Ilhan Omar celebrates Somali Independence Day – Nationalism is suddenly okay

Rep. Ilhan Omar found herself at the center of another political firestorm after appearing at a Somali Independence Day celebration in Minneapolis over the weekend, where she joined performers on stage and celebrated alongside thousands of attendees honoring Somalia’s independence.

Video from the event circulated widely on social media, showing Omar dancing during the festivities as members of Minnesota’s large Somali-American community marked the anniversary of Somalia’s independence.

The event itself was hardly unusual. Ethnic communities across America regularly celebrate cultural holidays, national independence days, and heritage festivals tied to their countries of origin.

What turned this into a political story was not the celebration itself but the reaction it generated online. Critics pointed to what they see as a recurring contradiction among progressive politicians who frequently condemn American nationalism while enthusiastically embracing displays of national pride connected to other countries.

Let me get this straight. We’re constantly told that displays of American patriotism are suspicious. Fly too many American flags? Problematic. Love the Founding Fathers? Questionable. Get a little emotional during the national anthem? Somebody on social media is probably preparing a dissertation about your alleged extremism.

But wave the flag of another country, celebrate another nation’s independence, and suddenly nationalism becomes a beautiful expression of cultural identity.

Here’s the part that drives ordinary Americans crazy. Most people don’t have any issue with immigrants celebrating their heritage. Italians do it. Irish Americans do it. Cubans do it. Everybody does it.

The issue isn’t the celebration. The issue is the double standard. If national pride is healthy, then it’s healthy. If it’s dangerous, then it’s dangerous.

If cultural pride is worth celebrating, then maybe it’s time to stop treating love of America as something that needs an apology attached to it.