Omar to accept award Saturday as American Muslim Public Servant of 2021

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will accept an award on Saturday honoring her as the Muslim-American public servant of the year at a virtual gala hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

CAIR, the nation’s largest organization representing Muslims, said in a press release that Omar will be given the award for her activism in the U.S. House of Representatives in light of her recent feud with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who made Islamophobic remarks about her fellow congresswoman.

CAIR announced Omar deserved the award for her “commitment to public service and courage in the face of anti-Muslim bigotry from fellow members of Congress.”

“Representative Omar has time and again proven her deep dedication to public service,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad in the statement. “Her work representing the interests not only of her constituents but of the American people as a whole serves as an example to our community and to the nation.”

In a widely condemned video that surfaced over Thanksgiving weekend, Boebert joked Omar was a terrorist, leading to a public back-and-forth row over the matter that only worsened after the two shared a phone call to discuss it.

CAIR issued a statement on Nov. 26, calling Boebert’s remarks “disgusting” and asking Congress to censure the congresswoman. The U.S. House of Representatives has so far not acted to censure Boebert.

The annual gala’s theme this year is “Turning the Tide, Building a Just Future,” and attendees will celebrate CAIR’s impact in America for the past 27 years. The event will also be attended by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Islamic studies scholar Omar Suleiman and civil rights activist Linda Sarsour.