Racism against Somalis in the world

I was reading this article
today about racism faced by Somalis in Finland. It got me thinking about my own experiences with racism while I lived in the United States, in Minnesota. Minnesota has one of the largest Somali populations in the United States. Compared to Finland, and other European countries, I would think the United States is much better and more tolerable when it comes to issues of racism.

Before I get into Somalis in the diaspora and racism they face, I want to first discuss my own encounters with racism while living in Minnesota, as a person of Somali origin. Here is another article about students in Minnesota and racisms they encounter http://www.somalipress.com/news/2008-jul-11/somali-students-face-police-harassment-and-racism-americans.html”, this article describes many of the things I’ve encountered while attending the University, minus the police harassment. I never had problems with law
enforcement, it was the people. It was often passive racism that slowly ate away at your self-esteem, and the type that left you unable to have feelings of belonging to a country, feeling like a nomad.

Racism against Somalis at least in Minnesota was never addressed clearly, as Somalis were always grouped with African Americans. However, the reality is Somalis are very different than African Americans culturally and religiously, for the most part. African Americans were also more integrated and often there was always alot of tension between Somalis and African Americans. The only difference between the whites and blacks in Minnesota was whites show passive racism, often at higher educational institutions and the workplace. Whereas, African Americans were more vocal with their dislike of Somalis. African Americans would also loudly, and openly show aggressive racism towards Somalis. Some also felt Somalis behaved like they were “better” than them, and that might be true also. Alot of Somalis believe African Americans are inferior people, who are criminals, and for this reason tend to not associate with them. So this could be where this tension comes from the African Americans. The irony is both groups face racism in different forms. I remember one day I was on the city bus, this fully hijabed Somali lady got on the bus at the same time that some high school girls were getting off the bus. One of the girls was black, one was biracial, and one was white. The white girl as she passed the Somali woman shouts “I hate Somalians”, on the bus. Being that I was one of the only Somalis on the bus, it really hurt me and before I knew it I shouted out “We hate you too, b*tch”. Maybe it was my hot-tempered Somali blood that caused me to reply to such ignorance, but for her to openly say that in public shows the state of racism against Somalis today, specifically in Minnesota. I don’t think that girl could’ve said in the same way, “I hate African Americans” or “I hate Hmong people”. That would be taboo. However, no one said anything except me when she openly said she hated “Somalians”, and that silence speaks volumes about the state of racism Somalis face today in Minnesota.

When I was attending the University of Minnesota, I was shown hate everyday as I walked to my classes on campus. White people would give me dirty looks. Although I started not caring about their looks as it became a “normal” part of my life, I knew deep now that this was not right, and no one spoke about this on campus. I’m sure many Somalis faced the same things as I did. Even in my classes, when we did group work, some of the white students would ignore me in some classes because to them I was a “foreigner Somali” who has “invaded” their country and on welfare. To them, I was a parasite by being there. Some of them were even surprised I was attending college, and asked me how I was paying for it. Same things happened to me in the workplace. I used to hate working with white women 50 years and older, because they were the most racist ones I used to encounter. The worst part of their racism towards me was it was a hidden form of racism that slowly would eat away at your soul. It hurt me at the beginning, but slowly as I became accustomed to it, I didn’t care and even confronted some of them about their views. For me, I had 4 strikes against me: being a female, being a muslim, being black, and being Somali. Everyday was a struggle, which eventually became a normal thing that didn’t really affect me. However, now that I’m in Somalia, my own native country, I feel that no one should have to go through that. I spoke English with an American accent, so for me it was easy compared to the many Somalis who might speak limited English facing such hardships.

At the University of Minnesota, we had a MSA (muslim student Association), and it was run primarily by Arabs and Pakistanis. Even they didn’t like Somalis. The only difference is they were muslims and were less hostile, but it was the same to me. When a Somali student would go into the room, non of the Arabs or Pakistanis would speak with them, they had to be the first ones to say “Asalaamu Alaykum” to everyone. It was the first time I realized, when people view you as being from a poor war-torn nation, they look down on you no matter how you’re on their level in everyway. It was really sad, because growing up Somali, we’re a people who have alot of pride, especially people whose parents grew up in Mogadhishu before the collapse of the government there. So, to have people show us racism in this society really harms you in so many ways. I eventually quit going to the MSA because I went there to belong in the first place, and when I saw how they were treating Somalis , I quit going there. It was again passive. I’m not crazy, this has also been shared with me by many Somali students who went there. The funny thing is, the Arabs and Pakistanis that I’ve encountered in Dubai were less racist than the ones in America. We always hear Arab countries are full of racism, and even if it’s true, I didn’t encounter that in the United Arab Emirates.

