There's only one reason Republicans have punished Ilhan Omar

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     February 2, 2023 The racist targeting of Rep. Ilhan Omar, which for years resulted in death threats and opportunistic smears, is well documented. But on Thursday, it reached something of a climax, a needless and incredibly depressing one, as House Republicans voted to kick her out of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The official rationale was anti-Semitism. But anyone with half a brain knows that Omar's identity as a Black Muslim woman with power was at the root of today's spectacle. Here's my colleague Pema Levy with a [blistering takedown of the glaring racism and Islamophobia]( that animated the vote, as well as the GOP's relentless efforts to turn the Minnesota congresswoman into a bogeyman: Omar, [speaking]( before the vote, asked if it is any surprise that, given the GOP’s attempt to smear the first Black president as an un-American, African-born Muslim, that the party has now moved on to targeting a Black Muslim who was born in Africa. It’s not. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), defending Omar on the House floor, [accused]( her Republican colleagues voting to oust Omar of racism. “This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” she said. What happened today is downright wrong. But [Omar's remarks ahead of the vote](—powerful and defiant in the face of such ugliness—[are well worth watching](, and offer strength against such a demoralizing display of GOP hate. —Inae Oh Advertisement [Hanover Square Press]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Real Reason House Republicans Kicked Ilhan Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee]( It's not about anything she said. It's about racism and Islamophobia. BY PEMA LEVY SPONSORED CONTENT BILL PRESS PODCAST   David Corn, Washington bureau Chief, Mother Jones "I've watched, listened to, and read Bill Press for decades, and I can attest that he is one of the sharpest political observers in the business. Bill and his all-star guests provide unique and important insight and analysis that you cannot find elsewhere.” [Listen to The Bill Press Pod here.]( [Trending] [Tyre Nichols' life celebrated at Memphis funeral]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Oklahoma jailed women who couldn't stop their abusers. Will a new law help?]( BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS   [This deal could save the Colorado River—if California doesn’t blow it up]( BY JAKE BITTLE   [Aim for the stomach: Why the threat to food supplies is central to the discourse on climate change]( BY MARK SCHAPIRO Advertisement [Hanover Square Press]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Columbia Journalism Review's big fail: It published 24,000 words on Russiagate and missed the point]( The magazine's attempted takedown of the media's coverage bolsters Trump's phony narrative. BY DAVID CORN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755