Community

On a recent evening in St. Cloud, an hour before the city council would debate the fate of a proposed moratorium on refugee resettlement in the city, Feisal Ali stood in the parking lot of the city’s largest Somali-American strip mall, trying to make sense of the controversial plan. As he thought about it, several passersby waved and shouted greetings as they walked into the mall, which serves as both a social and business hub for the growing Somali-American community in the region. They stopped by the Somali-owned Afya Pharmacy, or joined people chatting over tea, or squeezing into the packed coffee shop, where young men took turns playing dominoes. Later that evening, more than 300 people — Ali among them — gathered at St. Cloud’s City Hall, where city officials would discuss the proposed refugee resettlement ban. And though the moratorium wasn’t voted on — in fact, a resolution “in support of a just and welcoming community” passed in response to the proposed ban — the meeting nevertheless included discussions about the cost of having people born in other countries settle in St. Cloud. Even amid the expressions of support, though, Ali couldn’t help but notice what wasn’t much…

Minneapolis resident Ahmed Hirsi was only a few miles away from the powerful blast that killed hundreds of people in Mogadishu last Saturday. When he arrived on the scene, where a truck filled with explosives was detonated, Hirsi saw pavement covered in blood; bodies decapitated and shattered, burned beyond recognition. As the deadliest single attack in Somalia’s history, the explosions killed more than 300 people, including a Bloomington man — a death toll that’s expected to rise as crews continue to dig into the rubble for signs of life. Just hours before that fateful afternoon, Hirsi had posted smiling photos of himself on Facebook, urging young Somalis in the U.S., Europe and Canada to return to the East African country and get involved in efforts to rebuild it. On Monday, however, Hirsi returned to Minneapolis, still reeling from the shock of the bloody attacks that rocked Mogadishu, where he spent 10 days with a group invited by the Somali government to review parts of the country’s new constitution. Now, Hirsi — who is married to Minnesota state Rep. Ilhan Omar — is part of a growing effort led by various Somali-American individuals and organizations in the Twin Cities aimed at…

“Shark Tank” Like Event for Somalis Attracts Hundreds in Minneapolis On Thursday, September 21, over 150 people packed the Mcnamara event hall at the University of Minnesota for MinBar; a shark tank like event where investors seek to buy shares of companies. The event was organized by organizations and companies that include Dahabshiil, USAID, ARC, Affinity Labs and more. Contestants submitted hundreds of proposals and 6 entrepreneurs were chosen to pitch their ideas to the investors. The pitched ideas included a mobile tea shop, a dip sauce, a water bottle, a auto-dispensing tooth paste, and a water purifying system. Out of the 6 pitched ideas, the mobile tea shop (Dhake Jebiye) got the most money funding. The event concluded at 10pm. U.S Youth Observer to the U.N Has Been Named and She is a Somali-Minnesotan The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, announced in July, Ms. Munira Khalif as the sixth annual U.S. Youth Observer to the UN. Khalif, a Minnesota-native and rising junior at Harvard University, was chosen from a competitive pool of nearly 350 applicants that included top-ranked university students and young professionals from across the…

By: Ibrahim Hersi East African and Muslim women in Minnesota escaping domestic abuse now have a place to find a safe haven in St. Paul: The Farhio House. “It took us seven years to create this center,” said Farhio Khalif, founder of the shelter. “We want to empower women. We want to tell them that it’s OK to come forward and talk to us about what they’re going through.” The Farhio House is part of Voice of East African Women(VEAW), a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that’s been providing immigrant women and families with legal services and wellness programs since 2012. The shelter, Khalif said, is the result of years of seeing an unusually high number of domestic abuse cases involving mothers and young girls in the Twin Cities’ East African community — experiences the women were often reluctant to talk about.   “I started talking to all these women in the community,” she said. “I realized that a lot of women were in abusive relationships. But they were not talking about it. They were not reporting it.” Khalif — who until several years ago was a producer and host of The Farhio Khalif Show, a program documenting the stories of Somali-Americans in Minnesota…

BY: Ibrahim Hersi, Minnpost Over the last several years, researchers and government officials from Europe and different parts of the U.S. have regularly visited the Twin Cities to learn about the East African Muslim community’s political and economic success. “Minneapolis is viewed around the world, particularly in Scandinavian countries where the Somali diaspora is growing, as a model for Somali integration,” writes Stefanie Chambers, a political science professor at Trinity College, in her recently published book comparing the Somali-American communities in Minneapolis and Columbus, Ohio. “Other American mayors, such as the mayor of Portland, Oregon, have visited Minneapolis to learn about policies that can help their cities better address the needs of Somali immigrants.” For all the talk of success and integration, however, the more common reality for Somali-Americans in Minnesota is more complicated, if less comforting. “From outside, the community seems to be doing really great,” said Ahmed Yusuf, a Minneapolis Public Schools teacher who’s written about Somalis in Minnesota. “But when you look deep down, we’re struggling big time, except for a few individuals who have risen above as the cream of the crop.” The Story of a Success Story The history of the Somali-Americans in Minnesota echoes that of…

Written by: Ibrahim Hersi When the Minneapolis police officer involved in the shooting of Justine Damond was identified last week as Mohamed Noor, Suud Olat’s iPhone lit up with calls and texts from journalists around the country. Most of them came from news organizations that were already familiar with the 25-year-old Somali-American, who has made a name for himself as an advocate for refugee communities during the three years he’s lived in Minnesota. This time, though, the journalists didn’t want him to talk about refugee issues; they wanted information about Noor, a Somali-American who shot Damond after she called 911 to report a suspected sexual assault. Olat talked to reporters from several local and national media organizations — including the Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, The Associated Press, Voice of America and CBS News — about the one-time brief interaction he had with the officer some months ago in Minneapolis. Later, when his comments appeared in the news, Olat’s iPhone started to blow up again. This time, though, the calls didn’t come from journalists; they came from people he knew from the Somali-American community, almost all of them saying he should stop speaking to the media about the shooting. “The community…

