Muslim congresswoman vows to fight Trump's 'destructive' policy
The first hijab-wearing Muslim congresswoman has vowed to fight efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump to divide the American public.
Ilhan Omar, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from the state of Minnesota, was sworn in on the Holy Quran on Thursday.
"I plan to resist the current Administration's attempts to divide us and push destructive policies that chip away at our rights and freedoms," Omar said in a statement. "We have the opportunity to build a more inclusive and compassionate culture, one that will allow our economy to flourish and encourage more Americans to participate in our democracy."
The newly-elected representative was allowed to wear a religious head covering on the House floor after the easing of a 181-year ban on headwear of any type in the chamber.
Omar, 37, who emigrated as a refugee from Somalia at the age of 14, outperformed her rivals in the US midterm elections after campaigning on a platform promoting legal immigration, criminal justice reform and more accessible healthcare.
Along with Omar, a second Muslim woman – Rashida Tlaib – was also sworn in on Thursday.
Tlaib, a Democrat and a social worker born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents, was elected to the House in a district where she was running unopposed.
The two Muslim women are known as polar opposites of Trump and his Republican Party's policies.
The US House of Representatives, chaired by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is currently engaged in a long-running dispute with Trump over the passage of a controversial bill regarding the funding of a US-Mexico border wall.
The standoff over the issue has led to a partial government shutdown, forcing around 800,000 federal workers to work without pay or expecting to be furloughed.
Trump made the wall a key election campaign promise in 2016, saying Mexico would pay for it and claiming it is needed to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Democrats have time and again called a border wall immoral, ineffective and medieval.
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