In Europe, I’ve heard worst case scenarios of racism directed at Somalis. The internet is often much worst, even other Africans are beginning to attack Somalis to feel good about themselves, especially online. I’m not saying Somalis are 100% not racist. Many Somalis are racist when it comes to marriage for example, against foreigners especially Africans and African Americans. Although they wouldn’t prefer other races for marriage, if they had to it would be whites that come first for marriage. I think it has to do with the idea that whites have a better “status” in society. Of course, being muslim is a big factor, as Somalis are very loyal to Islam.

To the Somalis outside of Somalia, why don’t you guys come back to Somalia? You can die even in America or Europe from a gunshot. Why do we love running to other countries? Somalis should return to Somalia and invest in Somalia. I see Somalis going to Kenya or Uganda with their businesses, but why not come to Puntland or Somaliland even? They’re both safe. You can even make money in Mogadhishu if you’re brave. Why not invest in Somalia? Why are our brothers and sisters dying in South Africa at the hands of the locals there for having money there? You ran to South Africa but found it worst than Somalia. You ran to Finland, but you see these people didn’t show you love, they hate you and reports there show Somalis are the “MOST” hated minority in Finland. Same thing in Sweden. I’m not saying all European or western nations are bad or racist, but I encourage all Somalis in the diaspora to let go of fear and invest in Somalia. There is no feeling in the world than being in your own country. There is no feeling in the world than being able to hear the athaan (call to prayer) 5 times a day. There is no greater feeling than to feel at home.

In Somalia: Men first, women get lost

I want to talk about “women’s rights” issues in Somalia, specifically Puntland. Puntland is a state of Somalia that has law and order. Although the government is not as strong as it could be if it was a central government, it has been stable.Puntland doesn’t want to be a separate country than Somalia, like Somaliland. So, when I say in Somalia, I am specifically talking about in Puntland, since that’s where I reside currently. There are many organizations that speak for “women’s rights” right here in Puntland, however, what is the reality on the streets? I don’t see women having alot of rights here. Since being in Somalia for close to a month now, I feel that men always come first, but women should just get “lost” and not speak around men.

What has led me to conclude to this? Well, there are things men can do that women are culturally shunned from. Things like going out to coffee shops. Men traditionally go sit in coffee/tea shops and talk for long periods of time after work, and some who don’t have any work still do that. They leave the women at home to take care of the children. Rarely do you see a man playing with his children or baby-sitting them. Rarely/or never will you see a man in the kitchen helping his wife to cook. A man in the kitchen is considered “shameful”. In other words, know thy place woman…in the kitchen. Women do all the work, while the man chat with his friends all day or goes to work and rarely do you see “romance” or people holding hands in the streets (ok, maybe I’m leaving the realm of Somalia here lol). I am not anti-Somali men, I’m actually upset with the women and how they let themselves be treated as such. They are the ones at fault, not the men.

I was recently walking in the market with a guy who was from Europe (he’s also Somali). Both of us appeared to not be from the area, but everyone was just looking at me. I was wearing a long dress, and a headscarf, and felt I was islamically covered up. However, they were looking at me like I was walking around naked. In Somalia, women have to wear heavy hijabs that sweep the floor. I personally don’t like that type of style, however, in Somalia that is what they call the “true” hijab. Even when I was in Minnesota, that was what was deemed as the “true” hijab by a large segment of the Somali population. Another thing I’ve noticed is, when there is a seminar or workshops almost most of the leaders are men.Women don’t hold many leadership positions, and although this can be said for many African countries, it’s still wrong. I can count with one hand the number of leading women I’ve encountered while in Somalia. Women also know their “place” and proceed to walk to the back of the hall that the workshops or seminars are held. Why must they sit in the back? Another thing I’ve noticed is when food is being served, men are served first, women last.

