Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2016. Photo: Lorie Shaull via Flickr.

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been an outspoken proponent of the constitutionally-protected right of free speech when it comes to criticizing Israel.

In 2019, for example, the “progressive” Democrat politician introduced a resolution that stated economic boycotts are an expression of speech in a bill that was co-sponsored by fellow “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

While the legislation did not specifically mention Israel or Palestinians, when asked about it, Omar referenced the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to delegitimize and eventually dismantle the Jewish state:

We are introducing a resolution … to really speak about the American values that support and believe in our ability to exercise our first amendment rights in regard to boycotting. And it is an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement.

However, it seems Omar is less of a free speech advocate when it comes to the press criticizing her.

This weekend, she shared an open letter that attacked the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s editorial board for republishing an op-ed by New York Times writer Bret Stephens, in which he condemned Omar for voting against United States funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defensive system in September.

The Star Tribune reproduced the column, and added a picture of Hamas rockets being fired at Israel, in addition to changing the headline from the NYT’s original, “A Foul Play by Progressives Over Israel’s Iron Dome,” to, “Omar, ‘Squad,’ Launch Another Anti-Israel Strike.”

However, according to the open letter’s authors, the revised headline and included image were evidence that the Star Tribune was promoting a “textbook example of Islamophobia,” and they accused the outlet of “equating Muslims with terrorism.”

Rather bizarrely, the open letter writers asserted that they “do not feel it is necessary to explain why this represents a clear example of deeply seated racism and Islamophobia among the decision makers at the paper,” even while claiming such editorial content “increase threats of violence” towards Omar as well as her Muslim colleagues and “other women of color.”

The letter also contains a list of demands for the Star Tribune to make amends, which include hiring “black, Muslim, and female voices” to the editorial board; ending “the use [of] loaded, racist or Islamophobic language in headlines in coverage”; and, finally, apologizing for and changing the “racist headline against Rep. Ilhan Omar and accompanying image.”

Sharing a link to the letter on Twitter, Omar claimed she has “great respect for journalists,” but insisted she “will not stand by while an (overwhelmingly white and male) editorial board continues to use divide and conquer tactics against communities of color in our city.”

We can no longer be silent. The @StribOpinion regularly uses Islamophobic and racist language in their coverage of communities of color. Proud of the Minnesotans who led and signed this letter calling for systematic changes to their personnel and policies. https://t.co/1COC844N1r

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 15, 2021

Just as Omar has a right to criticize Israel — although not to disseminate antisemitic tropes she is often guilty of — and push for Iron Dome funding to be withdrawn, newspaper editors have a right to chastise her for doing so, without unsubstantiated claims of racism and Islamophobia being lobbed at them.

The author is a writer-researcher for HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism — where a version of this article first appeared.