Ilhan Omar is a perfect example of the American Dream.

At the age of eight, Ilhan Omar and her family were forced to flee their home in Somalia due to civil war. They spent four years in the impoverished Dadaab Camp of Kenya. According to a former resident, “Camp security was a disaster. Girls and women were raped and we always feared about men. I can remember when it was evening; my mother could not allow me to go outside because of the risk.”

Arriving in the U.S. as a refugee, Omar first resided in Arlington, Virginia before moving to Minneapolis in 1997. In 2018, she became the first Somali American legislator in the history of the U.S. Prior to this, she worked as a community organizer and a political strategist, as well as a leader of her local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Finally in 2018, she was promoted to the rank of U.S. Congresswoman, elected alongside Rashida Tlaib as the first Muslim women in Congress, while simultaneously becoming the first woman of color to represent Minnesota.

Omar is a staunch progressive. She has advocated for free university for those who can not afford it, the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, as well as the prosecution of federal officials accused of physical and sexual assault in detention centers. Omar also supports increasing the federal minimum wage, is a noted LGBTQ+ rights supporter and has condemned the Trump administration’s standing Muslim ban.

Omar is also an outspoken critic of Israel, but unfortunately has a habit of dipping into anti-Semitic stereotypes to do so.

Shortly after her successful election to Congress, an unearthed tweet sparked instant controversy. In 2012, Omar wrote on Twitter that “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel.”

Perhaps unintentionally, Omar was tapping into a well-known stereotype depicting the Jewish people as conniving tricksters. According to The New York Times, “The conspiracy theory of the Jew as the hypnotic conspirator, the duplicitous manipulator, the sinister puppeteer is one with ancient roots and a bloody history.”

This stereotype stems from The New Testament, and the story of how the small minority of Jews in Rome, manipulate Roman Governor Pontius Pilate into killing Christ. The Book of Matthew notes that the Jewish people were to blame with the quote “His blood is on us and our children.” This has been a central basis for anti-Semitism throughout history.

Democratic powerhouses, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, called on Omar to apologize. In a joint statement, they and a host of other influential Democratic leaders explained that “Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share. But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive.”

Omar issued an apology, but her sincerity was undercut by a similar scandal that took place just a week after.

On Feb. 10, Ilhan Omar retweeted journalist Glenn Greenwald’s statement, “It’s stunning how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans.” Omar added the comment, “it’s all about the Benjamins Baby.” When asked who exactly was supposedly bribing politicians to support Israel, Omar tweeted out a one word response with no explanation, “AIPAC!”

Omar was referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a politically influential pro-Israel lobbying group. It is worth noting that Omar is actually incorrect. Although AIPAC’s stamp of approval may act as an indirect signal for pro-Israel donors, AIPAC is not an organization that has authorization to directly transfer funds to politicians.

Omar was criticized once again for implying that trickery and bribes are the primary manner in which the government is leveraged into a pro-Israel view. According to a New York Times opinion piece, “those criticisms cross the line into anti-Semitism when they ascribe evil, almost supernatural powers to Israel in a manner that replicates classic anti-Semitic slanders.”

But perhaps the controversy she is most well known for is her rather peculiar comments made at a D.C bookstore. Seemingly backtracking on her previous apology, Omar explained that “It’s almost as if, every single time we say something regardless of what it is we say… we get to be labeled something… nobody ever gets to have the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine. So for me, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”

Although her supporters may disagree, it is a bit difficult to differentiate if Omar’s “allegiance to a foreign country” remark was referring to Israeli lobbyists, supporters of Israel, or Jewish Americans. Rahm Emanuel, former Mayor of Chicago and author of an Op-ed in the Atlantic noted his disappointment with Omar, explaining that her comments are “Just as wrong as suggesting that all Muslims are potential terrorists and should be banned from entering this country.”

It is worth noting, however, that after each controversial comment, Omar is immediately pummeled by a host of bipartisan attacks. The same cannot be said for race-baiters across the aisle. For example, a group of despicably racist West Virginia Republicans, erected a sign that connected Ilhan Omar to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This received only a fraction of the press coverage and condemnation that Omar’s anti-Israel remarks garnered. This demonstrates that Muslims are not only condemned more harshly than their Christian counterparts, but they also have less protection when they are the victims of hate speech.

So, where exactly does all this leave us?

Although some of her rhetoric may have been accidental, it is a bit too optimistic to believe that all of her slights were without some level of knowledge about the stereotypes she was playing into. It is also worth noting that for a U.S. Congresswoman, being aware of what type of rhetoric is harmful and hurtful should be part of the job description. Considering she only apologized for some of her anti-Semitic remarks, casting other criticism as somehow being anti-Muslim, there appears to be a lack of willingness from Omar to recognize and extinguish all forms of discrimination in the United States.

As the Democratic Party becomes more open and progressive, it will likely encounter more conflict as a result of its increased diversity. Are instances like Omar’s controversy necessary steps in creating a more understanding country, or should her comments disqualify her from being representative of a progressive and open-minded Democratic party?

Well… I’m not really sure.