A minority drive to Succeed

I was recently reading comments to earlier posts, and I realized I got so many people commenting on a post called “Racism against Somalis”. It was a recent comment by a sister that prompted me to write this blog. In that blog I basically shared some of my experiences with racism in University and the workplace while living in Minnesota. I was surprised to learn that many people had shared similar experiences. In this post I want to talk about ways we can combat racism, whether you’re Somali, or whether you’re some other type of minority living where ever in the world. You can also be in the majority also, but I think people that tend to witness racism tend to be minorities. Also, this will be a post where I don’t necessarily mention all the negative …and positive things I went through in Somalia.

I just completed reading this book called “The Jewish Phenomenon: Seven keys to the enduring wealth of a people”. In this book, it basically talks about the rise of Jewish people in America to being the most successful and wealthy minority group. I think there are many key points as Somalis we can benefit from this book. One of the best things I remember from the book were “success and wealth are barriers against racists.” Believe it or not, being successful is like a wall that protects you from people that are xenophobic. That is why it’s important as a minority group we stress education in our families, something that Somalis already hold up high. Also, a good family structure is the key to having kids that value education. Allowing children self-expression is also very important. As Somalis, traditionally children are discouraged from talking in front of adults, and generally we’re not taught to express our feelings. It’s important for children to express themselves, and let their emotions out in a healthy home environment.

Many of the areas minorities encounter racism tends to be in higher education and the workplace. In that book, it talked about how Jews were not allowed to even practice medicine in hospitals, so they built their own hospitals. That’s the other thing, minority groups should seek to have community cohesion with their respective groups. I know that in the Somali community, envy is high. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes you will see a person will stop talking to you simply out of envy. Envy is often misdirected praise. Envy is a sickness, and it’s very sad that it’s in our community. It could be the lack of resources from being from Somalia, but we need to stop envying one another, and let another person’s success or whatever they have that is extraordinary be a motivation for us. Jewish people as the book was discussing tend to be more successful because they have role models in their communities. We need such role models to make the youth believe that they can be successful, and I’m sure there are many role models in the Somali community. We should encourage, and congratulate people in our community that are extraordinary, not putting them down and calling them “white”, or “acting like gaalo” (infidels).Not only that, but you really should apply yourself to whatever you want to accomplish. Don’t give up, and of course don’t isolate yourself. Isolation can be disastrous when you’re a minority especially in school. If you study, who can stop you? Maybe that white student might not want to work with you on a school project, but if you know the material who can stop you? If you’re an expert, who can stop you? We truly have it easy in America to be successful if you think about it. African Americans, Jews, Koreans, Japanese, Hispanics and many others have faced and might still face racism, so as Somalis we should be encouraged to know we aren’t the first ones to deal with such realities.

I’m not saying all Somalis face racism, I’m sure there are some special people who have never felt hate from their professor, or chemistry tutors not wanting to help you, or dirty looks as you walk on campus for looking “Somalian, or muslim”…but I have felt those and many more, but I am forever grateful to have had such experiences because Allah sometimes makes you go through challenges simply to make you a better person. So, my overall message is to make money, be educated, be successful, and keep Allah in mind. Don’t let anyone bring you down, remember by simply being a minority you should have this drive to prove something that others might not have. It takes being a minority to know what being in the majority means. In Somalia, I was in the majority ethnically, and through that I saw what it both means to be in the minority and majority in different cultures and contexts.

My first Ramadan in Somalia

One year ago, I would’ve never imagined that I’d be in Somalia, let alone fasting in Somalia. I always assumed fasting in Somalia would be the most difficult task ever. Today, I’m in Somalia and it’s Ramadan 2011, and yes I’m fasting. We fast for about 10 hours a day until the sun goes down, compared to in Minnesota where people are fasting for 18 hours, or in Europe for 19 hours. So, I think it’s much easier to fast here due to the shorter time of the fast. I always assumed being in a muslim country like Somalia during Ramadan would have a greater spiritual effect on me, but it hasn’t so far. I’m just spiritual on my own, but the environment is not conducive to spiritual growth. For one the mosques here in Garowe don’t have a women section, so women don’t go to the mosques here. I haven’t gone to pray Taraweeh or the night prayers performed during Ramadan since the beginning of Ramadan, and the girls and even men here don’t seem to be too concerned to attending them. Compare that to Minnesota where the mosques would be full on Ramadan nights for the prayers. I haven’t gone inside a mosque since I was in Minnesota about 5 and half months ago, yet I’m in a “muslim” country and I haven’t been to one Friday prayer or khutba (Islamic lecture)since being here. It’s quite ironic.

