Ilhan Omar sidesteps the issue of violence contained in Islamic texts and teachings

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

Thursday 25 July - US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said that Muslims cannot be collectively blamed for the actions of a few terrorists.

In an interview to Al Jazeera, the House of Representatives member for Minnesota questioned the basis of President Donald Trump’s derogatory remarks against her and the other members of 'the Squad'.

She spoke against the offensive comments made by Trump in which she was accused of moderating the 9/11 attacks and appreciating al Qaeda.

'Those were horrific attacks. There’s no question about it, that’s not a debatable thing. Innocent Americans lost their lives that day, we all mourn their deaths … And I think it’s quite disgusting that people even question that and want to debate that.'

'What is important is the larger point that I was speaking to, which is about making sure that blame isn’t placed on a whole faith, that we as Muslims are not collectively blamed for the actions of terrorists,' Omar added.

Author's comment: We are constantly told that Islam and Muslims had nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11. But Omar’s framing of this question as one of 'making sure that blame isn’t placed on a whole faith, that we as Muslims are not collectively blamed for the actions of terrorists' actually sidesteps the real issue: what is it in the texts and teachings of Islam that incites believers to violence, and what can be done about it? When has Ilhan Omar - or any other prominent representative from a Muslim background - ever spoken about that?