In Puntland, not south Somalia, women can drive (thank God). Even though I drive a car by myself sometimes, people always give me more attention than if a man were driving. Why would it be so odd for a woman to be driving? Well, there aren’t too many women that drive. Girls are trained from a young age their purpose in life is to marry and to take “care” of her husband. The men are the social link for women in Somalia. I thought to myself, are men the ones oppressing the women here?Well, it turns out that women are doing this to themselves. The men couldn’t care less, but they were trained to think that way culturally. When Somalia’s former Siyad Barre government (may Allah rest his soul) was in power, men and women had equal rights. Now, women are forced into accepting a certain way of life. There is no differences in views here, all must “think” alike. Everything a woman does if it contradicts the culture is deemed as “ceeb” or “ayab” which is a Arabic word that has been added to the Somali language which means “shameful”. I’m so tired of this word. Another thing is women are being forced to all wear big hijabs that sweep the floor. Being a muslimah myself, I believe in hijab but this style of hijab is not conducive to working. It is simply too big, and I believe hijab can be worn many ways as long as it fits the 7 criteria of hijab. I’m not suggesting women wear bikinis and mini-skirts, even though I believe if they want to they should. Although the government of Puntland isn’t against or forcing women to dress a certain way, the culture is greater than what the government can do. There was a time in Somalia that women could dress how they wanted, today that is non-existent. I’m not against hijab, I’m against lack of freedom and lack of freedom of expression.Women are cheap here, they aren’t thought of as being leaders especially to men. However, they are only regarded as the leaders of the household. Even though that’s not a bad thing, it’s still not enough.

Maybe I’m looking at the picture wrong, or maybe it’s my western mentality. Whatever it is, I feel that alot is lacking here as far as women right’s goes in Somalia. Women are the ones who are oppressing themselves by keeping themselves on the back end. Alot of men don’t want women here to be free, they simply want them to be their foot stools. Furthermore, they don’t want the women to take their positions of “power”. I’m not saying all men in Somalia are this way, but few of the ones I’ve seen hold such views. Alot of men come from Europe and America seeking to marry a woman in Somalia, not because they can’t find one in the west, but because they can control the woman in Somalia. They are deemed as “superior” by them, especially since they are from the west, and are thought of as having alot of money, etc etc.

There are many problems in Somalia, but this is just one I’ve decided to address. I hope things will change, and although not overnight, I feel it’s bound to change.

My “annoyances” in Somalia

So, I’ve been in Puntland, Somalia for 2 weeks now! Even though for the major part of my stay I’ve enjoyed many things here, however, there are things about some of the cultural behaviors here that annoy me:

1.Yesterday, I was at this wedding. We were supposed to get in line, get a plate, and a waiter would service us from the buffet. Normal people at a wedding would think to get in line, right? Well, the people were cutting the line, pushing eachother, and generally rude . I felt like I was fighting for UN food donations. This is not something new about Somalis I’ve observed, but let’s just say Somalis are “ghetto”, not all but the majority. Would it bother them to get in line? We had more than enough food for everyone, but no they wanted to jump on eachother and push me around.

2. General unconcern for their environment. I would see people with nice shops here in Somalia, but they don’t pick up the trash from outside their shops. They just insist on keeping the shop organized, and prefer not to worry about what’s outside. I asked my uncle about this and he told me that Somalis are nomadic people, and usually go where their is more rain, and where the grass is greener. They don’t seem to care about their surroundings. It’s a nice way to give the “middle finger” to everyone. Wouldn’t it make Somalia a better place if we cared about what’s outside our houses, our businesses? I think so.

3. Close-mindedness and insistence on “Somali culture”. What exactly is “Somali” culture? Culture is man-made, and can change. For example, alot of people believe that female circumsion will help keep a woman “pure” and not make her a hooker or “sharmuto” as they put it. Some also love to use Islam as the basis of their argument when it comes to some cultural aspect such as female genital cutting. They say “sunni” style female circumcision is permissible, yet there are hundreds of sunnahs which they don’t follow. Yet they insist on clinging to issues of the female vagina. Again, I speak as a fellow Somali and this is in regards to a segment of Somalis that are very vocal in Somalia and abroad. Things that are BAD should not be in our culture, we should leave the bad and stay with the good in our culture, like being hospitable to guests, and drinking tea 10 times a day.

