Interview with Laura Loomer
Laura Elizabeth Loomer (born May 21, 1993) is a conservative journalist, political activist, and Internet personality. She was a reporter for Canadian far-right website The Rebel Media during the summer of 2017, resigning that September. Prior to June 2017, she worked for Project Veritas with James O'Keefe.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Loomer
"person" here!
ReplyDeleteLaura Loomer claims to be “holding people accountable” as her mission. That would be half believable if she could account for everything she claims.
I am not writing this because I am pro-Islam or pro-Omar…. I am writing this because I am pro-truth. Loomer said plenty of truthful things in this interview, but disappointingly, you failed to hold her accountable when she wandered away from objective reality.
6:27: “Why is this woman [Rep. Omar] calling for the eradication of Israel?”
-> There is no record of Ilhan Omar ever saying this or anything close to it. Unless Loomer has an unsurfaced recording of Omar saying this, Loomer is telling a boldfaced lie.
7:08: “[Omar] married her brother”
-> No records support this. Again, the burden of proof is on Loomer and others who are parroting this unsubstantiated claim.
8:14: “[…] there is no differentiation between radical and moderate Islam. There is only one form of Islam”
-> It feels dumb that I even have to say this: religious scholars disagree with Loomer across the board. There are a wide diversity of followings that exist within Islam, just as there are in every other religion. Some branches of Islam reject Sharia Law. Some Muslims are non-denominational. It is my position, I assume in line with your’s and Loomer’s, that Sharia Law is terrible, harmful, and the world would be better without it. It is possible to realize this without (wrongly) assuming that all Muslims wish for Sharia Law. Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Modernism
9:07: “By wearing a Hijab, Ilhan Omar is physically stating that she is pro-sharia”
-> No, she is physically stating that she enjoys practicing her faith in part by covering her head. We see head coverings in many other religions, like Judaism. If we apply Loomer’s reasoning more broadly (i.e. that if one wears religious clothing mentioned in a religious text, they must adhere to all of that text), then anyone that wears a Kippah condones slavery due to its treatment in the Hebrew Bible. This is a ridiculous worldview and is clearly a false dichotomy.
11:58 “There was a vote on a bill that would have made female genital mutilation […] a felony in the state of Minnesota. Well, Ilhan Omar was one of the only representatives who voted against it.”
-> This is false. Ilhan Omar voted in favor of the anti-FGM bill (source = 1st link below). Not only is this a flagrant mistruth, but Loomer herself was named on a fact-checking website almost four months ago (2nd link below). I do not understand how Loomer could actually be in the dark about Omar’s 5/15/2017 YEA vote on this bill. For someone who recently threatened libel against someone else simply for calling her “a fraud,” she is demonstrating a frail grasp on how evidence works.
MN legislature vote: https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/votes/votes.asp?ls_year=90&billnum=HF2621&session_number=0&year=2017&id=285
Fact check: https://checkyourfact.com/2018/11/29/fact-check-ilhan-omar-vote-female-genital-mutilation-felony/