Commentary
H. A. Hellyer
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Ilhan Omar Is Right–Individual Muslims Are Not Responsible for Everything Carried Out in the Name of the Faith
There are a number of questions that should be asked about what assumptions lie behind questions asked of visibly Muslim westerners–not only in public life, but more generally in society, too.
Published on Jul 31, 2019
Source: National
At a recent public event in Washington DC, Ilhan Omar, a US Congresswoman from Minnesota, had a harsh rebuttal to a question about female genital mutilation. The questioner wanted Ms Omar to condemn FGM.
Ms Omar, quite appropriately, pointed out that implicit in the question was an assumption about her record on the issue, and about Muslims in public life more generally. Beyond FGM, there are a number of questions that should be asked about what assumptions lie behind our questions to visibly Muslim westerners – not only in public life, but more generally in our society, too.
About the Author
H. A. Hellyer
Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program
Dr. H.A. Hellyer was a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He serves as a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London, and as a Cambridge University fellow.
- The Sinwar Delusion
- Why Gaza Forces Europe to ActCommentary
H. A. Hellyer
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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