Omar lived here in Minnesota for a number of years before graduating high school here in 2001. To get legally married you can do so in a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony where the authority presiding is legally authorized to marry a couple. I dug out a story from years ago:
Just a week after the political high of her historic primary win, Ilhan Omar divulged details of her complicated marital status.
www.mprnews.org
The confusing part in the MPR article is "In 2002, Omar and Hirsi applied for a marriage license but never "finalized the application." In 2008, the couple split "in our faith tradition," according to her statement." Did she first marry in her "faith tradition" with someone not legally authorized to conduct a marriage?