Community

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…

Laba fadhiga ayey ku fiicanyihiin: Dabka iyo Dumaraka. Dabka hadii kolba meel loo qaado wuuu bakhtiyaa. Haddii aad dhuxul qaadid dabeysha ayaa ku dhacaysa oo markiiba way baabaaysaa. Haddii aad qori ololaya qaadid isagana dabeysha ayaa u dhacaysa oo qorigii ololayey wuu dhamaanayaa. Dumarku waxay ku fiicanyihiin fadhiga. Dhaqanka Soomaaliyeed waxa caadu u ahaa in dumarku guryahooda joogaan. Naag ama gabar kolba meel lagu arko oo wareegeysa waxa loo arki jirey caado xun. Waxa laga yaabaa in naagtaas ama gabartaas wax xun aysan ku kicin, laakiin maadaama kolba meel lagu arkay iyadoo joogta waxa la oran jirey “way cag fududahay.” Laba socodka ayey ku fiicanyihiin: waa Dabeeysha iyo Roobka. Dabeyshu meel ma taagna oo wey socotaa. Socodkaa ay dabeyshu socoto wxay qaboojineysaa dadka, xoolaha iyo wixii kale ee qabow u baahan. Dabeyshaas wax qaboojineysa waxa loo yaqaanaa “layr/laydh.” Rookuna wuxuu ku fiicanyahay socodka. Haddii roobku meel keliya ka da’o, waxa dhacaysa in meelaha kale ay abaar noqodaan. Roobku meel marka uu ka muuqdo dadka meel kale jooga waxay Ilaahay ka baryaan in uu iyagana u shubo. Waxa la oran jirey farta ha ku fiiqina wuu inaga leexanayaaye. Daruuraha ayaa roobka keena, daruuruhuna way socdaan. Laba hadalka ayey ku fiicanyihiin: waa…

On Monday, May 15th, the Minnesota House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that puts harsher penalties on the parents who let their daughters undergo the female genital mutilation (FGM) surgery. The bill passed through house in less than two weeks with a 124-4 vote. Female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that limits a female’s sexual pleasure by cutting off a portion of the clitoris. Representative Mary Franson, who sponsored the bill, said, “We’re not going to stand for little girls being harmed in such an egregious way. This topic may make you uncomfortable, but in no way is it as uncomfortable as what little girls are experiencing in the state of Minnesota and across the world.” According to a CDC study, first-generation immigrant girls from Egypt, Ethiopia and Somalia were most at risk to have their genitals ritually cut, which the health organization called “a traditional practice in various parts of the world since antiquity.” The same study suggested that there might be up to half a million girls in the US who are at risk of the FGM procedure. The bill was inspired by a recent event that made national news when two Minnesota girls were driven…

It is summertime and kids need to be engaged and entertained, but where do you take them? So in every monthly issue this summer, we will feature a local hotspot for children. This month it is the Children’s Museum in Saint Paul which has undergone a major renovation and will soon reopen to the public. Everything is new at the Minnesota Children’s Museum where families have been going to play for more than 35 years. The museum, located in downtown St Paul, will re-open in June with 10 new exhibits. It is a place for children to have fun and learn at the same time. Kids can slide down a giant slide and climb two tall towers in an experience called The Scramble. There also is a laser maze, a studio with real tools, and a pretend town where children can put on costumes to be a firefighter or a postal worker. For families with babies and toddlers, a new exhibit called Sprouts gives young children a place to safely crawl, climb and play with water. And the museum has created two new outdoor places to play. “We like to say this is an all new museum,” said Dianne Krizan,…