Marshall Avenue, which runs from the St. Paul Cathedral to the Mississippi River, brought 70 people to the Oxford Community Center on April 10 to voice their opinions about traffic, safety, convenience and possible changes to the avenue.Some participants voiced concerns about insufficient room for buses or trucks to pass without moving into bicycle lanes. Another issue cited during the meeting was a risk for bike riders in the bicycle lane running into parked cars, while speeding vehicles pass by on the left side.Theresa Nix, a St. Paul resident, expressed concern about safety, and particularly about traffic speed, pedestrian crossings and ease of parking. She said that addressing these three concerns “will make Marshall Avenue a safe, open and friendly street.”City engineers sought recommendations of how the street can work better for all users: pedestrians, drivers, bikers and those on wheelchairs.“On Marshall Avenue, there are about 20,000 cars a day on the way down by the Mississippi River,” said Assistant City Engineer Paul St. Continue Reading
A well-known face to Somali television viewers in Minnesota, Liban Hussein brings the community news stories unfolding both in the Twin Cities and in the war-torn Somalia he fled decades ago.Hussein’s been hosting weekly “Mai TV,” a Somali-speaking program on Minneapolis Television Network (MTN), aired at 9:00 p.m. Fridays on channel 16.He’s done it for 10 years — and without pay.“That’s what you do when you do what you’re passionate about [an opportunity],” said 46-year-old Hussein of the programs he produces. “It’s important to inform people about what’s going on in their communities.”Before he escaped Somalia’s 1991 civil war, Hussein loved to watch television reporters and anchormen presenting news and other programs. He didn’t know of schools he could attend in Somalia for broadcast journalism training. Hussein waited for an opportunity from radio or television stations there, but to no avail.In 1999, Hussein arrived in Maryland en route from a refugee camp in Kenya. He spoke no English. He wanted to work in order to assist his parents and siblings in Somalia. Continue Reading
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate alleged retaliation against CAIR-MN Executive Director Lori Saroya, according to a recent release by the national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.According to CAIR’s press release, two FBI agents visited Saroya on February 4 at her Blaine home just two days after CAIR-MN told the media about FBI agents’ alleged intimidation tactics on a Minneapolis Somali last October. The man was allegedly harassed by the agents after they failed to enlist him as an informant.A call to the agency’s local office in Minneapolis seeking for comments on the matter was not answered.On February 14, Twin Cities Daily Planet interviewed Saroya via e-mail about the incident:How many FBI agents visited your house?Two.How many questions did they ask you and what did they ask you about?I asserted my rights — right to remain silent, right to have an attorney present, right to deny entry without a warrant.In the release, the FBI agency said that that the purpose of the visit was “community outreach” and a “meet and greet.” What’s your comment?The agent admitted that he is not even part of the FBI community outreach department, so it raises a lot of questions: Why is a field law enforcement officer who is not even part of the FBI outreach department conducting outreach? Why did they only do outreach to one house in the entire neighborhood? Why are Muslims and Somalis overwhelmingly getting these outreach visits?Did you have similar experience with the agency in the past?The FBI has never visited my home and they have no reason to.Were you expecting this might happen one day because of the sensitive cases you deal with?What’s most disturbing about this is that the FBI chose to use their limited resources to harass people who report the abuse rather than investigate and remedy the actual abuse. It’s counterproductive.Has this happened to any CAIR staff in the past?Muslim activists and leaders nationally and locally are visited by the FBI simply because of their active role in the Muslim community.How does such act make you feel? Continue Reading
More than one thousand Somalis assembled February 9 at the Minneapolis Convention Center to recognize and appreciate former prime minister of Somalia Abdulweli Ali. Some of Somalia’s’ heavyweight politicians, local community leaders and intellectuals were among those in attendance.Speaking of Ali’s work as a prime minister, former Somali minister of foreign affairs Hamid Masheye said that Ali was a great leader, respected his ministers and never questioned the responsibilities of others in his cabinet.Some of his widely mentioned successes included the major role he played in defeating al-Shabab and shifting Somalia from the transitional state it has been stuck in for decades to a permanent government. The event marked the last of three-part “Rebirth of a Nation” series, sponsored, in part, by Hussein Samater, the executive director of the African Development Center in Minneapolis.These events were aimed to give the public a deeper understanding of the country’s past and present conditions.They were also intended to underline the tangible progress Ali made during his term from July 2011 to October 2012. Likewise, the events were meant to accentuate the wounds that Somalia has suffered for many years and called for Somali-Americans to unite in healing those wounds.Ali thanked the community for their support and encouragement. Among other things, he expressed his support for federalism in Somalia and the need for giving every state the freedom to become an autonomous state.At times, music filled the auditorium as the Somali’s legendary singer Ahmed Ali Cigal rocked the stage, while the audience broke into applause to indicate their joy. Sometimes the words of hope, nationalism and unity they sang brought people to tears. Continue Reading
Former Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Ali speaks Thursday evening at The African Development Center in Minneapolis in what will be the first of a three-part series discussion on the challenges Somalia is facing to emerge from a two-decade long destruction to a new stage of recovery and nation building.The African Development Center, Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Institute for Horn of Africa Studies and Affairs joined hands in hosting the events, which are aimed to give the public a deep understand of the country’s now-and-then condition.The events are also intended to accentuate the wounds Somalia suffers from so the Somali-Americans can play a leading role in nursing those wounds.“Somalia needs help,” said Hussein Samatar, executive director of the African Development Center. “And Somali-Americans should be the front line to help Somalia.”Ali served as the prime minister of Somalia from 2011-2012.He currently teaches economics at Nigeria University. The university’s faculty directory page lists that Ali has a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in Virginia and a master of public administration from Harvard University. He also has a Certificate of Taxation from Harvard Law School and a master of economics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.Click here for details about the time and location of the other two events. Also, check back on the Twin Cities Daily Planet for a full story on the series. Continue Reading
