Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman apologizes for past antisemitic, anti-gay comments

Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman is apologizing for antisemitic and anti-gay comments he made on social media a decade ago, including invoking Adolf Hitler in apparent praise.

The revelation of the statements — which include calling then-President Barack Obama a "slave of the Jewish lobby" and expressing disgust for same-sex marriage — drew condemnation from Jewish and political leaders and prompted Osman to spend a portion of Monday evening and Tuesday personally apologizing to colleagues, city employees and friends.

"I explicitly and absolutely repudiate and disavow everything about these comments," Osman, who represents the Sixth Ward, said in a statement. Referring to the Jewish and LGBTQ communities, he added: "The friends and allies I have in the both of these communities expect more of me, and I am sorry to them."

Osman, 38, said he doesn't remember making the specific statements but is not disputing that he made them. He was elected in 2020 and has said he's running for re-election next year. A number of candidates previously have announced plans to challenge him.

The comments, first reported by the Minnesota Reformer, consist of five Facebook posts made between September 2011 and January 2013.

That Osman raised the specter of Hitler — whose Nazi regime oversaw the genocide of 6 million Jews — drew a strong response from Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

"Yearning for Hitler and the final solution along with vicious attacks on Jews and gays disqualifies you for public office," Hunegs said. "If Mr. Osman would like to tell us why this shouldn't be the case, he can contact us."

The posts are no longer on Osman's Facebook page. The Reformer reported that they were deleted in October, around the time Osman drew attention because his wife, Ilo Amba, founded a nonprofit that lost funding from the state after its sponsoring organization was tied to the fraud investigation into a federal COVID meals-for-kids program. Amba has not been charged or accused of fraud.

The Star Tribune independently obtained screenshots of the posts. Osman's antisemitic posts appear to have sprung out of criticism of Israel and U.S. policy toward Israel.

Antisemitic posts

Among the people Osman called Tuesday to apologize was Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish. In a statement, Frey called Osman's comments "both divisive and dangerous for Jewish and LGBTQ people."

"I spoke with the Council Member directly who apologized unequivocally and expressed deep remorse. I forgive him, and trust he has learned from this," said Frey. "In the age of social media, our public discourse can benefit both from recognizing our common humanity before making such comments and from forgiveness for people who make a sincere effort to repair harm they have caused."

Anti-gay marriage posts

Osman posted about same-sex marriage in the run-up to a failed 2012 statewide ballot question that sought to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.

City Council President Andrea Jenkins, who is transgender, said Osman called her Monday evening.

"He sounded really sincere and remorseful regarding those comments. He repudiated them," said Jenkins, who serves on the board of Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT-rights group. "He has been a respectful colleague to work with to this point, but, you know, I am concerned about these comments. I want to try to understand how he plans to make amends to these really important communities."

Here is Osman's full statement:

"Over a decade ago I made comments about the Jewish community, Israel, and the GLBTQ+ community on social media.

"I explicitly and absolutely repudiate and disavow everything about these comments. It does not reflect how I feel about Jewish people or faith or the GLBTQ+ community. The friends and allies I have in the both of these communities expect more of me, and I am sorry to them.

"Genuinely I do not remember making these comments. But, the heat of social media has a tendency to invite inflamed commentary, responses when you're ignorant about issues, and sometimes to depersonalize and dehumanize the people who you interact with.

"Our neighbors deserve dignity and respect in all forms. I have been shown countless examples of that in the years since these comments.

"I have grown through being several different people since these posts were made. I have graduated from college, I have gotten married, and been exposed to so much more about the world.

"These comments could not be further from how I hope to conduct myself every day on the council.

"Again I apologize for the comments, and want to apologize to my constituents and my colleagues particularly Mayor Jacob Frey, Council President Andrea Jenkins, Council Member Lisa Goodman, Council Member Jason Chavez and to my staff Sean Broom. The things written hurt them individually and I am sorry for any ignorance I had and hope my growth since is evident to them and that they will continue to help me grow and learn."