Saturday April 20, 2019

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar once spoke to an audience segregated by gender in her native Somalia, as she praised the country's efforts empowering women and sought to contrast that with America's.

"There in America [we are] yet to achieve that, so, we're looking for that justice and the same justices for the different races, genders and everything.”

But Omar's appearance at the event and lack of comments about the segregation in the room were striking considering her image as a barrier-breaking politician who fights for women’s rights everywhere.

"I stand in solidarity with everyone who is fighting to protect the rights of women and girls, domestically and internationally,” she tweeted in March.

Omar has been critical of other countries over human rights violations, often criticizing Saudi Arabia for its women’s rights record.

"The Saudi government might have been strategic at covering up the daily atrocities carried out against minorities, women, activists and even the #YemenGenocide, but the murder of #JamaKhashoggi should be the last evil act they are allowed to commit,” she tweeted last October.

In response to a tweet accusing her of not speaking out for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, Omar insisted that she did and reiterated that "we need to collectively fight for women's rights around the world!”

But the same criticism hasn’t been extended to Somalia where she wields influence due to her political success in the U.S.

A U.N. report several years ago described gender inequality as a serious problem in Somalia, citing violence against women and "extremely limited" women participation in "politics and decision-making spheres."
Omar’s office did not respond to Fox News’ requests for comment for this report.