Articles by SA STAFF

Hassan, the Local Olympian, Speaks Out

Hassan, a Somali American Olympian from Minnesota, recently made news after commenting on president Trump’s immigration ban. The executive order banned entry into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries that includes Somalia, for 90 days and suspended the U.S. Refugee Program for 120 days. It also indefinitely suspended refugee intake from Syria. The Trump Administration has said the restrictions are a necessary measure to keep America safe. In a recent interview with Sport Illustrated, Mead said, “Even if I may not be denied right now, it starts to stress you out,” Mead says. “Airports are already a tension-filled environment with random selection because of your demographic and beliefs. Now there’s this order from someone with a lot of power, and I’m still trying to take it in as its happening.” Hassan Mead, 26, is a South Minneapolis high graduate, a gopher and a 2016 Olympian. Even though he is not a household name in Minnesota, he should definitely be more celebrated among the Somali American community in Minnesota. Hassan is a long distance runner that went to University of Minnesota and ran for team USA in the Rio Olympics 2016 after failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. He…


Ask a Muslim Scholar Volume 2

Q: My wife breastfeeds our son now for almost years, he finds it difficult to drink from a cup, he prefers the breast. Is it allowed to feed him more than two years in this situation? It’s very hard for him and us to stop the breastfeeding now. We don’t have plans to have another baby also in this moment. A: A mother in Islam is expected to provide nurturing care and love for her children; breast feeding is undoubtedly one of the best ways of providing such care. Breast-milk has been specifically created by Allah solely to provide all the necessary nutrients and immunity so vital for the development of the child in its formative years, and as such there is no substitute for it. So you are to be commended for your zeal to provide the loving care for your child. It is, therefore, not at all surprising when Allah states in the Qur’an, “Mothers shall give such to their children for two whole years, for those who wish the suckling to be completed……if after consultation, they choose by mutual agreement to wean the child, it is no offence for them….” (Qur’an: 2: 233).  Scholars have deduced a…


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Around the World March 2017

Halima Aden – Fashion model Halima first made history last November when she competed in a Miss Minnesota contest wearing a hijab and topped it off by sporting a Burkini (Islamic compliant swimwear) at the swimsuit section of the competition. Since then, Halima has been riding high. She signed with IMG Modeling, one of the best modeling agencies in the world. Halima did not stop there, she walked the runway for Kanye West’s season 5 Weezy line wearing her hijab again. Halima’s just landed her first magazine cover and it seems like the future is very bright for this young lady. Somalia Has a New President, Who Happens to be Liked by Everyone, Is That Even Possible? Somalia has not had a functioning central government since 1990. On Wednesday, February 8th, the Somali Parliament elected former prime minister, dual US citizen, Mohamed Abdulahi Farmaajo. Farmaajo is not the first Somali president to be elected by parliament but he might as well be the first celebrated president by the people in recent history. He seems to have united the Somalis in the country as well as the ones living around the world. Farmaajo’s popularity can be traced back to when he…


A New Program Provides Somali Youth an Opportunity on STEM Education

A program dedicated to help Somali youth participate in Science and technology education is getting an extension. Kajoog, a Somali nonprofit alongside University of Minnesota are giving kids from Cedar Riverside neighborhood an introduction into the STEM field. STEM is a curriculum based on Science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In today’s very competitive job market, STEM majors are becoming more desirable by innovation driven companies but less desirable by the general population. That is why the unemployment rate among graduates with STEM degree is below 2%. The demand is significantly lower than the supply, hence the reason for the low unemployment rate. The 4-H STEM program was started in March of 2016 by Kajoog, a nonprofit who secured a $50,000 grant through the Minneapolis city council.  The program has been so successful that it has opened locations in Saint Paul and Eden Prairie as well. Over 50 kids are registered for the year 2017 and has a growing waitlist. Farah, executive director of Kajoog said, “every parent wants their kid to be the next engineer and the next doctor, We’re able to expose these potential careers to these kids by them being involved in the 4-H world.” 4 H is…


Yes it is Real, and Treatable

Historically, Somalis have managed to separate their physical health from their mental well-being. The reality however is that the two are very connected. A good mental health leads to a healthy body. Unfortunately, despite this fact, Somalis have a negative connotation around the words ‘Mental Disorder’. It is a cultural bias that needs to be countered with as many resources as possible. This News Paper hopes to start the dialog and continue to report on the progress the community has made on this stigmatized issue. First and foremost, just like any other disease, mental health is a normal curve in the population distribution of any society or community. In other words, there is 1 mentally unstable person in every 7 people in almost every indexed country in the world. Different cultures have different spiritual ways to heal mental disorders but we all agree that it affects every community around the world. In today’s advanced society, doctors and scientists know so much about mental health that no one should suffer because of a stigma. It has been scientifically proven that mental disorders are usually linked to high intelligence. Some of the greatest scientists and inventors the world has seen suffered from…


