Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

Dear Commons Community,

Freshman Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar mourned the “chilling” attack on two New Zealand mosques early Friday — opening her tweet with a verse from the Quran that is often shared in times of tragedy.

“Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” Omar tweeted, using the Arabic phrase from the Muslim holy book that means, “We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return.”

“This is chilling news to wake up to,” she added. “In the face of this horror, I’m mourning with, and holding our community extra close today.”

“Jummah Mubarak,” she added, which translates to, “Happy Friday.”

Omar is a former Somali refugee and the first naturalized citizen from Africa — and Somali-American — elected to US legislative office.

Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more injured when at least one shooter — identified as 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant — stormed into Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch and opened fire on Muslims who were there for Friday prayers. Another shooting happened a short while later at a nearby mosque in the city.

Muslims,Christians, Jews, and people of many faiths mourned the innocents killed yesterday.

Tony

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