If you live in or around Central Ohio, you know that we have a prominent and growing Somali population. I’ve noticed very few problems in connection to this group of people that has spread out in various places within the greater-Columbus area. Unfortunately for this group of people, they have been stigmatized by stories like Nuradin Abdi that plead guilty for planning to blow up one of our malls in this area.
Because many of the women continue to preserve their cultural and religious traditions by wearing the hijab, or the traditional head coverings, they stand out in our society and as do other minority groups suffer from certain prejudices and stereotypes. As a teacher in the area, I’ve heard young people complain/question why these students are given special treatment by allowing them prayer time and a place to pray during Ramadan. Some feel that they are not permitted or discouraged from practicing their own religious beliefs in a public school and it is hard sometimes to make them understand why this is different. After all, is it?
So my post has gotten a little off track. What I originally wanted to discuss was an article from the Columbus Dispatch titled “Local Somali Leaders Check For Terror Connections.” Any time we see an article or hear a story with the word terror these days, it draws our attention. And it should. So this article talks about something that many members of our community fear, a local connection to terrorism. In part the story states:
Six Somali men from Minneapolis left that city early last month, went to Somalia and have not been heard from since. Community leaders there worry that the men might have been recruited for terrorism.
A Somali from Minneapolis is thought to have been involved in a suicide bombing in northern Somalia in October, the Associated Press reported. The wire service quoted an unnamed law-enforcement official, who said the FBI and Justice Department were investigating.
Somali leaders here who have met with one another for the past two weeks say there have been no reports of such a connection in Columbus and they will continue to share information to be sure there are no terrorist associations here, said Mussa Farah, president of the Horn of Africa, a nonprofit group that helps African immigrants.
So I wonder again if this story is written more due to it’s intrinsic news value or if it is playing on the fears and even prejudices of some in our community. Are we watching “those people” because they look differently and they are easy to spot? Are we keeping an eye on things because of past actions? Do we trust that when their religious leaders disavow terrorism in local mosques that it is sincere? Just wondering aloud…
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Amy
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