MINNEAPOLIS, United States — Minnesota State Senator and Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh is speaking out forcefully against a wave of “hateful” online attacks targeting his Muslim faith and Somali heritage, casting a harsh light on the increasingly charged political climate ahead of the city’s 2025 mayoral election.

Fateh, a rising star in America’s progressive movement, addressed the Islamophobic and xenophobic remarks he’s been subjected to as his campaign gains traction. The online hostility intensified following a social media post by a prominent right-wing figure.

On the evening of Monday, July 14, Fateh publicly responded to what he called a “hate-filled” post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of the right-wing youth group Turning Point USA.

“Minneapolis is a beautiful, diverse city, and we are strong in our progressive values,” Fateh wrote in his reply. “The hate I’ve seen today—and most days—is not who we will ever be.”

Fateh’s pushback comes as he campaigns on a platform of bold social and economic reforms, at a time when Minneapolis continues to reckon with the political and social upheaval sparked by the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Who is Omar Fateh?

At 35, Omar Fateh is serving his second term as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party senator representing District 62 in the Minnesota Senate. Born in Washington, D.C., to Somali immigrant parents, he’s built a career grounded in public service.

After earning a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University, Fateh worked in Minneapolis in a range of public roles—first as a community specialist, then as a project coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and later as a business analyst at the University of Minnesota.

In 2020, he made history as the first Somali-American and the first Muslim elected to the Minnesota Senate—a landmark achievement for the state’s sizable East African diaspora, and a symbol of the growing influence of progressive politics in local government.

Now running for mayor, Fateh is campaigning on a vision that includes strong protections for gig economy workers, a commitment to police accountability, and the expansion of affordable housing. His promises around policing hold particular weight in a city that became the global epicenter of the racial justice movement after George Floyd’s death.

His economic proposals are equally ambitious. Fateh has vowed to raise Minneapolis’s minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2028—a significant leap from the current citywide rate of $15.97, and well above the statewide minimum of $11.13 in Minnesota.

He has also taken a firm stance on immigration enforcement, vowing that Minneapolis will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities under a potential second Trump presidency—a pledge aimed squarely at safeguarding the city’s immigrant communities.

“Whether it’s an immigration raid or otherwise, our people deserve a mayor who stands up to Donald Trump and says, ‘no, that’s not happening in our community,‘” Fateh has stated.

A pattern of hostility

Supporters argue that the attacks on Fateh aren’t isolated incidents but part of a wider trend of hostility toward Muslim-American politicians who speak out boldly. TakeAction Minnesota, an advocacy group that has endorsed his campaign, was quick to come to his defense.

“Islamophobia has no place in our politics or our society,“ the group posted on X. “Senator Fateh is right—this hate is not who we will ever be. We organize to elect leaders like Senator Fateh because we share a vision for communities rooted in care and love, not hate.”

The hostility Fateh is facing is not unique. In New York, State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani—also a democratic socialist and practicing Muslim—has routinely been the target of similar abuse for his faith and political convictions.

As the Minneapolis mayoral race intensifies, the backlash against Fateh’s identity and progressive ideals serves as a poignant reminder of the deeply fractured and often vitriolic nature of today’s political landscape, especially at the intersection of race, religion, and reform-driven policy.

The election is set for November 4, 2025.