It's the kind of story candidate Omar would like to bury. Ilan omar is expected to become the first Somali American elected to any state legislature. Omar has denied that she is married to her brother, but even her denial sounds suspicious. As more sources began reporting on the rumor, she released a statement. One part of the statement sounds rather odd.....
"I entered into a relationship with a British citizen, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, and married him legally in 2009. Our relationship ended in 2011 and we divorced in our faith tradition."
Why would she say she married him legally, but divorced him "in our faith tradition?" Complicating the matter is that omar is now married to another man. While claims of immigration fraud and bigamy are circulating it seems Omar is doing little to try and clarify her position.
Ilhan Omar's full statement :
“A number of baseless rumors have been made recently about my personal life and family. I will say it again here: they are absolutely false and ridiculous.
That said, I will offer clarity and share a difficult part of my personal history that I did not consider relevant in the context of a political campaign, so that we can put these rumors to rest and return to what really matters: how we join together to build a more prosperous and equitable district and state.
In 2002, when I was 19 years old, Ahmed Hirsi (whose name before he received citizenship was Ahmed Aden), the father of my children and love of my life, and I, applied for a marriage license, but we never finalized the application and thus were never legally married. In 2008, we decided to end our relationship in our faith tradition after reaching an impasse in our life together.
I entered into a relationship with a British citizen, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, and married him legally in 2009. Our relationship ended in 2011 and we divorced in our faith tradition. After that, he moved home to England. I have yet to legally divorce Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, but am in the process of doing so. Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive.
Since 2011, I am happy to say that I have reconciled with Ahmed Hirsi, we have married in our faith tradition and are raising our family together. Like all families, we have had our ups and downs but we are proud to have come through it together.
I appreciate the countless messages of support I have received from the people of 60B and beyond who understand how difficult and deeply personal this has been for my family and especially my children. I remain honored to be a part of a campaign that is uniting the diverse voices of our district – long term residents, East African immigrants and students.”