This weekend, two of the largest far-right accounts on Twitter aimed race-based attacks at an Ohio elected official.
The two accounts — "Libs of TikTok” and “End Wokeness” — shared a video of Democratic State Rep Ismail Mohamed speaking to Ohio’s many Somali residents in their native language.
The video has gone viral on conservative social media platforms, along with absurd claims that Somali immigrants are planning to infiltrate American government and take control.
In the video (which may have been altered by the far-right accounts), Rep Mohamed thanks Somali National TV for their coverage, celebrates a road he helped name to honor a famous Somali leader, and discusses the efforts of Somali-American elected officials to support the Somali-American community.
I have not been able to find the original version of this video. However, it’s striking that even the (potentially edited) version shared by the far-right accounts is clearly just your average elected official video recorded in *GASP* A LANGUAGE THE AUDIENCE SPEAKS.
Shamefully, one of Rep Mohamed’s own Statehouse colleagues — Republican Rep Jennifer Gross — chimed in to encourage even more racist attacks against her fellow lawmaker.
There is no way to describe the far-right’s reaction to this benign political video except overt racism. Here are 4 reasons why:
1.) Building up representation for various communities is one of the most common and basic political practices.
For many years, American government was made up entirely of rich, white, old men. Our laws, therefore, often forgot or purposefully ignored people who did not fit that description.
Even today, straight, white, wealthy, men still hold far more political power than they would if the U.S. government reflected the American people.
Because of this, organizations that lift up the needs and concerns of individual communities have become a necessity.
Anyone working in politics could easily name the major political organizations that support women, Black and African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, young Americans, disabled Americans, low-income Americans, and many more.
There is NO valid reason for any politician, organization, or pundit to claim that building up Somali Americans’ political power is somehow different or more nefarious than any other community doing the exact same thing.
2.) It’s literally Rep Mohamed’s job to advocate for Somali Americans.
Rep Ismail Mohamed represents Ohio House District 3, which is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus is home to the second largest Somali population in the United States.
So of course Rep Mohamed is trying to improve the lives of Somali Americans. He’s good at his damn job!
For example, he has introduced and fought for multiple bills to help immigrants and refugees travel legally throughout the state.
And just this month, Rep Mohamed worked with Columbus city officials to organize community engagement activities for Somali-American families. This heartwarming video shows kids dancing, laughing, and enjoying the outdoor activities Rep Mohamed helped make possible.
3.) Even a basic internet search for State Rep Ismail Mohamed shows he works for ALL the communities he represents.
He has spent his time at the Statehouse fighting to:
Expand food options for students with religious diet restrictions
Help Ohioans access remedial driving courses so they can get back to work
He has secured funding for projects and programs that improve his district.
And he has consistently and forcefully spoken out against harmful actions by Ohio’s Republican supermajority.
It’s especially damning, therefore, that Rep Jennifer Gross made such hateful comments about her own colleague. She works with him and should know what bills he’s been fighting for.
4.) Rep Mohamed has even faced backlash for defending other marginalized communities.
Ohio has one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations in the country, and Columbus has long been considered one of best U.S. cities for LGBTQ+ Americans to visit and live.
Rep Mohamed represents this large LGBTQ+ community, and he takes his job seriously.
As the Buckeye Flame reported in 2023, certain portions of Central Ohio’s Somali Muslim population are “conservative both religiously and politically and doesn’t always understand or support LGBTQ+ communities.”
But Rep Mohamed has consistently voted to defend LGBTQ+ Ohioans. This brave act has resulted in verbal attacks on his character, and even vandalism to his home and car.
On a related note, if you don’t know Rep Ismail Mohamed, you should. He’s incredibly impressive.
As a child, he and his family fled civil war and famine in Somalia.
“I come from a working class family and we were fortunate enough to get immigrant visas to the US," Mohamed explains.
He earned his college degree and law degree at The Ohio State University, then stayed in Columbus to live and work.
He also volunteered at the North Columbus non-profit Our Helpers, which provides job training and other resources to immigrants and low-income Ohioans.
Now, Ismail Mohamed is the first Somali-American attorney to practice in Ohio AND Ohio’s first Somali-American male lawmaker.
He founded his own legal practice in Ohio, which focuses on personal injury, immigration, and criminal law.
His law firm also provides pro-bono assistance to low-income clients with legal issues such as expungements, evictions, and applying for benefits.
Rep Mohamed says he is guided by his faith, and loves working with a diverse range of religions and religious leaders as a lawmaker.
Ismail Mohamed is exactly the “type” of immigrant that far-right conservatives pretend to support. He came to America as a refugee with a legal visa, worked incredibly hard, and is now giving back to his new home in every possible way.
He is a lawyer, a business owner, a community leader, and an elected official.
He is the American dream.
It’s almost like the attacks on him are based purely and exclusively in racism.
Thanks for writing this, Rachel. One of the things I first noticed about the Columbus area of Ohio is its diverse population, and that is one of the things I most enjoy. No matter what anyone says, the US is a country of immigrants, and we need to continue welcoming them.
I hope this gets the attention of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She's probably the highest Somali elected official