Who is US congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s daughter, arrested and suspended? Isra Hirsi took part in Columbia University’s pro-Palestine protest – of which her Somali-American mum is ‘enormously proud’
- Over 100 students were arrested at the protests, including Hirsi – she’s also 1 of a handful of participants to be suspended, and spoke about getting barred from accessing her dorm at Barnard College
- Omar joined forces with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 3 other progressive women lawmakers in 2016, presenting a united front against then President Donald Trump as The Squad
Minnesota, US Congresswoman, refugee and history-maker Ilhan Omar, 41, has applauded her daughter Isra Hirsi’s protest at New York’s Columbia University, which led to the 21-year-old getting suspended.
Omar, revered in some quarters as the face of the future of politics and derided by others in public domains, particularly on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has always cut a controversial image.
Here’s what you need to know about Omar’s politics and how her daughter is carving out her own powerful path – starting with the latter, as it’s Hirsi’s recent actions that first sparked viral attention in the US.
The Columbia University protest
A few days ago, on April 18, Hirsi was suspended from Barnard College at Columbia University over her participation in a pro-Palestine protest – and her politician mum could not be prouder. The congresswoman said on X, “I am enormously proud of my daughter” adding that Hirsi has “always led with courage and compassion”.
Per HuffPost, Hirsi is a third year at Barnard, a women-only college. She is also an organiser of student coalition Apartheid Divest, which has led campaigns to urge the university to stop relationships with companies that support Israel.
According to New York Post, more than 100 protesters were arrested after they erected a tent city on Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus of the Ivy League school, whose tuition costs US$90,000 a year.
Hirsi stated on X that she was one of three students who were suspended over the protests at the time, despite never previously receiving a disciplinary warning of any kind.
In an interview with Teen Vogue following her suspension and arrest by the New York Police Department, Hirsi said she was effectively left homeless following her eight-hour stint in and eventual release from jail, and that all her belongings had been “thrown in a random lot” after the suspended students were only given 15 minutes to retrieve their items from the dorms while accompanied by a public safety escort – which Hirsi elected not to do.