As the first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress after being sworn in to office in 2019, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has frequently been the target of rumors, often involving her religion and her family.
One claim in particular, that she married her brother, has circulated for years — including when President Donald Trump shared the rumor on social media in November 2025 — though Snopes has repeatedly determined it has no basis in truth. Trump also falsely claimed Omar said the terrorist group al-Qaida made her "proud."
Rumors about Omar also have targeted her political views. For example, after she wrote to a federal judge on behalf of a man convicted of terrorism offenses — advocating for rehabilitation over a more punitive sentence — a social media account misleadingly claimed she called for "lighter sentences" for people "caught trying to join ISIS."
Here are 14 rumors about Omar we've looked into:
