BALEDOGLE MILITARY AIR BASE, Somalia — The U.S. military is scrambling to make up for lost time in Somalia after President Biden this spring reversed his predecessor’s order to pull American soldiers out of the country and returned hundreds of them to the fight against one of al-Qaeda’s most powerful global affiliates. The decision by […]
Living in a Minnesota community with a sizable Somali population, I was excited to read the recently-published children’s picture book Fire and Ashes—A Boy and an African Proverb co-authored by Minnesotans Ahmed Hassan and Wes Erwin. Why? It’s important for me to learn about my new neighbors, their homeland, their culture, their experiences before resettling […]
Kindergartners in the St. Cloud school district will soon be able to learn both English and Somali through a dual language immersion program. Students in a dual language immersion program will receive instruction half the day in Somali, and half the day in English. In current research, the dual language immersion model is emerging as […]
WASHINGTON — From refugees to elected office, 14 Somali Americans have won legislative seats across the U.S. this year. Some also have been elected to city councils, school boards and the boards of parks and recreation in their respective cities. The U.S. midterm elections have proved to be historic for Somalis, with more women elected […]
It is just after five in the morning, and three pickup trucks – each bristling, like porcupines, with a dozen heavily armed soldiers – are tearing along a winding, sandy track in the dawn-grey wilderness of central Somalia. The driver of the middle car, hunched forward over his wheel, changes down a gear to skid […]
London, England – Fadhiya, who runs a Somali community centre, is preparing a weekly lunch for 10 women. It is a dreary morning in Hackney, an inner-London borough, and the aroma of the lamb stew bubbling away warms the room. Having parked their babies’ prams in various corners, the women converse in Somali, catching up […]
BARRON, Wis. (AP) — Somali-American residents in Barron have withdrawn a request to play an amplified call to prayer from two mosques after facing opposition from some community members. Barron, a town of about 3,400, is home to some 470 Somali refugees and their families, many of them drawn to work at a Jennie-O turkey […]
A large crowd gathered outside Ottawa City Hall on Saturday to honour 23-year-old Hodan Hashi, to draw attention to her violent death in Saskatoon two weeks ago and to demand justice in her name. “Justice for Hodan” and “No justice, no peace,” people of all ages chanted at the event, one of five vigils for […]
Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’s 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state legislature. “It is so important for us to have a seat at the table, for us to have […]
The family of Hodan Hashi, the 23-year-old Ottawa woman who died in a violent altercation in a Saskatoon bar on Nov. 5, is vowing to pursue justice after the accused killer was released on bail with a charge reduced to manslaughter. “We are dissatisfied with the decision that was made on (the accused’s) bail, and […]