Ilhan Omar Siblings: A Look at the Politician’s Family Tree
Ilhan Omar PHOTO/The Nation
Ilhan Omar is a prominent American politician and a trailblazing figure in U.S. politics.
Born on October 4, 1982, in Mogadishu, Somalia, she is the youngest of seven siblings.
Her early life was marked by profound challenges, as her family fled the Somali Civil War when she was eight years old.
Her mother, Fadhuma Abukar Haji Hussein, had passed away when Omar was just two, leaving her to be raised primarily by her father, Nur Omar Mohamed—a former Somali army colonel and teacher trainer—and her grandfather.
The family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before being granted asylum in the United States, arriving in 1995.
They initially settled in Arlington, Virginia, before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1997, where a large Somali immigrant community provided support.
Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17 and has often spoken about overcoming bullying in school due to her Somali heritage and hijab.
Siblings
Ilhan is the youngest of seven siblings from a Somali family.
She was born in 1982 to Nur Omar Mohamed, a former Somali army colonel and teacher trainer.
Illhan’s identified siblings include sister Sahra Noor, who ran a health care consultancy in Kenya and worked at a Twin Cities nonprofit; brother Mohamed Omar, a nurse in Minneapolis; and brother Ahmed Abukar Arms.
Career
Omar’s career in public service began with grassroots involvement and policy work in the Twin Cities area.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies from North Dakota State University in 2011, she worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota, a policy fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and a senior policy aide for the Minneapolis City Council.
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She also served as director of policy initiatives for Women Organizing Women, empowering East African women in civic leadership.
Her entry into elected office came in 2016 when she won a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 60B, becoming the first Somali-American legislator in the United States.
She served from 2017 to 2019, focusing on issues like education, civil law, and state finance.
In 2018, Omar ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic area encompassing Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.
She won the seat and was sworn in January 2019, marking historic milestones as the first African refugee elected to Congress, one of the first two Muslim-American women in Congress, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in the House.
As a progressive Democrat, she has been a member of “The Squad,” advocating for policies such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, student debt relief, and climate action.
She has played key roles in major legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and has consistently pushed for immigrant rights, social justice, and foreign policy reforms.
Omar has authored and cosponsored numerous bills, held extensive town halls, and engaged deeply with constituents on issues ranging from healthcare affordability to environmental justice.
Accolades
In 2015, Omar was honored with the Community Leadership Award from Mshale, an African immigrant media outlet in Minneapolis, based on readership votes.
Time magazine named her among its “Firsts: Women who are changing the world” in 2017, featuring her on the cover of a special issue highlighting women breaking barriers across disciplines.
In 2018, Vogue magazine included her family as one of the “five families who are changing the world as we know it,” with photographs by Annie Leibovitz.
Her elections and service have been widely noted as groundbreaking, earning her acclaim as a symbol of representation for refugees, Muslim Americans, and women of color in politics.