Former Iraqi beauty queen Sarah Idan worked as a translator for the US military plan bid for Congress

A former beauty queen who represented Iraq at the Miss Universe pageant and fled war-torn Iraq in search of a better life in America is hoping to run for Congress in California.

Twenty years after the start of the Iraq war, Sarah Idan, who describes herself as a feminist and human rights activist, wants to challenge what she believes to be the Democrats’ greatest weakness — their weakness.

Idan, 33, has spoken out against the extreme left of the Democratic Party and has openly criticized Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar for her comments on the Jewish people and Israel.

“I do not endorse your anti-American, anti-Semitic Muslim Brotherhood agenda that uses this democracy to advance your … goals of Islamic socialism to divide and weaken our country,” Idan tweeted in 2019.

“I would just be the opposite of Ilhan Omar. I’m a Democrat and a Liberal, but I don’t think like you – I don’t hate this country,” she said.

Sarah Idan fled war-torn Iraq in search of a better life in America and now plans to run for Congress in California

Idan aims to challenge what she perceives as the extreme left and raised voices in the Democratic Party

Idan has also expressed her dislike for what she sees as the party’s obsession with so-called “white privilege” and its failure to address concerns about public safety and rising crime in Los Angeles, where she currently resides.

Idan was born in Baghdad in 1990, the second youngest of five children.

Her father was a military engineer for Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party, but privately her views at home did not reflect that party line. The family had to practically “live as hostages under Saddam”.

She describes life under the brutal dictator as extremely hard with limited access to food, water and electricity. Politically, the family constantly feared accusations of “disloyalty”.

“We couldn’t say anything against him. I learned that everything Saddam taught me was a lie,” she told the New York Post.

Miss Iraq, Sarah Idan is pictured at the 66th Miss Universe Pageant in 2017

A picture of Iraq’s Sarah Idan (right) and Israel’s Adar Gandelsman (left) representing their countries at the Miss Universe pageant caused controversy in 2017

After the 2017 competition, Idan said the Miss Iraq organizers threatened to take the crown from her unless she took down the picture in which she posed with Miss Israel. She refused

Idan, 33, has spoken out against the extreme left of the Democratic Party and openly criticized Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar for her comments about the Jewish people and Israel, which she called “anti-American” and “anti-Semitic.”

The two women got into a Twitter spat following Idan’s comments in 2019

At the time, the Minnesota congresswoman hit back, tweeting, “Hey, I could be wrong but I don’t think you’re a resident of #MN05 so your representative isn’t.”

By the time she turned 18, Idan was working as a volunteer interpreter for the US Army in Iraq.

She was able to leave Iraq for the United States with a military green card in 2010 and later became a US citizen in 2015. Her family stayed behind, although she also eventually left Iraq a few years ago.

Idan believes her difficult upbringing gives her a unique perspective on the American dream.

“They hate it when I say something good about this country, when I say I love it and have rights here. They want to hear you say, “No, this is a terrible country, a terrible government, and we have no rights.”

A former beauty queen, she represented Iraq in the Miss Universe 2017 pageant and even faced death threats after befriending Miss Israel and snapping a selfie.

Idan now plans to run for Congress to root out “crazy left and bright voices” in the Democratic Party.

Idan believes her difficult upbringing gives her a unique perspective on the American Dream

Sarah Idan served in the Iraqi and US military before becoming a beauty queen in 2017

“There’s a voice missing. There’s the immigrant who fucking suffered and came here and lived the American dream,” says Idan.

She believes the party needs fresh young blood to proclaim what she describes as “communists pushing mad politics.”

“We need new people in office to take out the communists. I may have been born in Iraq, but my soul is American.”

She believes the Democratic Party must address awakened voices that have far too strong and influential a voice, while the party must also address public safety concerns and rising crime rates in major cities across the country head-on.

“There’s a voice missing. There’s the immigrant who fucking suffered and came here and lived the American dream,” says Idan.

Idan says she believes the Democratic Party needs fresh young blood to call out what she describes as “communists pushing mad politics.”