Ilhan Omar's Past Comes Back To Haunt Her
A 2013 Father’s Day post in which Rep. Ilhan Omar referred to her father as “Nur Said” has resurfaced as federal investigators examine allegations involving her immigration and naturalization records.
Fox News Digital reported that Omar removed the post on September 19, 2019, six years after publishing it. A 2020 Congressional Black Caucus memorial identified her father as Nur Omar Mohamed. The name in Omar’s old post also resembles part of her former husband Ahmed Nur Said Elmi’s name—but that resemblance alone does not establish a family relationship or prove wrongdoing.
The post is not new evidence: the Daily Caller reported on an archived version in 2019. Its renewed circulation follows the October 12 search of Omar’s Washington residence as part of a federal investigation into possible false statements in immigration documents. Omar denies wrongdoing and has called the inquiry politically motivated.
A statement circulating online and attributed to Omar’s spokesperson said “Nur Said” was her father’s childhood nickname, that he used it on a public page, and that Omar deleted the post after threats against her family. Fox News reported that it could not authenticate the statement. Omar’s office did not respond Friday to the outlet’s request for comment specifically about the post. Fox also noted that the name Nur Said has appeared in other reporting about her father, including a New York Post account quoting Oxford historian Mohamed Haji Ingiriis.
The discussion has gained added attention because a Justice Department filing related to the search identified Omar as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” The filing does not explain the wording or establish that Omar used a false identity. Two people familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital that Ilhan Nur Said Elmi might be her legal name; Omar’s office disputes that account.
Asked about her name by Fox News Digital, Omar replied, “Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, you know it,” and, “It’s Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” Her spokesperson has also denied allegations that her former husband was her brother, calling them baseless. Omar addressed the claim during an MS NOW interview. Asked whether there was any familial relationship, she answered, “Not to my knowledge.”
Somali naming conventions can include a person’s given name followed by their father’s and paternal grandfather’s given names. That context may help explain why names appear similar, but it cannot resolve the specific questions investigators are examining. Those require reliable records and evidence, not inference from a name alone.
The post’s return to public discussion adds to the political scrutiny surrounding Omar, but it does not prove that her former marriage was unlawful or that she committed immigration fraud. The investigation remains ongoing, and the publicly available court filing does not establish guilt.