# Ilhan Omar - A thread about her marriage and immigration history. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347 "2019-07-20T12:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/101 "2019-07-23T12:59:26Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Trumpism is a white nationalist movement and she’s an elected person of color. They need to keep their rapid base angry and mobilized for the election. I believe you mean rabid. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/102 "2019-07-23T13:02:40Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > But, it’s really important at the moment for everyone of color in the Democratic party to prove more innocent and impeachable than ever before, since the 70s. So, black people should stay out of politics unless they can live up to a higher standard than we expect for white people? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/103 "2019-07-23T13:08:48Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Do you have evidence that Elmi is her brother? Or do you have stupid shit like he called her nieces and nephews his “nieces and nephews?” My wife does that with my extended family, and I’m pretty sure she isn’t my sister. My African friends certainly seem to refer to any older relation who isn’t a parent as “uncle” or “aunty” regardless of the actual familial relationship (and indeed do the same to unrelated family friends), and the reverse (nieces/nephews for children, even if not literally true) isn’t uncommon either. It seems to be an African thing. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/104 "2019-07-23T13:47:36Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > So, black people should stay out of politics unless they can live up to a higher standard than we expect for white people? Even then, I think **Sage Rat** would prefer it if they just stayed out of public life. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/105 "2019-07-23T14:01:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A brown woman with a different religion has dared to occupy a position of authority and speak against the Great White Father, and this simply _will not do._ > [@madmonk28](#): > > Trumpism is a white nationalist movement and she’s an elected person of color. They need to keep their rapid base angry and mobilized for the election. Yeah, I think a lot of future MAGAsses were freaked out by having a black man–who was also a possible Kenyan Mooslim–as a president. The horror! One anecdote I’ve posted before is that after Oprah gave a speech at the Oscars and some people were saying she should run for president, one die-hard MAGAss I know posted on Facebook something to this effect: “I don’t mean to sound racist, but didn’t we already have a black president? Let’s not make the same mistake twice.” As I’ve also mentioned, his issue wasn’t that Oprah wasn’t qualified or had no experience in government or the military, because that applies to Trump, and unlike Trump, she actually runs a successful business empire. His issue, according to what he posted, is that she’s black. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/106 "2019-07-23T14:20:16Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Bullshit. You believe it with the fanaticism of the classic convert. And for that there is evidence: > [@The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34590): > > Individual 1 repeated the calumny that Ilhan Omar married her brother. > [Trump Repeats Unverified Claim Omar Married Brother to Get Him Into US](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-repeats-claim-omar-married-brother-to-enter-us-2019-7) > [@The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34591): > > I’d advise against getting too defensive towards Omar on that one. The information that Omar can’t delete is all conducive to the brother hypothesis and the information which is purported to have been deleted, if faked, would have required professional photo shoots, professional photo manipulation, and professional graphic design to pull off. Given that this is supposed to have been pulled off by some crazy right-wing blogger, not the CIA, and that the story does originate out of her country of birth, not the right wing web, I’d expect to get egg on my face by standing too close to her. > > The more the Democrats defend Omar, the greater the chance that they take a severe political hit if the evidence comes in. That evidence does seem relatively likely to come in. Doesn’t believe it but believes there is evidence for it? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/107 "2019-07-23T14:29:29Z")
This thread seems to be lacking…not sure what, but I’ll just start another IO thread just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/108 "2019-07-23T14:38:09Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I have no way of knowing (short of emailing the author) but, given that they’re giving quotes from her that are conversational, I would assume that they interviewed her and that she’s their source for the information. They have simply compressed down the conversation to be more readable. > > She’s 36. Assuming that her grandfather is 40ish years older than her and probably wouldn’t get into all that high of a position until he was past 40, that would have him start being eligible for the role around 1983 (?). Barre was ousted in 1991. The Isaaq Genocide was undertaken in the 1987 to 1989 period. Her grandfather might have been 44-46 years old during that period - which sounds about right. You assume a lot. When come back, bring facts. ---
**Author:** ![drivekiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@drivekiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drivekiller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/109 "2019-07-23T14:57:46Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The alternative is that a few right-wing bloggers were able to falsify a fairly prodigious quantity of screenshots, learning Somali along the way, at a much higher level than their graphic abilities would seem to indicate. And then, for whatever reason, Omar decided that she didn’t like the prospect of the free money that she could get by suing their assess. > > And, further, that Omar’s husband, asked to give his address, decided to give Omar’s husband’s address instead of his own. Omar’s husband didn’t leave that address until a few months later. > > I’ll also note that a fair quantity of what they have alleged is independently verifiable. Screenshots being faked as may be, if you can verify something as true, it doesn’t matter that you got to it via a liar. Any hypothesis needs to explain the available truths. > > As it is, I was able to verify that the family is still friendly with the ex, which does contend with the divorce proceedings; that Omar’s dad goes by another name in person than he does legally; address information puts Omar with both husbands at the same time, which goes against her current story; and the person who originally started the story seems to have been a guy who simply dislikes hypocrites in the Somali community, was a moderator on his site, and he cited his work. Very important points. Let’s follow up as soon as Epstein and all his friends are behind bars. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/110 "2019-07-23T15:26:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My African friends certainly seem to refer to any older relation who isn’t a parent as “uncle” or “aunty” regardless of the actual familial relationship (and indeed do the same to unrelated family friends), and the reverse (nieces/nephews for children, even if not literally true) isn’t uncommon either. It seems to be an African thing. The latinx side of our family does it too. I also call my husband’s relatives my nieces, nephews, etc. Shocking! