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Somalian makes election record


Ilhan Omar became the US’ first Somali-American legislator, with victory in a House race in Minnesota.


Omar came to the US while still a child, escaping Somalia’s civil war with her family and spending four years in a Kenyan refugee camp.

The 34-year-old has made history by becoming the first Somali legislator in the United States. A former refugee, the Somaliborn activist has been elected to serve as an MP in the US state of Minnesota.

The Muslim woman becomes the highest-ranking Somali elected to office in the US. Her election comes just days after US President-elect Donald Trump accused Somali immigrants in Minnesota of “spreading their extremist views”. Minnesota has the nation’s largest Somali communityabout 50, 000 according to the US census.

Omar said she would be the “voice for the marginalised” in the state parliament.

“I think I bring the voice of young people. I think I bring the voice of women in the East African community. I bring the voice of Muslims. I bring the voice of young mothers looking for opportunities,” Minnesota Public Radio quoted her as saying.

She had escaped from Somalia with her family at the start of the civil war when she was eight years old and her family lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years, before moving to the US and settling in a Somali- American neighbourhood in Minnesota.

Standing for the DFL coalition, which is affiliated to the Democratic Party, MOmar won a seat to represent District 60B in the state legislature.

She faced nominal opposition after her Republican opponent who had withdrawn from the race for family reasons.

During a primary in August she unseated one of the longestserving members of the Minnesota legislature.

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