Documentary on the Somali Refugee Experience

Getting Here from There: The Somali Refugee Experience

When: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009, 5:00-9:00pm

Where: Mondale Hall (Law Building), Room 25 University of Minnesota, 229 19th Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55455

 

From the refugee camps of Dadaab, Kenya to Libya, Malta, and the European mainland, Somali refugees have faced and continue to face harrowing journeys as they search for a better life, journeys that include detention, discrimination, and even torture.  The Somali Documentary Project is recording the stories of the Somali Diaspora as they happen, not only for historical record, but also to encourage action on important human rights issues raised by this wave of migration.  Join us for an evening of advocacy, discussion, and stories.

Amina Saleh builds bridges

 

By Nathanial Minor, TC DAILY PLANET

She survived Somali’s civil war, spent years in a Kenyan refugee camp and is a single mother in a strange country, but Amina Saleh’s biggest challenge is getting people to talk to each other.

As a community organizer, Saleh works for a Somali population that often finds itself at odds with the greater metro area around it. For example, even Family & Children’s Service (FCS), the non-profit agency Saleh works for, supports GLBT causes—a lifestyle strictly prohibited by Islamic law.

It’s part of Saleh’s job to make sure groups like these acknowledge and respect each other. “She’s really good at bringing people to a table who might not otherwise want to be at the table with each other,” said Jeff Bauer, Saleh’s boss and director of community & systems change at FCS.

Minneapolis Mosque Opens Its Doors to the Community

by Nelima 

Neighbors and friends; reporters, local politicians and law enforcement streamed through the doors of Abubakar As-Sadique Mosque to interact with the Somali Community. The response to an open house invitation by the mosque was overwhelming. Media reports connecting the Minneapolis mosque to the Somali men alleged to have gone back to Somalia to fight Jihad, a holy war, have created new misconceptions about the community. For many guests that evening, learning about Islam and Muslims was refreshing for their knowledge of Islam was limited, and the little they knew was based on stereotypes.

Public Discusssion on News Coverage of Somali Community Tonight

by Nelima

Sorry for the short notice. If you have found the news coverage of the Somali (and by extension African community) wanting, come with your questions, complaints and most importantly suggestions.

Where: U of MN Journalism School — Murphy Hall Room 130

When: Thursday, February 12, 2009 | 7:15 – 9:00 p.m

What: A discussion about news coverage of the Somali community: What are the challenges to covering an immigrant community? Are there good stories that aren’t being told? How can we build strong relationships between the media and Somali community leaders?

Our own Nekessa will be a panelist at the event alongside other media and community people. Here’s a chance to be heard. See you there!

Why can’t mainstream media exercise ‘responsible journalism’ when reporting on the Somali Community?

by Nelima

For the past couple of weeks I have watched Minnesota’s mainstream media attraction to the Somali community grow into an addiction.  I don’t know what’s worse the fact that  the news is always negative or that the investigation of these stories have been half-hearted nature and at times baseless. Whatever the case, the combination is lethal and is already having serious consequences on the community who are now fighting discrimination and xenophobia from fellow Minnesotans. I had put up an article on Al Qaeda Cells in MN regarding this issue.

Somali’s in MN barred from getting on flight to go for Hajj.

by Nelima

The ‘affection’ for the Somali community by Minnesota’s mainstream media continues. Yesterday the Star Tribune did a story on some Somali’s who were barred from getting on a flight to go to Saudia Arabia to make a spiritual pilgrimage. Among the group were an Imam and youth co-ordinator of  Abubakar As-Saddique, which is a large mosque in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis.

The attorney (for the mosque) said it’s likely the men are on a federal “no fly” list because they and the mosque have been connected by rumor to a number of missing Somali men whose families fear have returned to their East African homeland to fight in that nation’s civil unrest or to receive terrorist training.

At least this time the Star Trib did talk to other Somali’s, relatives of the missing who said that they felt there was a link between their missing family members and the mosque.

Brian Coyle Community Center food shelves lay bare.

In today’s Minnesota Daily there’s an article talking about the diminishing stock of food at the Brian Coyle Center’s metal food shelves. The only thing that’s worse than the dwindling food and money contributions is the increasing demand.

Since July, when Becky Burand took over responsibility for the Brian Coyle food shelf, she’s seen monthly increases in demand.

“September was something like 300 people, October was 400,” she said. “We are seeing two or three new families every day.”

“It’s mostly middle-class people who donate, it’s not the people with tons of money who are giving money to food shelves.” she said. “It’s also the middle class that’s really suffering right now.”

I know the economy is bad and money is tight, but a donation at the Brian Coyle Center would go a long way for the families in need. As most of you know, Brian Coyle serves mainly the Somali community over in the Cedar-Riverside area. Food donations can be dropped off at the center during their business hours as can money donations. Money donations can be mailed in too. For more information contact Becky Burand, who is the basic needs coordinator at (612)876-9324 or by email burandr@puc-mn.org .

 

Stopping Somali Youth Violence

A few days ago, Somali youth, community leaders and law enforcement met in Minneapolis to discuss avenues to address the escalating violence in the Somali community. As you might know, in the last year, 10 young Somali have lost their lives in a series of what many think are gang-related shootings.

U of MN student falsely accuses Somalis of bomb plot in order to skip class

by Nelima

Police officers tape off building entrances on the University of Minnesota campus after a bomb threat on April 18, 2007. Courtesy of Fox 9 News.

To say I was irritated by this incident is an understatement. At 7am on Tuesday a 19 year old white female U of MN student said she had overheard ’3 Somalis discussing bombs’ prompting a lock down and evacuation of two buildings. After further investigation her story was found to be false. Her reason for calling in the bomb threat? She wanted to avoid two classes!!!! Am I the only one who’s going what the heck????? Why didn’t she just cut class instead of going through all the trouble. Great, another Ashley Todd. According to the story in the MN Daily, she ‘may’ be charged and ‘could’ face discipline from the U. In the same article U spokesman, Dan Wolter, calls her use of a racial description ‘unfortunate’.  I may be wrong, but while I was at the U I was under the impression that they had a zero tolerance policy towards such stupidity. Perhaps the US board of education should introduce a mandatory Stereotyping 101 class somewhere in the education curriculum to deal with this still prevalent problem of racial prejudice. 

Here are links to the story as reported in various news outlets;

MN Daily, Pioneer Press, Star Tribune, Fox 9 News.

Painful Reflections…….What does life mean to you?

From L to R Snoop (Arie Musse Jama) and Amik ( Najib Ali Omar )

In recent years, the Somali Community has been overcome by a wave of violence that has resulted in the loss of many young lives. The reasons for this violence are complex, but for the friends of the departed the pain is still deep. This Wednesday the City pages published an article that brought up memories of two brothers, Snoop and NoorK, and their friend Amik who were well known and loved in Minnesota’s East African community. Peter who is popularly know as Dj Xpect, was a very close friend to the three, posted this note on his facebook page yesterday.