It is no news that Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have been labeled as “anti-Semitic”, both congresswomen have been verbally attacked by Trump and other politicians numerous times. Specifically in reference to Omar’s tweet “it’s all about the benjamins baby” resulted in a wide range of news articles ridiculing her. Omar’s tweet is referencing Israeli lobbyists who seek to influence the foreign policy of the United States. In short, Omar was insinuating that American support for Israel is fueled by money from a pro-Israel lobbying group. Many democrats and republicans were not thrilled with this tweet. This, in turn, resulted in Omar apologizing for her tweet. “Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.”
Statistics showcase that even before Trump called out Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, both Muslim women were subject to Islamophobic tweets. According to the Social Science Research center, roughly half of the 90,000 tweets mentioning Omar included hate speech, Islamophobic or anti-immigrant language. 60 percent of the network of accounts that mentioned or tagged her had posted at least one tweet containing hate speech or overt disinformation. Almost one-third of the tweets mentioning Ms. Tlaib were Islamophobic or xenophobic. Both Tlaib and Omar are prime examples of Muslim women who have been silenced due to their religious faith.
Criticism of the Israeli government should not be confused with anti-Semitism. The criticism of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitism because it has nothing to do with religion, but rather it has to do with a government violating basic human rights and driving Palestinians out of their homes. The pushback against Omar and her tweet is a part of a campaign to smear a Muslim congresswoman and silence the criticism of Israel. Omar’s faith and advocacy for Palestinian rights have made her a particular target in America.