Wednesday August 20, 2025
COLUMBUS, Ohio (HOL) — Somali American state representative Ismail Mohamed is facing a wave of far-right attacks after posting a video in Somali to update his constituents about legislative work and community initiatives.
The video, released Aug. 14, showed Mohamed discussing his efforts to temporarily rename a Columbus street after Somali nationalist leader Mohamed Abdulla Hassan and his collaboration with Somali American officials across the United States to advocate for Somalia.
Within hours, far-right accounts End Wokeness and Libs of TikTok, which together have more than 7 million followers, circulated the video on X, formerly Twitter. Breitbart News later amplified it with an article on Aug. 15. The coordinated sharing triggered a flood of hostile reactions online, including calls for Mohamed’s deportation, demands to ban foreign-born citizens from political office, and disparaging comments about Somalia.
Rachel Coyle, a Democratic strategist, first flagged the targeting on Aug. 17. Days earlier, Republican state Rep. Jennifer Gross reposted the video, asking her followers for their opinions. On Aug. 19, Ohio House Democrats called on Gross to apologize. She did not respond to requests for comment.
Mohamed, a Democrat representing Columbus’ Northeast Side, arrived in Ohio as a refugee from Somalia. He defended using Somali, saying the update was intended for constituents who are not fluent in English.
The targeting of Mohamed follows a pattern in which right-wing media outlets and social media accounts have singled out Somali and Muslim American politicians across the country. In Minnesota, Somali American state senator Omar Fateh, now running for mayor of Minneapolis, has also been subjected to viral attacks. Conservative outlets, including Alpha News and the Daily Caller, criticized his campaign rallies for featuring Somali-language speeches and “almost no American flags,” while national commentators amplified misleading or altered videos of his appearances, according to fact-checks by Agence France-Presse .
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of the most prominent Somali Americans in elected office, has faced years of similar attacks. Breitbart, the Daily Wire, and the Washington Examiner have frequently accused her of antisemitism or disloyalty to the United States, often by taking statements out of context or linking her to overseas conflicts .
In New York, Muslim American assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has been branded “radical” and “antisemitic” in editorials by the New York Post and Washington Examiner, which highlighted his positions on Israel and housing policy while tying them to broader warnings about socialism .
Threaded through these episodes is a familiar script. The right-wing media machine seizes on Somali and Muslim candidates with the same set of accusations, whispers of divided loyalties, suspicion of foreign tongues, and the portrayal of cultural difference as a threat, regardless of the office sought or the state where they are running.
“This was an update for my constituents, some of whom only speak Somali,” Mohamed said. “Most of my speeches are in English. I find it interesting that I am being attacked, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio often gave remarks in Spanish out of respect for his constituents in Florida.”
Mohamed said the rhetoric has unsettled Columbus’ Somali community, estimated at 60,000 to 70,000 people, and the second-largest Somali population in the United States after Minneapolis.
“There are people who tell me they no longer feel welcome or even safe to go grocery shopping,” Mohamed said. “Women wearing the hijab are particularly vulnerable. They are more visible and therefore easier targets.”