MAXAAD KA TAQAAN TAARIIKHDII QORIDDDII AFKA- SOMAALIGA

Halkan waxan ku soo qaadan doonaa taarikh kooban oo ku saabsan sidii loo doortay fartii lagu qoray afkka hooyo. Fartii lagu qori lahaa af- Soomaliga muddo badan ayaa niyadda lagu hayey. Afka Soomliga in la qoro dad Soomali iyo Ajaanab ah ayaa muddo badan ka shaqaynayey. Mudadaas iyada ah waxa la isku haystey fartii lagu qori lahaa Afka-Soomaliga.. Waxa jirey dhawr farood oo ay ka mid ahaayeen far Soomali (sida Cusmaaniya, Boorama iyo kadare), Carabi (oo loo yaqaaney Wadaad) iyo Laatiin. Markii la isku af-gaaran waayey, ayaa sannadkii 1964 waxa la horgeeyey baarlamankii Soomaliya. Muddo badan ayaa laga doodayey. Buuq badan ayaa ka dhex abuurmay mudanayaashii baarlamaanka. Waxay ku dhowaatay in la isku farasaaro. Mudanayaashii ayaa ku kala qaybsamay fartii la qaadan lahaa. Doodii ayaa aad u adkaatay. Mudanayaasha qar ka mid ah ayaa ku dooday, “Laatin waa diin la’aan.” Dadweynihii Soomaliyeed sidii baarlamanka oo kale ayey u kala qaybsameen. Dadka qaaar baa ku dooday in far Soomaliga laqaato maadaama ay rag Soomaliyeed soo saareen. Dadka qaarna waxay ku doodeen in farta Carabiga lagu qoro maadaama Quraanku ku qoranyahay. Dad kalena waxay ku doodeen in Laatiin lagu qoro si loola qabsado teknologiyada cusub. Waa la isku mariwaayey. Halkaas baa lagu…


Ask a Muslim Scholar Volume 1

This is the section where you, the reader gets to ask a Muslim scholar a question and if we think your question can benefit the community, we will feature it on this section. Question 1: Salaam Sheikh, I am going to Umrah InshaAllah next week. What is the minimum requirement to trim hair? Is it okay if I just trim hair evenly all over or does it HAVE to be 1/3 of my finger length? Answer 1: You have one of three options:   1. The first and the ideal one is to shave the head; you should do this if this is your first Umrah. 2. The second option is to get a haircut; it does not matter how short. 3. The third, which is the minimum requirement, according to some scholars is to take a few hair locks (at least three from any side).   Allah orders us in the Qur’an to come out of ihram (in the case of either hajj or umrah) after performing the essential rites by shaving our heads or cutting our hair short:  Allah says, “After that, let them bring to an end their state of consecration (ihram).”(Qur’an: 22:29)  “With your heads shaved…


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Somali Non-Profits Team Up For a Stronger Voice

Minneapolis is home to hundreds of non-profit organizations that provide services tailored to the Somali community. Few months ago, the most influential Somali nonprofits joined forces to create a lobbying voice in the MN state legislature. This coalition of Somali non profits are hoping to overcome the obstacles that face the Somali-American community in Minnesota. The coalition currently consists of 8 organizations and it’s unclear if they will be expanding. The current members are African Immigrants Community Services; the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota; Isuroon; Ka Joog; New American Academy; Shanta Link; Somali Action Alliance; and Somali American Parent Association. The Somali community in Minnesota has faced recent scrutiny over the recruitment of young Somalis by international terrorist organization.. The Somali community faces countless challenges that include but are not limited to high unemployment rates, weak family structures, lack of education and the slow integration into their new communities. These challenges can only be overcome by community programs tailored to the under priveledged community. In April 2015, a study released by University of Southern California, funded by the Homeland security department found that most Somali nonprofits in Minnesota who secured government grants have not been effective. It is important…


Coming Soon to Cedar Riverside: An Opportunity Center

Residents of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis are very excited about an upcoming community center that  is scheduled to open during the spring of 2017. Named after the neighborhood, The Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center has a mission to decrease the unemployment rate in the area. The twin cities is known to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Sitting just over 3.5 percent, the unemployment rate in Minneapolis is quite below the national average of 4.8 percent. Job growth across a mix of industries in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area lowered the jobless rate to 3.7 percent in October, edging out cities like Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, who also proud themselves on their low unemployment rates. Those spectacular numbers do not represent the high unemployment rates among the Somalis who live in the cedar riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis. Almost 18 percent of the residents of the Cedar Riverside neighborhood don’t have jobs. That’s more than triple the unemployment rate in the city of Minneapolis. As discouraging as that sounds, unemployment rate is even higher among the young adults who live in that particular neighborhood. That is why Public officials as well as community leaders are very excited…


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Somali-American Painter Draws Somalia Before the War

Aziz Osman of Colombia heights has been quietly painting gorgeous drawings of Somalia before the war. His work is displayed in public and private spaces across the twin cities. Vibrant paintings by Aziz can be found in Hennepin county Medical Center in Minneapolis, Thrivent financial services building and The African development center in Cedar riverside just to name a few. Aziz migrated to Minnesota in 1991 escaping a war torn Somalia to find a better life for him and his family. As an Italian educated painter, after arriving in Minnesota, Aziz had the urge to paint but did not have the money to buy supplies. So he improvised, Aziz used anything from Cereal Boxes, to shipping containers to create art he could sell. As a parking attendant during the day, Aziz found a small market for his very low budget paintings. “I want to remind these kids where they come from, to tell them: You have a lot of treasure,” said the soft spoken artist. Aziz paints murals and oil canvasses of scenes from back when Somali was peaceful. One of his main motivations is to keep the Somali American youth informed on how Somalia used to be and what…