American Muslim Representative Ilhan Omar mourned the death of her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, on Monday night of complications from the novel coronavirus.
“It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say goodbye to my father,” the Minnesota congresswoman tweeted late on Monday.
“No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him.”
In the statement, she wrote, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” which translates to, “Surely we belong to God and to Him shall we return.”
Several people have shared their condolences with the Muslim lawmaker for her loss.
“To God we belong and to God must we return. I am so sorry for your loss, Ilhan. May God have mercy on him and give you and your family strength during this difficult time,” Qasim Rashid wrote on Twitter.
“I’m truly sorry for your loss, may his memory be for a blessing,” David Weissman added.
The lawmaker, elected in 2018, is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
Omar and her father Nur Mohamed came to the United States as refugees in 1995 from Somalia during the country’s civil war and eventually settled in Minneapolis.
The coronavirus has claimed 118,286 lives in the US as of Tuesday morning, according to WorldOmeter.
The virus is considered to be especially dangerous to the elderly community and those with compromised immune systems.
On June 14, Omar took to Twitter to warn about the virus risk.
“The pandemic is not over,” she wrote. “Stay vigilant. When protesting or volunteering, keep at least six-foot distance from others when possible. Wear a mask, wash or sanitize your hands, and consider getting tested for #COVID19. And do not go if you have symptoms!”