s victory shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She campaigned hard in the district, which includes the heart of the Cedar-River.