Two FBI agents allegedly intimidated a Somali man in Minnesota as they tried several times to enlist him as an undercover informant, according to a recent release by the Minnesota chapter for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN).The officials visited the man at his house, pressuring him to work for the agency, the release stated. When the man asked for a lawyer three times, the agents threatened to withhold his asylum papers and set him against the Muslim community — by spreading a photo of him and saying that he was an informant — so the community would fear him and no one would speak to him, the release said.The incident occurred last October, said CAIR-MIN’s executive director, Lori Saroya.“He is confused and worried,” Saroya said about the man who sought assistance from the advocacy group for Muslims in Minnesota. “He doesn’t understand why the FBI is harassing him because he has never engaged in any illegal conduct.”On January 30, CAIR-MN sent a letter to the agency’s local office in Minneapolis about the allegations, asking the agency to investigate the case. The agency contacted CAIR-MN the next day to inform the organization that they had received the letter and would investigate it internally.Saroya wouldn’t reveal the man’s name, but described him as a family man in his mid-20s who lives in Minneapolis.The local office of the FBI did not return a phone call seeking comments on the allegations.“CAIR-MN has seen a recent increase in complaints from Minnesota Muslims, including Somalis, who are approached by the FBI for questioning or asked to become informants,” Saroya said.Over the past several years, the agency has been investigating the Minnesota Somali community, searching for connections between local Somalis and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab in Somalia.As part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance about 20 Twin Cities, Somali men, believed to have gone to Somalia to fight for al-Shabab, the agency has raided some of the community’s local businesses and interrogated individuals suspected of being close to the missing men.“We hope the FBI is conducting a thorough investigation,” Saroya said of the man’s case, “and explaining to their agents that these tactics are both unethical and unlawful.”Reporting for this article supported in part by Bush Foundation. Continue Reading
Saciido Shaie has long had a dream that her thoughts and actions would one day become a reason for Minnesota youth to excel in education and life. That’s why she’s spent many years of leadership and advocacy in building a better place for Twin Cities’ young minorities.Minnesota took a note of her passion in activism, and so did Governor Mark Dayton. He appointed her last June as the first Somali woman to serve on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee for Minneapolis.“It’s an honor for me to think about the issues that are going on,” said Shaie. “And I’ve first-hand experience on juvenile justice and juvenile justice issues.”That same reason led Chair of Minnesota Juvenile Justice System Advisory Committee Richard Gardell to encourage her to apply for a membership position on the committee.“It was easy to support Saciido’s application to become part of the Juvenile Justice Advisor Committee,” Gardell said. “If you meet her for four or five minutes, you’ll be impressed with her energy. Continue Reading
Minnesotans who were curious about what drove the largest concentration of immigrants from the East African country of Somalia to snow-covered Minnesota gathered January 24 at the African Development Center (ADC) in Minneapolis.Nearly 100 people in attendance sought answers from Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, the author of “The People of Minnesota: Somalis in Minnesota,” which is the latest in a book series published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press documenting the lives of Minnesota communities. The series includes titles focused on African-Americans, Hmong, Jews, Ojibwe and Swedes, among others.In partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, ADC hosted Minnesota communities to celebrate the book’s January release and to join Yusuf for book reading and signing.Three words were an integral part in drawing the community in Minnesota, Yusuf told the audience, consisting of Somalis and Americans. The words are: sahan, meaning pioneer; martisoor, or hospitality; and war, which means news.In early 1991, when Somalis started fleeing from the civil war in their country, they flocked to the United States and scattered throughout the country. At that time, San Diego housed the largest group.Because of the high cost of living in San Diego and the high unemployment at that time, Yusuf said, Somalis had to search for a place where they could find employment for low-skilled workers and save money to support their families at home.One group from San Diego discovered well-paying jobs at a meat and packing company in Marshall, Minnesota. They were hired on the spot. Continue Reading
A new report on Minnesota Somali women reveals the challenges women in the community face in dealing with Western medical practices during pregnancy and childbirth.Complications between the Somali community and Western doctors are fueled by cultural differences between the two societies, but the “Cultural Traditions and the Reproductive Health of Somali Women” study could help to bridge that gap.“We wanted to shed light on the concerns Somali women have regarding Western health care practices,” said Fartun Weli, executive director of the Minnesota-based Somali advocacy group Isuroon, which sponsored the report. “When we have a study focusing on such issues, then health professionals will not have an excuse not to fix the problems our community is facing.”Deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions influence Somalis’ ideas about marriage, family and the maternity process. Minnesota health providers, however, aren’t providing the estimated 70,000 Somali-American population in Minnesota with a culturally acceptable environment, according to the report.Traditionally, the success of a Somali woman is often linked to a marriage leading to the births of many children. On average, women in Somalia bear seven children during their lifetime, the study stated.While Somali women understand the importance of a health provider, they strongly prefer a female provider to a male, the study stated. It’s not culturally or religiously accepted for women to expose their genitals to men other than their husbands. Continue Reading
UPDATE 2/16/2013 Both commenters and ICE spokesperson Shawn Neudauer have objected strongly to this article on the basis that it did not delve deeply into the criminal records of the two individual cases. That’s true. It did not. The focus of this article was on the impact of deportations on the families and friends, the uncertainty of when and how such deportations happen, and fears about return to a country still at war.No claim was made that either man was unjustly convicted or illegally deported. As the article states:It’s a normal and legal procedure for the United States to expel immigrants who ware convicted of crimes, even if they’re lawful permanent residents. Continue Reading
