During an interview at the first annual Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy conference Tuesday (July 23) in Washington, D.C., Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was asked if she and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) would condemn female genital mutilation. Omar’s response made it clear that she not only found the question appalling, but also a waste of time.

“What this whole conversation is about is that not only do we have internalized fears about what we might believe and how that gets implemented, but that we also don’t have assumptions about what our value basis might be because of where we might come from and who we pray to,” she said. “I would like, not just for you, but for everyone to know that if you want us to speak as politicians, American politicians, then you treat us as such.”

Watch Omar’s complete response: