US Congresswoman Omar abused by trolls for exposing lies of Indian journalist

Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is a Muslim immigrant living in the United States, was on Thursday targeted by the cyber trolls based in Hindu-majority India for her remarks at a congressional hearing.

US Congresswoman Omar recieved thousands of hate-filled tweets from Indian users after she challenged Indian journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh on fake statements made about the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. 

The Indian journalist, who is known to be sympathetic to the Hindu supremacist worldview of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had testified in front of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

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At the hearing on Human Rights in South Asia, she had described the draconian Indian military curfew in occupied Kashmir as a necessary measure to avoid civilian casualties in the restive state. 

Singh, who is affiliated with top Indian newspaper Times of India, had defended the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by the Indian government on August 5, that scrapped the autonomy of occupied Kashmir.

After scrapping the article, the Indian government had blocked communications in the occupied valley, cutting off landlines and the internet, and imposed a curfew as well. 

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US Congresswoman swiftly dismissed the testimony of Singh, accusing the Indian journalist of using her platform as a journalist to whitewash Indian crimes in occupied Kashmir.

"Ms Singh, a reporter's job is to find the objective truth about what is happening and report it to the public. I am aware of how the narrative shaped by reporting can distort the truth,” Omar said.

“The press is at its worst when it is a mouthpiece for a government. In your version of the story, the only problems in Kashmir are caused by what you call militants,” she added. 

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“You also make the incredible dubious claim that the Indian government's crackdown in Kashmir is good for human rights. If it was good for human rights, Ms Singh, it wouldn't be happening in secret," Omar thundered. 

"You make, what I might call, a feminist case for the occupation of Kashmir and communication shutdowns, saying it will be better for women," Omar noted. 

Omar’s support of Kashmiris affected by Indian PM Modi’s decisions made her a target in social media. She was falsely accused of having “married her brother” for example.