XPost: alt.terrorism.world-trade-center, sac.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: mn.politics   
   From: muslim.lies.matter@nbc.com   
      
   President Donald Trump, other Republicans and the New York Post   
   have seized on a line from a speech given by U.S. Rep. Ilhan   
   Omar, D-Minn., several weeks ago that they say diminishes 9/11.   
      
   Omar was speaking about discrimination faced by Muslims and   
   their responsibility to stand up for their own rights. She spoke   
   on March 23, 2019, at the Council of American-Islamic Relations   
   of Greater Los Angeles' fourth annual Valley Banquet in Woodland   
   Hills, California. The line — that CAIR "recognized that some   
   people did something and that all of us were starting to lose   
   access to our civil liberties" — is about two-thirds of the way   
   into the speech.   
      
   Here is Omar’s speech, transcribed from YouTube. She began by   
   asking for the stage lights to be adjusted.   
      
   "Salam alaikum (hello), everyone. I also want the light so I   
   could see your beautiful faces. I am truly, truly, truly honored   
   for the opportunity to be here with all of you. It's been a   
   really hard week for the Muslim community. And I feel extremely   
   lucky to to be here in California with all of you — fighting for   
   justice, for equality, for the right for us to equally exist in   
   this country.   
      
   "Many people expect our community to feel like it needs to hide   
   every time something happens. But repeatedly, we have shown them   
   that we are not to be bullied. We are not to be threatened. We   
   are not to be terrorized. We are strong, resilient and we will   
   always show up to be ourselves, because we know we have a right   
   to a dignified existence and a dignified life.   
      
   "The other thing that is exciting to me to be in this room is   
   that there are very fascinating people outside, who, for so many   
   years, have spoken about an Islam that is oppressive, an Islam   
   that lessens and isolates its women, and today they gather   
   outside to protest a Muslim woman who is in Congress. I mean the   
   irony, the irony in that is very entertaining to me.   
      
   "I know many of them drove miles to get here, spent a lot of   
   energy and resources and money to purchase the signs that they   
   have. But I don't think any of them realize that people like   
   myself and many of the people in this room can care less about   
   what they have to say, because we know who we are and where we   
   belong and what we stand for.   
      
   "So we are coming off a tragic, tragic nightmare that has   
   happened to Muslims in New Zealand. Many of us know that this is   
   not a one-off incident. Many of us were not shocked or   
   surprised. Many of us were kind of holding our breath for a   
   really long time thinking when will something like this happen.   
   Because many of us have experienced threats in our mosques, in   
   our schools, even for our individual leaders. Many of us have   
   witnessed bombings of mosques. Many of us have seen mosques set   
   on fire. Many people, a few years ago, watched in horror as   
   gunmen showed up to Irving, Texas, at a mosque, threatening   
   Muslims. So, we all, we all kind of knew that this was happening.   
      
   "But the reason I think that many of us knew that this was going   
   to get worse is that we finally have a leader, a world leader,   
   in the White House, who publicly says Islam hates us, who fuels   
   hate against Muslims, who thinks it is okay to speak about a   
   faith and a whole community in a way that is dehumanizing,   
   vilifying, and doesn't understand — or at least makes us want to   
   think that he doesn't understand — the consequences that his   
   words might have.   
      
   "Some people like me know that he understands the consequences.   
   He knows that there are people that he can influence to threaten   
   our lives, to diminish our presence.   
      
   "But what we know, and what Islam teaches us, and what I always   
   say, is that love trumps hate. Every time we feel threatened, we   
   show up with love, and others stand with us in solidarity. We   
   have seen that with the Muslim ban, a very hateful policy that   
   has now been fully implemented, one that is going to leave a   
   stain in our nation's history. When the ban was first announced   
   Muslims across this country rushed out to stand against it and   
   everyone else in all of our communities showed up alongside us.   
      
   "We also know that when this last shooting happened, even though   
   leaders, non-Muslim leaders, said people should not go to   
   Jumu'ah (Friday) prayers, people should not show up at their   
   mosques, we knew, we knew that the only way we will continue is   
   for all of us to show up. And even if you were not planning on   
   going to Jumu'ah prayer that Friday, you were going to Jumu'ah   
   prayer. And we knew that others within our communities will also   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)