Did Ohio Just Elect The Next Ilhan Omar?

As the first Somali Muslim woman elected to the Ohio state legislature, Munira Abdullahi is expected to bring “diversity” and “new perspectives” to the Ohio House of Representatives, according to her supporters. What they don’t tell you is that the 26-year-old belongs to a radical Sunni Islamist organization that uses youth indoctrination, charity, and social work to grow its political power and spread theocratic, often illiberal views.

Based on her background and career trajectory, Abdullahi could feasibly become the next Ilhan Omar — Minnesota’s far-left congresswoman known for expressing radical, antisemitic opinions and consorting with various Islamist groups. Indeed, the Ohio legislator shares striking similarities with Omar, the first Somali Muslim elected to her state’s legislature in 2016 and the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.

Both women fled their country in times of war and lived at refugee camps in Kenya before settling in the United States. Omar and Abdullahi each began careers as community activists before moving on to their state legislatures. They both represent districts that have transformed in recent years into Somali enclaves, where poverty, crime, and terrorist recruitment have stifled integration and development.

The pair were photographed meeting for the first time in September. Abdullahi referred to her role model as the “legendary” Ilhan Omar.

Employed and Funded by Islamist Group

Omar, who will soon be a third-term congresswoman, works closely with American Islamist organizations and is known to advance legislation on their behalf. For her part, Abdullahi doesn’t just associate with extremist groups — she is a card-carrying member of the Muslim American Society, a notoriously extreme Islamist group that the United Arab Emirates designated as a terrorist organization in 2014.

In fact, MAS is the “overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America,” according to federal prosecutors, or the U.S. branch of a global, pan-Islamic organization known for its violent history in the Middle East. Since 2012, Abdullahi has worked part-time as a youth director at MAS-Columbus, and she was promoted in March to the role of program manager at the national office.

Abdullahi is not just employed by MAS. She also accepted campaign donations from MAS officials. In September, the representative-elect even redirected campaign funds to her employer, raising serious concerns about how she might use her public office to benefit a controversial Islamist group.

MAS officially denies belonging to an international Ikhwan al-Muslimeen (Muslim Brotherhood) network. However, a 2004 Chicago Tribune report citing internal memos and the accounts of early MAS leaders found that members voted early on to purposefully obscure the group’s ties to the broader Islamist movement.

With just 3 or 4 million Muslims living in America, the Muslim Brotherhood understands that its grand vision of establishing Islamic governments may have to wait. In the meantime, MAS prefers to “convert Americans to Islam and elect like-minded Muslims to political office,” according to a former member.

Despite these theocratic goals, Abdullahi is convinced that Christian conservatives — and not Islamists — represent a threat to religious freedom in America. “They [conservatives]

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