Islamophobic Attacks Target Somali-American Candidate in Minneapolis Mayoral Race
Omar Fateh, who has represented Minnesota in the state senate since 2020, announced his candidacy for mayor of Minneapolis on December 2, 2024. In the days since, he has faced intense backlash from far-right circles online, including a surge of Islamophobic and anti-Black rhetoric questioning his background, faith, and eligibility to run.
The controversy began when Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and head of the non-profit Turning Point USA, posted inflammatory comments on X (formerly Twitter). In his post, Kirk claimed that: “Muslims [are] commanded to take over the government in the land they live,” and added, “The attempted Islamic takeover of America is made possible thanks to mass migration.”
Turning Point USA describes itself as an organization that “empowers citizens of all ages to Rise Up against the radical Left in defense of freedom, free markets, and limited government.” Kirk has previously drawn criticism for his repeated attacks on Islam and for calling George Floyd a “scumbag” after the Black man’s death at the hands of police in 2020.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s post — which has received more than 4 million views — several users on social media began echoing similar sentiments, falsely asserting that Fateh is not a U.S. citizen. Others questioned why Somali immigrants live in Minnesota, with one post asking, “Who are these people? How did they get there? Who funded it? And most importantly – how can we send them BACK?”
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Fateh, who was born in Washington, DC, to Somali immigrant parents, responded publicly on X, writing: “Minneapolis is a beautifully diverse city that stands firm in our progressive values. The hate I’ve seen today – and most days – is not who we will ever be.” He also defended the multicultural character of the city, which some online users have criticized for being "too diverse."
Social media users hostile to Fateh circulated manipulated images and memes falsely depicting him as a Somali pirate from the Hollywood film Captain Phillips.
Others resurrected past news about his brother-in-law, Muse Mohamud Mohamed, who was convicted in 2020 of lying to a federal grand jury in a case involving absentee ballot abuse during a primary election. Although there is no evidence linking Fateh to the case, right-wing commentators used it to question his integrity.
Some of the attacks explicitly targeted Fateh’s race and religion. As one user wrote on X: “The reason why MAGA Republicans are outraged over Omar Fateh running for Mayor is because his skin color offends them and they’re Islamophobic.”
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In response to the hate, prominent voices defended Fateh. Palestinian-American academic Omar Baddar denounced Kirk’s remarks, asking: “How do you go from rightly insisting that antisemitism should have no place in America to propagating the most disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry imaginable as a core tenet of your worldview?”
Others emphasized Fateh’s right to run for office and the importance of rejecting bigotry. One user wrote: “Senator Omar Fateh is a proud American who is running because, like me, he loves Minneapolis.” Another added: “I'm proud that Minneapolis is a place where he can run for mayor against me on his own merits – and that this kind of bigotry is widely rejected across our great city.”
Despite the hate-fueled rhetoric, Fateh’s campaign has gained visibility, drawing both strong support and intense opposition in what is shaping up to be a closely watched mayoral race.
Source: Agencies
