'Ilhan Omar's removal from House committee strong blow to Brotherhood in US'

The situation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US applies to the traditional Arabic proverb 'Winds do not blow as vessels wish'.

This is especially true after Republicans voted to expel Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress.

Omar was viewed as an outspoken propagandist for the Muslim Brotherhood in the US.

She moved contradictory political strings to serve the group over the past years, confirming the great predicament, in which the group now lives after her removal.

Around 218 lawmakers  approved Omar's removal from the committee on February 2, against the background of statements she made in 2019, in which she showed hostility to Israel.

Omar had expressed regret and sadness after she was prevented by Israeli authorities from visiting Tel Aviv, along with her colleague, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

Close ties

Omar used to attend meetings and seminars of organizations with links to the Brotherhood, according to the website of the Clarion Project which specializes in countering extremism in Washington.

The website confirmed that Omar was present, along with Tlaib, at all conferences and events organized by terrorist organizations, especially the Council on American-Muslim Relations, widely known by its acronym, CARE.

CARE is known to be one of the arms of the Brotherhood in the US.

During 2020, the two lawmakers attended a conference organized and attended by parties that support terrorist activities, the project said.

It added that Omar was among speakers at the 'Muslim Americans for Palestine' conference which was also attended by two key Brotherhood figures, namely Tarek Hammoud and Kifah Mustafa.

Like the Brotherhood, Omar has a history full of political contradictions.

She desperately defended the policies of many extremist groups, primarily the Brotherhood.

She also heavily criticized the assassination of the commander of Quds Force, an arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Soleimani in January 2021.

Omar also attacked most Arab regimes.

Impact on Brotherhood

General Coordinator of the Centrist Front against Religious Extremism in Egypt, Sabra al-Qassimi, said Omar was impressed by the Brotherhood and tried to combine their teachings and ideology with the liberal ideology.

"This caused her to collide with the reality in the US," he told The Reference.

Al-Qassimi said Omar tried to keep up with liberalism and use it in favour of Brotherhood issues.

He added that the clash had actually happened when she tried to break relations between the US and its ally, Israel.

"She fell under the penalty of anti-Semitism," al-Qassimi said.

Strong blow

Political analyst Abdel Hamid Ali described Omar's removal from the committee as a 'strong blow' to the Muslim Brotherhood in the US.

He expected this removal to disrupt many of the activities of the Brotherhood in this country.

Ali also expected the Brotherhood's agenda that Ilhan was supposed to implement to stop, especially because of her suspicious history with the Brotherhood.

Nevertheless, Ali expected Omar not to abandon the Brotherhood in the coming period.

"She will retreat a bit," Ali said. "However, she will still talk about the injustice she suffered after her expulsion, but will still carry the Brotherhood's cause, because she profits from it."