After Trump Tweet: Did a US MP downplay September 11?

"Some people have done something" - this single sentence from a speech by Democrat Ilhan Omar can be seen in a video on the Twitter account of Donald Trump. This is followed by pictures of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, accompanied by dramatic music. Above the post, the sentence "We will never forget" is displayed in capital letters.

The accusation of the US President is quickly clear: The MP, which is the first Muslim woman to Rashida Tlaib with the US House of Representatives, downplayed the terrorist attacks of September 11. The tweet sparked a controversy in the US - because the sentence of the deputies was torn out of context.

Speech dealt with the situation of Muslims in the United States

Actually, the speech from which the excerpt was taken dealt with the situation of Muslims in the USA since the terrorist attacks in 2001. Ilhan Omar had already held them on March 23. "We have lived for too long with the discomfort of being second-class citizens," the MP said at an event organized by the civil rights organization "Council on American-Islamic Relations" (CAIR).

Every Muslim in the country should be sorry, Omar continued. This was followed by the passage, which can also be seen in the video on Twitter - there, however, it has been significantly shortened. "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and we all began to lose access to our civil rights."

Terrorist attack was not downplayed

So it was not about trivializing the terrorist attack, but about US Muslims feeling under suspicion of the actions of individuals and therefore wanting to do more to protect their civil rights. Although Omar's speech was broadcast, it initially did not attract much attention.

It was not until Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas cut the 9 April speech. shared on Twitter, conservative media reported as the television station Fox News about it. Ronna McDaniel, the leader of the Republican party organization, described Omar as "anti-American."

Wow. Today's @nypost cover has a strong message for @IlhanMN. pic.twitter.com/L2MApyCC90

The newspaper "New York Post" featured on the front page a photo of the burning World Trade Center with the headline "Here's your something". However, Ilhan Omar did not withdraw her testimony, but compared it three days later, on April 12, with a quote from former President George W. Bush: "The people - and the people who destroyed these buildings are all of us hear soon ". And asked if Bush had also downplayed the terrorist attack - and what if he was a Muslim?

Democrats accuse Trump of spreading hatred

Shortly thereafter, US President Trump tweeted the video, leading Democrats accused him of inciting hatred. "You can contradict your words - as I have already done - but this video is wrong," said Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota senator.

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Beto O'Rourke, who wants to play for Democrats like Klobuchar in the presidential election in 2020, described the president's tweet as a call to violence against Omar and other Muslims in the United States. Many social media users have also supported Ilhan Omar's opposition to the US President's hate, and the hashtag #IStandWithIlhan has become a worldwide trend on Twitter on Friday.