A Muslim communist will run as a candidate for mayor in Minneapolis

Omar Fateh, a communist politician of Somali origin who currently holds a seat in the Minnesota Senate, will run as a candidate for the mayoralty of Minneapolis, the most important city in the state.

The son of immigrants and a community activist, Fateh has stood out for promoting controversial policies in favor of social justice, labor regulation of platforms such as Uber, and a Police reform focused on replacing police officers with mental health workers. 

Born in Washington D.C. in 1990, he is the son of Somali immigrants and was educated at George Mason University. After moving to Minneapolis, he was elected in 2020 as the first Somali state senator and Muslim in Minnesota, representing District 62. 

Fateh's proposals

• Minimum wage of USD 20/hour by 2028, much higher than state proposals. He aims to reduce "inequalities".
   
• Rent freeze and rent control: to curb the housing crisis, although these measures could worsen the housing shortage.
   
• Defense of immigrants and universal documentation: Eliminate cooperation between Minneapolis police and ICE.
   
• Public safety reforms: introduce Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) Teams and divert non-criminal calls to mental health professionals instead of the police.
   
• Progressive local taxes: promote an income tax for the wealthiest, subject to state approval.
   
• Ecological transition: implement carbon fees, fleet electrification, and promotion of 100% "clean" energy.

A candidate full of controversies

Although Fateh seeks to position himself as a renewed candidate in the search for greater societal acceptance of the Democratic Party, the extremist Muslim has a record full of controversies.

In 2022, the current state representative was investigated for using his political position to grant subsidies to the television broadcaster Somali TV. That same year, Fateh's brother-in-law and campaign volunteer was sentenced to six weeks of house arrest and 4 months of probation after an electoral fraud scandal.

This year, Fateh was named in the case files of the nonprofit organization "Feeding Our Future", where founder Aimee Bock and other left-wing activists deceived the federal government by falsely claiming millions of dollars for supposed school meals that were not intended for that purpose.