In the wake of a devastating shooting that killed one at a California synagogue and injured three, conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), were quick to point toward Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as a driver of anti-Semitism in the U.S., despite the fact that a manifesto attributed to the alleged shooter espoused both anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim ideology.
“The anti-Semitic Left—whether @IlhanMN repeated anti-Israel slurs or @nytimes apologizing for Hamas terrorists (eg, on 3/14/18) & running racist cartoons—is getting worse. And the House can’t even pass an anti-Semitism resolution. Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough,” Cruz tweeted Sunday.
The anti-Semitic Left—whether @IlhanMN repeated anti-Israel slurs or @nytimes apologizing for Hamas terrorists (eg, on 3/14/18) & running racist cartoons—is getting worse. And the House can’t even pass an anti-Semitism resolution. Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough. https://t.co/ca99Mcq9Ij
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 28, 2019
Omar had expressed her sympathy for victims and for the Jewish community in a tweet on Saturday.
“My heart is breaking after today’s deadly shooting at Chabad Congregation in San Diego—on the last day of Passover and 6 months to the day after the Tree of Life shooting. We as a nation must confront the terrifying rise of religious hate and violence,” Omar wrote.
My heart is breaking after today’s deadly shooting at Chabad Congregation in San Diego—on the last day of Passover and 6 months to the day after the Tree of Life shooting.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 27, 2019
We as a nation must confront the terrifying rise of religious hate and violence.
Love trumps hate.
Omar also shot back at Cruz, criticizing him for staying silent on the day of the shooting. “A white nationalist literally terrorized a synagogue during Passover yesterday and you have yet to say anything,” she wrote. “Shame on you.”
A white nationalist literally terrorized a synagogue during Passover yesterday and you have yet to say anything.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 28, 2019
Shame on you. https://t.co/X6EoQBsnfG
Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also pointed to some of Omar’s statements about Israel as fueling the shooter’s racist hatred. McCain specifically pointed to tweets from Omar about the American-Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC), as well as a tweet from 2012 in which Omar said people had been “hypnotized” by Israel.
Omar is routinely criticized by the right for her stance on the political state of Israel and support for the Palestinian cause. Her faith has also made her the target of Islamophobic threats.
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