Waxa jirey nin boqor ah oo aad u kibir badnaa.  Dadka iyo duunyadaba wuu ku amar ku taag leeyn jirey.  Qof la doodi jirey ama hadal ku celin karey muu jirin.  Wax alaale wxii maskax diisa ku soo dhaca ayuu ku dhaqaaqi jirey. Laaakiin wuxuu lahaa nin wasiir ah oo aad u aqli badan. Talooyin wanaagsan ayuu siin jirey.  Wixii ceeb ah ee uu leeyahayna wuu dabooli jirey.  Wasiirka lagama agwaayi jirin bqorka agtiisa. Gacantiisa midig ayuu ahaa.  Safar hadduu u baxayo wuu raaci jirey. Bqorku ninkan wasiirka ah aad buu ugu kalsoonaa.  Talooyinkiisa iyo wax kasta oo uu u sheego wuu u dhega nuglaa. Boqrku haddii uu u sheego wasiirka wax dhibaato ah ama dhiilo ah, wasiirku marka uu talada siiyo wuxu odhan jirey oo uu hal hays u lahaa “in ay khayr inoo tahay ayaa dhici karta.” Maalin maalmaha ka mid ah, boqorkii waxa soo gaaray dhaawac.  Far baa ka go’day. Wasiirkii markii uu arkay waxa ku dhacay boqrkii ayuu aad u naxay.  Boqorkii ayuu warestay sida ay wax u dhaceen iyo sababta ay fartan u go’day.  Boqorkii ayaa u waramay wasiirkii.  Borkii siduu talo iyo duco u sugayey ayuu wasiirkii yiri, “waxa dhici karta in ay khayr…

This year’s Somali Week at the beginning of July was filled with festivities and activities staged by local organizations. The festivities began with a soccer tournament, followed by a spoken word event at the Minnesota Historical Society, a basketball tournament and the Somali Independence Day festival. The Somali-American newspaper set up a booth at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street where we were able to capture a lot of special moments. Somali Week began a decade ago in 2007 as a single-day parade that grew to an activity-filled week, The Somali Independence day festival attracts around 50,000 people, spans 3 blocks on Lake Street and blocks traffic from 11am to 10pm. The event is attended mostly by Somali Americans, but many non-Somalis show up as well. One of the main attractions of the Somali Independence Day parade is the children’s play area which includes a large inflatable slide, face painting, henna designs, traditional animals and more.  This year’s event was held on July 1, a pleasant Saturday, a week after Ramadan, and most people were in a celebratory mood. As participants waved Somali flags, the parade kicked off in high gear around 2pm. At the intersection of Lake…

Facebook Founder eats iftar meal in Minneapolis Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, embarked on what he called “a great American road trip,” saying  his goal was to visit all 50 states and meet the people who make American great. The trip brought him to Minneapolis on the last 3 days of Ramadan where he shared an iftar meal with some local Somali Minnesotans. Here is his own Facebook account: “Tonight I had my first iftar dinner with a group of Somali refugees in Minneapolis. As a refugee, you often don’t get to choose which country you end up in. When I asked one  man who had spent 26 years in a refugee camp whether America now felt like home, he gave a simple and profound answer: “Home is where you are free to do what you want. Yes, this feels like home.” There are few places in the world he felt comfortable to be who he is: the country where he was born, and our country that values freedom. What a beautiful tribute to America.  Thanks to my hosts for being so gracious at the very end of Ramadan. I left impressed by your…

Waxa la yiri saddex abaarood baa jira: Abaar Rag Abaar Dumar iyo Abaar Geel Abaar Rag: Abaar rag waxa ugu weyn waa arin la’aan. Raggu hadduu meel wada joogo waxa haboon in ay arinsadaan oo wax isKu ogaadaan.  Hjaddii nin walba uu kelidii ama koox yari ay go’aan iska gaaraan iyagoo aan la tashan raggii ay meel wada joogeen,  arin kaasi wuxu keenayaa kala shaki wuxuuna ku dambeeyaa fashil iyo bur-bur. Weliba waxa dhici karta in dagaal uu ka dhex qarxo ragga arin isku maan dhaafa. Arintan wada tashiga ah waata keentay in dalalku ay yeeshaan gole wasiiru oo wada tashada iyo barlamaan lagaga dodo arimaha dalkaas. Inta badan wadamada ay xukumaan  niman digtaatoor ah way burburaan.  Sidaas darted raggu haddii uu wada tashado guul buu gaaraa.  Haddii ay wax qaldamaan cid gaar ah laguma eedeeyo. Abaar Dumar: Abaar dumar waa ubad la’aan. Dumarku wxay hoygooda hantaan marka ay ogyihiin in ubad ay u hayaan ninka ay wada joogaan.  Inta badan waxa dhacda in dumarku shaki badan ka qaadaan saygooda (ninkooda) haddii caruur labadooda isku xirta ay meesha ka maqanyihiin. Mar kasta  waxa ay Ku fikireysaa goorma ayuu naag kale kula guursandoonaa.  Naagta war-war qabta uma hagar baxayso ninkeeda. Ninkuna…