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/111 "2019-07-23T15:58:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My African friends certainly seem to refer to any older relation who isn’t a parent as “uncle” or “aunty” regardless of the actual familial relationship (and indeed do the same to unrelated family friends), and the reverse (nieces/nephews for children, even if not literally true) isn’t uncommon either. It seems to be an African thing. I’m white and from the Pacific Northwest, and we do that. I am “uncle” to some of my friends’ kids, and my daughter has plenty of “aunts” and “uncles” that are just friends of my wife and I. This isn’t just an African thing. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/112 "2019-07-23T17:07:12Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > This thread seems to be lacking…not sure what, but I’ll just start another IO thread just in case. Substance? Evidence? A reply from the OP? Any sense of shame whatsoever? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/113 "2019-07-23T17:35:46Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I believe you mean rabid. I actually meant anti-democratic racist fucking trash and by far the biggest threat to America, but yeah, also rabid, not rapid. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/114 "2019-07-23T19:23:54Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m white and from the Pacific Northwest, and we do that. I am “uncle” to some of my friends’ kids, and my daughter has plenty of “aunts” and “uncles” that are just friends of my wife and I. This isn’t just an African thing. White and from southern US. I’m Aunt Raven to all my friends’ kids. It seems pretty widespread. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/115 "2019-07-23T23:19:46Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I don’t believe it, as said [in post 79](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21764975&postcount=79). > > As I have said, many times, my point is that it’s unwise for the Democratic party to put all of its eggs into one basket at this moment in time, not that there’s a correct basket. If you decide that I’m saying something other than that, when I clearly say that this is how to read my statements, then I can’t really help you. People who don’t believe something don’t advocate so strongly for them. They don’t come up with complicated ways to ignore the evidence that contradicts said belief. If you were truly neutral, you would recognize that all evidence is against your claim, but you don’t–not just no evidence, but negative evidence. You can say you don’t believe it all you want, but your repeated actions demonstrate otherwise. The entire point of the “just asking questions” trolling technique that you continue to use is to pretend you do not believe something while just asking questions about it. You keep on talking about all of this evidence that would be difficult to fake. But you have provided none of this evidence. You refuse to bring the evidence that you claim exists to proper scrutiny. Why would you do this other than to push a narrative? (And why do you keep ignoring how easy it is to fake a screenshot. You just edit the page in place.) People don’t listen to your words when your actions do not back them up. You argue like the rape apologist who says they aren’t actually defending the rapist. Then why the constant excuses? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/116 "2019-07-23T23:22:46Z")
In my family we describe close friends who aren’t relatives “dutch” \. For example, several of my parents’ friends when I was growing up I called Aunt \ or Uncle \, but when explaining the relationship to someone else they were described as being my “dutch aunt” or my “dutch uncle”. And now that I think of it, that seems an odd term. I’m wondering about the origin. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/117 "2019-07-23T23:33:11Z")
The Wikipedia page on the term may surprise you. > **[Dutch uncle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_uncle)** > > Dutch uncle is an informal term for a person who issues frank, harsh or severe comments and criticism to educate, encourage or admonish someone. Thus, a "Dutch uncle" is the reverse of what is normally thought of as avuncular or uncle-like (indulgent and permissive). > During the Anglo-Dutch Wars between England and the Netherlands in the 17th century, the English language gained an array of insults (including "Dutch uncle"), such as: > These terms also gained prominence in 17th-century New England... Was your Dutch uncle an asshole? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/118 "2019-07-23T23:34:18Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > If you care to defend her, then defend her. We already have. We do it each time. But you always have an excuse for why that evidence doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that the brother is already an immediate family member, so marrying him would be pointless. It doesn’t matter that this was turned over to the authorities and they said there was nothing there to investigate. It doesn’t matter that the source is a bunch of screenshots, easily faked, from a right wing smear campaign years ago. It doesn’t matter that every actual expert says that there’s no evidence. No, **Sage Rat** the Rational says there is something there, and we are all supposed to bow down to your superior logic that doesn’t require any real evidence to back it up. All that matters is how you can spin a tail of how it could be possible. Sure, after all that, you try to hedge your bets and say there’s something off. But that’s the classical scam prophet technique: make your actual, on record prediction be as vague as possible so you can count anything as a valid prediction. You seem to think that you alone are seeing the truth, while everyone else is deluded when they point out the lack of evidence. That is exactly how conspiracy theorists work. There is no evidence for this right wing conspiracy theory. Note I don’t say “it cannot be true.” Just that there is no evidence. Which means, if you are rational, you’re not going to waste your time considering it. You’d only consider it if you believed it despite the lack of evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/119 "2019-07-23T23:36:30Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > This thread seems to be lacking…not sure what, but I’ll just start another IO thread just in case. IO, IO, _this_ thread will work, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/120 "2019-07-24T00:54:36Z")
When my great niece (now 4 months old) gets old enough to call me anything, I’m going to tell her to call me Grunkle. Borrowing that from Grunkle Stan on Gravity Falls, but apparently there’s an urban dictionary entry for it too. BTW, Ilhan Omar won her seat 78%-21.7%. The seat has been held by a Democrat since 1963 and the lowest margin of victory in the last 30 years was Keith Ellison’s first victory at 56%-22% in 2006. She isn’t going to be voted out of office anytime soon. Especially not if the Republicans want to choose a pure lunatic like [this](https://ballotpedia.org/Danielle_Stella), who claims to believe in QAnon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347.md?page=7)