There’s a bizarre story coming out of the Minneapolis Mayoral Elections last Tuesday. Incumbent Jacob Frey defeated a challenge from Omar Fateh, a Democratic Socialist. Omar Fateh is the same politician who had made nationwide news after promising ‘Halal Loans’ during his Mayoral campaign. Now, however, an inexplicable cause has emerged for his defeat in the progressive city in Minnesotta.
According to multiple journalists, a Somali clan war could have contributed to Fateh’s defeat in Minneapolis. Fateh is a Somali immigrant from the Darood clan, the same as Ilhan Omar. In previous elections, when an individual from a different clan ran for office, Darood groups apparently did not vote for the candidate. So, in response, this time around, non-Darood clans voted for Jacob Frey, who is a Jew himself.
Omar Fateh and the Somali Clan War in Minnesotta
Journalist Steve Robinson cited a Somali source in a post on X to explain the situation. He said, “The Darood clan dominates Somali political representation in Maine but by population, other clans have massive presence but for some reasons the Darood LOVE power… In Somalia, however, the Darood are just one of the four major clans—alongside Hawiye, Rahanweyn, and Dir—without overall dominance.”
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He added, “Somali immigrants from these other clans, particularly in Minnesota’s large diaspora, have grown resentful of Darood’s rising influence in U.S. politics. For instance, when Nasri Warsame (non-Darood) ran for office in Minneapolis back in 2021, Darood-aligned groups reportedly blocked him and supported an Indian-born woman instead, preferring a non-Somali over someone from a rival clan.”
Multiple videos have gone viral on Tiktok where Somalis are blaming the Clan War for Fateh’s defeat. One influencer says, “Omar Fateh asked his people to support him, but they went and danced for the white man, because of qabiil (clan-conflict).”
Another says, “Imagine losing a Somali mayor over clan drama … our community turned a city election into clan completion … we came here to be one Somali, but now we are divided.” They say, “The entire campaign became about inter-clan conflict. Jacob Frey is good but he’s not Somali.”
Ilhan Omar’s ex-husband Ahmed Hirsi campaigns for Jacob Frey
Ilhan Omar married Ahmed Hirsi as per Islamic traditions in 2002. The couple had applied for a marriage license but were never officially married. They separated in 2008 while they were parents to two children. In 2009, she married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. The couple dissolved their marriage per Islamic traditions in 2011 but did not divorce each other legally.
She then paired up with Ahmed Hirsi again while she was still legally married to Ahmed Elmi. In 2012, the Congresswoman from Minnesotta had her third child with Hirsi. She divorced Elmi legally in 2017 before marrying Hirsi in 2018. The two split up again the next year. In 2020, she married Tym Mynett.
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In this year’s Minneapolis Mayor Elections, Ilhan Omar and Ahmed Hirsi once again found themselves on the opposite ends of the aisle. Hirsi campaigned extensively for Jacob Frey while Omar endorsed his rival Omar Fateh. Hirsi succeeded in driving significant sections of the Somali Community votes towards Frey.
He was also present at Frey’s victory celebrations. Jacob Frey extensively used the inter-clan disputes among the Somali Community to divide their votes. The Hawiye Clan rallied behind Frey to a significant degree.
