Ilhan Omar's Father Misrepresented Himself as Refugee, Scholar Claims
An expert alleges the late father of Rep. Ilhan Omar was a loyal military commander in Somalia's dictatorial regime and not an educator as previously stated.
Rep. Ilhan Omar's late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, allegedly misrepresented himself as a refugee to U.S. authorities when he was a prominent military commander in the regime of Somali dictator Siad Barre, an expert scholar told The Post.
Mohamed Haji Ingiriis, a historian and doctoral researcher at Oxford University, stated that Nur Omar Mohamed was "a full colonel in Siad Barre’s military regime" and "was never an educator." Ingiriis further claimed that Nur was "part and parcel of those who caused and created the mayhem they ‘fled’ to live comfortably in the United States."
Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman, has described her father as an educator who brought his family to the U.S. as refugees in 1995 after fleeing civil war. Her home was recently the subject of a federal criminal fraud investigation.
According to Ingiriis, Nur, who died in June 2020, served under his "real name" Nur Said. He allegedly played a significant role in Barre's army after the dictator seized power in a 1969 coup. Ingiriis contends that Nur held multiple military positions, including regimental commander, and was involved in the Somali-Ethiopian War from July 1977 to March 1978.
U.S. immigration law prohibits granting refugee status to individuals who participated in persecution. Ingiriis believes Nur was complicit in Barre's alleged crimes, stating he "assisted the dictator to remain in power for so long" and "was protecting his career and his colonel position."
Barre's regime is accused of killing as many as 200,000 people. Ingiriis cited that Barre ordered the massacre of civilians in the Isaaq clan in the north of the country, leading to aerial bombardments, poisoned wells, and the laying of landmines.
Nur's military career reportedly ended when Barre was ousted in 1991. He then relocated with his family to Kenya before immigrating to the U.S. as a refugee. Ingiriis noted that Nur worked as a taxi driver and postal worker in Minneapolis after leaving his affluent military position in Mogadishu.
"I think it is very wrong for the United States to host war criminals," Ingiriis told The Post. "This creates a constant resentment and sadness among the real victims who were terrorized by the military regime under which Nur Said loyally served."