A video shared by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota presents itself as a breezy bit of lake-country relaxation. Omar and her husband, Tim Mynett, stroll around a deck while she captions the post, “Less scrolling, more strolling. Enjoying our beautiful Minnesota lakes.” The scene is polished, peaceful, and almost aggressively serene. Then there is the soundtrack, which is where the mood takes a hard turn.The Washington Free Beacon translated the Somali rap song playing over the clip. According to that translation, the lyrics say, “The almighty has given me strength. If I confront you in the afternoon, by evening, I will teach you a lesson and keep you awake throughout the night. Yes, you will suffer and cry in seething. You will scream like a demon.” That is not exactly the audio equivalent of birds chirping over a family picnic.Other translated lines are even more confrontational: “After all, you are not Arabs, So swallow your anger and chew on it,” followed by, “Let me show you who I am. No enemy dares to threaten me.” The song continues, “Let the enemies die of seething. We are the ones who rule this land.” The lyrics are jarring in a video…

A proposed Portland Public Schools policy on animals has triggered backlash after Abdullahi Ahmed, the district’s assistant superintendent for student, family, and community partnerships, argued that rules involving dogs should account for Islamic ritual purity. The policy committee met on October 14 to discuss the district’s proposed Animals in Schools policy. As currently drafted, the rules would require school administration to approve animals, require certification for service animals, and require domestic animals to be restrained. The proposal was reportedly prompted by a teacher’s plan to foster puppies in her classroom. Apparently, in modern school administration, even a puppy now needs a policy summit. Ahmed, who is Somali born and Muslim, said the district should consider religious concerns involving dogs. “In Islamic tradition, there is always love for animals and living things and compassion for animals,” Ahmed said. “With that being said, there are some ritual purity that Islamic traditions state and Muslims exercise, so, for example, dog saliva is considered impure.” He also said he did not want the district “to have a dog as a class pet” and that students and staff “should not be required to interact” with animals at school. A summary of the proposal said dogs…