Lawmaker Says DC Cab Driver Harassed Her for Being Muslim
Ilhan Omar, 33, said she is troubled by growing animosity toward Muslim people
The nation's first elected Somali-American lawmaker says a D.C. taxicab driver harassed her and called her "ISIS" after she visited the White House this week.
Minnesota state Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar detailed the incident on her Facebook page Wednesday. She said the cab driver called her ISIS, lobbed sexist taunts and threatened to remove her hijab during a brief ride on Tuesday after a White House meeting on criminal justice reform.
Omar, 33, said she is troubled by growing animosity toward Muslim people.
"I am still shaken by this incident and can't wrap my head around how bold being [sic] are becoming in displaying their hate towards Muslims," she wrote.
She did not provide any information about the driver and said in a response to a comment on her post that she planned to report the incident to authorities once she returned home to Minneapolis.
Her campaign staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Muslims across the country say they are facing a surge of anti-Muslim attacks after the election of Donald Trump, who spoke during his campaign about banning Muslims from entering the country and increasing surveillance of mosques.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has tracked more than 100 anti-Muslim incidents across the country since Nov. 8.
In nearby Montgomery County and Maryland as a whole, reports of hate crimes have spiked, officials said. The crimes have been directed at racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants and the LGBT community.
More Hate Crimes Reported Despite Trump's Call to 'Stop It'
Omar immigrated to the United States after spending part of her childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp. She won a Minnesota House seat this fall and described her win as a success for many people. "This really was a victory for that 8-year-old in that refugee camp," she told NPR. "This was a victory for the young woman being forced into child marriage. This was a victory for every person that's been told they have limits on their dreams."
Copyright Associated Press / NBC4 Washington
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