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Around the Diaspora May 2017

Somali Canadian named the Minister of Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussein is now in charge of the same government agency that sponsored him back in 1993 when he migrated to Canada from Somalia. In 2015, Hussein made history by being the first Somali elected to Canadian parliament and one year later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Ahmed Hussein to lead the Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship. Ahmed will take over a ministry that plans to accept 400,000 new immigrants in 2017. British Somali Teenager Earns Full Scholarship to an Elite Boarding School in Berkshire, UK. Ahmed Roble, a Dutch Born, English educated youngster not only scored high on the GCSE but had to go through rigorous interviews to land a full scholarship with one of the most elite boarding schools in the world. Roble is one of nine students to win full scholarship to Eton College, a historical institution founded in 1440. Roble will be following in the footsteps of 19 prime ministers of England as well as Prince Harry and Prince Williams. Students from Masjid Abu Bakr al Siddique Dominate Quran Competition in Chicago Out of the 19 winners at the annual Islamic convention, 15 were Somali American…

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Civic Responsibility in Full Display

Minneapolis saw a rise in caucus turn out on April 5, 2017. Thousands turned out to exercise their civic responsibility and the Somali community did not disappoint. Precinct caucuses saw an increase in the number of Somali Americans showing up to support their candidates early in voting process. Even in precincts that did not have a Somali candidate, residents showed their support and engaged their local leaders Precinct caucuses are meetings organized by the state’s political parties to start the process of selecting candidates for the election that will be held later in November. Residents and candidates discuss policy positions and vote in a straw poll. Caucus turn out is also an indicator of which candidates will do well in the real elections and who the party will endorse. In Minneapolis, all 13 city council seats are up for grabs. The mayoral race will also be held in November with multiple candidates and the current mayor running for reelection. It should be an eventful election year and everyone should come out and exercise their civic responsibility. In comparison, Somalia did not have a functioning government for over two decades after ousting a brutal dictator who held on to power…

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A Funny Somali Story

Guurkii labada Doqon (Sheeko) Beri baa waxa isguursaday nin iyo naag aan farridnimo u dhalan oo doqonniimo u banbaxday. Maalin maamaha ka mid ah ayaa ay ri qasheen oo hilbaheedii qaar cuneen, qaarna haan ku gurteen oo ay ku keydsadeen. Maalin maalmaha ka mid ah ayaa ay israaceen ninkii iyo afadiisii oo ay xaabo u doonteen keynta si ay wax ugu karsadaan. Iyaga oo keyntii ku sii socda ayaa nin socdaal ahi ka hor yimid oo su’aal weydiiyey oo yiri: “ Waxa aad ii tilmaantaan cid meelahan deggen haddii aad garanaysaan?” Way ugu jawaabeen, “tubtaa raac aqalkayagii bay ku geynaysaaye; aqalka ha gelin, haddaad gasahana haanta docda ku xiran ha furin. Haddaad furtana hilibka ku jira ha cunin; haddaad cuntana ha dhamaynin.” Ninkii socotada ahaa markii uu intaas maqlay ayuu iska tegey, ka dibna waxa uu yimid aqalkii labada doqon oo uu cunay hilibkii haanta ku jirey oo dhan. Galabtii markii ay soo noqdeen labadii doqon ee isqabay ayey arkeen in laga cunay hilibkii oo dhan, hase ahaatee may garanin cidda ka xadday ee ka cuntay. Ninkii iyo afadiisii aad baa ay uga naxeen arrintaas, maxaa yeelay hilibku waxa uu ahaa cunnada keli ah ee ay haysteen. Muddo yar ka…

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Around the Diaspora April 2017

Dine Out for Somalia Over 65 restaurants and coffee shops in and around the Minneapolis area have pledged to donate 50% of their profits to the drought in Somalia on April 7, 2017. There is a website dedicated for this effort called www.dineoutsomalia.com. The goal is to raise $150,000 for the drought and the famine in Somalia. Many of the organizers think they will surpass that goal very early during the day. Mark your calendars for April 7th and dine out at one of the participating businesses and your grub can feed a family or two. A Celebrity Social Media Campaign to Help the Somalia Drought Goes Viral Jerome Jarr, a French social media celebrity started the hashtag, #TurkishAirlinesHelpSomalia, amid the droughts that threatened the lives of Millions living in East Africa. Soon after, several other celebrities that includes Ben Stiller, Colin Kaepernick and Casey Neistat joined the campaign. Last week Turkish Airlines took notice of the retweets and delivered a plane full of food to Somalia as they promised on their twitter account when the hashtag first started. The power of social media and the influence of celebrities is still under estimated. Two Ambitious Somali Americans Looking to Shake Up…

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Construction for Samatar Crossing is Delayed

An effort to turn an old 94 exit ramp into a pedestrian friendly crossing has been postponed amid concerns from surrounding businesses and residents alike. The crossing will be called “Samatar Crossing”, named after the late Hussein Samatar, the former Hennepin county school board member who passed away unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 45. It was championed by former city Mayor R.T. Rybak who started working on it before he left office in 2014. Rybak said, “the original idea was to have a pedestrian-only area so residents of the West Bank could feel more a part of downtown, I know there were some adjacent property owners who wanted car traffic but I never thought that was as important as having a rare oasis in a car-dominated city where people wouldn’t have to watch out for cars.” The plan was to create a pedestrian bridge that connects Cedar Riverside to downtown Minneapolis. Soon after, a hybrid design that includes both cars and pedestrians was presented to the city council which infuriated a lot of residents who already think the neighborhood has too many cars. In a city council meeting earlier this year, the west bank community coalition demanded the…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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