Also, most of the people here don’t seem to have much Islamic knowledge, they simply repeat with the “sheikhs” or “wadaads” (sheikhs in Somali) say without any proof. A girl recently told me if I didn’t put henna on my nails, I will not go to paradise. When I asked her to bring me proof, she told me a “sheikh” told her, and she became irate that I would question her. She didn’t think that what she was saying was quite illogical. The religious culture in Somalia or at least in this city seems to be one that you’re not allowed to ask questions, and that everything is blasphemy. As muslims, we’re supposed to ask questions, how else can you learn without questions? A friend of mine told me he was at the mosque and he decided to ask a question to the imam. He asked if martyrs get 72 hoorains or pure women in Jannah, what will women get in paradise? He told me he sincerely wanted to know this question, but to his surprise everyone at the mosque started glaring at him, and there were gasps here and there. The imam even declined to answer his question. I was shocked to hear that it has become taboo to even ask a question about Islam in the mosques here. Also, I already told you as a woman in Somalia, basically they are viewed as being inferior and the women here also view themselves as such. So, it makes perfect since they’re not allowed to attend the mosques. Even though women religiously have the option of not going to the mosque, but they should be at least be able to attend if they want. There is no option. I was with a guy friend the other day after the breaking of the fast. I also recently started wearing the niqaab or the face-covering, and had that on when I was chatting with him outside an internet cafe. He wanted to drink some tea, and asked me to join him, so we sat outside the internet cafe. I was drinking tea, with each sip lifting my niqaab from my mouth to drink the tea. I want to mention I started wearing the niqaab because I find it protects from the harsh desert-like environment here, and of course people staring at me. I find that they stare less at me when I’m wearing the niqaab, well because they can’t see me. Anyways, as we were sitting there drinking tea, there was an older man sitting there wearing arabic men’s dress. My friend started chatting with him, and the man suddenly turned the conversation to me. He was basically insulting me for sitting there and drinking tea, and telling me I had no shame. I found that strange because I had my face covered up, and was lightly lifting the cloth to drink. He also said a woman’s voice shouldn’t even be heard. I was really shocked because I was in a public place, drinking my tea, covered up. I felt so sad that some people believe that a woman’s voice can’t even be heard. He was making me feel like I was sub-human, by the mere fact that I was a woman. It seemed to me in his mind, as a woman I was simply an object to be covered up, to be kept quiet, to have around only in the house. People like him and everything I see in this society is exactly why muslims in the world today are in the situation they’re in. I believe we’ve strayed away from commonsense, from true Islam, from thinking and instead we’ve become so much interested in outwardly appearances.

Another observation I’ve made during my Ramadan experience here is even if you’re not fasting it’s hard to get food and drink here. I wasn’t able to fast for the first two days of Ramadan due to legitimate reasons, and I still was fasting because there was no food available. I went to this open store to buy bottled water, but to my surprise the clerk refused to sell me anything because he said it was Ramadan. I could’ve been dying of thirst, and he still would’nt have sold me anything. I was surprised by his ignorance, but I was grateful that a lady at another store was able to sell me water to quench my thrist.

Overall, it has been a great experience to be able to fast for the first time in my life in Somalia, but I was also surprised to learn how it was so different than my expectations. Being in Somalia has been a total shock for me from many aspects, and it’s amazing to go from one culture to another. Even the Somali culture in America is different than in Somalia. Ramadan is supposed to be a month of purification, reflection, and sacrifice despite all the negative experiences I’ve been around here.