4. Lack of freedom in regards to female dress. I happen to wear the hijab now by choice, but sadly in Somalia many women feel like they have to wear it or face consequences. Many simply do as the crowd does. Many girls are told to wear the hijab at a young age without their parents telling them why it would be good for them. This comes from our lack of Islamic understanding and jahiliya (ignorance).

5. Respect for non-Somalis, but no respect for other fellow Somalis. I notice how Somalis love to respect and welcome non-Somalis, but they have no respect for a Somali of another tribe. In Minnesota for example, there are 3 Somali malls, none of the buildings are owned by Somalis. They are owned by an Arab man. The reason is because if it was owned by another Somali, Somalis who weren’t that person’s tribe wouldn’t rent shops from that building. However, they are more than willing to give their money to an Arab man, or white person. This is why there is no unity in Somalia in 20 years. The wounds of the war are deep. Unless we heal, and forgive we can never move on.

6. Shyness in girls in Somalia. The Somali females in America were vocal and assertive, but I’ve noticed girls in Garowe don’t go around men, and don’t want to speak up near men. It just annoys me because I’m wondering, what are you shy about? Most of the girls are so shy, it makes me wonder where did this culture of women being like this come from? My mom grew up in a Somalia where women were strong and wore what they wanted, and sat near men in school. For example, I was driving in Garowe the other day with my younger aunt. We were going to this library and where I parked the car had many guys standing around. My aunt went through cars to avoid walking like a normal person near those men. I asked her what she was scared of? It just astonishes me that people have such behavior and consider it “normal”. Shyness like that is not good for anyone. I hope to be a catalyst for change in issues such as this by helping to empower Somali girls.

I pray for Somalis and Somalia everyday. In fact, I pray for the whole world! I hope by being in Somalia I can make a difference somehow in changing some negative views into positive ones.

Why do Somalis stick together?

I had an interesting conversation on the bus today (yes the city bus,regrettably) with a North Sudanese man. We actually met while I was waiting for the bus, and asked him in Somali about the bus arrival time- thinking he was Somali. He said he wasn’t Somali, but Sudanese. We eventually got on the bus, and he sat next to me. He started asking me how long I’ve been in America, and complimenting me on my “good English”. I asked him about the South Sudan situation, and what he thought about his country splitting up. He didn’t seem happy about it, but felt it could help with the tensions.

Again, the topic of the conversation turned to “the Somalis”. He asked me why Somalis tend to “stick together” and don’t associate with non-Somalis. I told him it was just because people stick with their own “people” purely for comfort reasons. He seemed satisfied with my answer. He eventually got off the bus before me, but his question stayed with me.

I thought about the state I currently reside in, Minnesota and the culture here. Before moving to Minnesota 12 years ago, I lived in the South. I remember there weren’t many Somalis living there clustered like they are in Minneapolis, and only seeing other Somalis besides my family at weddings. When I lived in the South, I had many different friends that were non-Somali. Even my mother had non-Somali friends. The people in the South, were very hospitable and friendly. Even though, the South is known for its racism, I never witnessed it there. It could be because I was younger and sheltered from the “reality”. I remember people in the south were always smiling, even if they didn’t know you. When I moved to Minnesota, I immediately noticed the differences between here and there. Growing up in Minnesota, I didn’t really know how to analyze this information, but I could note the changes in my life. To this day, 99% of my friends and associates are Somali. I can count my non-Somali friends with one hand. In Minnesota, everyone seems to “stick” with their own “people”. People rarely smile at you, and that was a shock to me when I first came to this state because I would smile at people, only to not get one in return. I eventually got with the “program” and became more Minnesotan. I’m not saying Minnesotans are bad people, but they seem stuck up, especially the white people here. The African-Americans also tend to stick with each other. When I first moved to this state, African-Americans and Somalis didn’t get along (especially the youth). There would always be fights in school between Somalis and African-American students. I don’t notice that tension anymore, mainly because I think we’ve been living together for a while now and “know” one another. Minnesota has the largest population of Somalis in the United States.

So, is the problem “the Somalis” not integrating, or is it because of the culture of the environment we’re in? For example, I have some relatives in Canada, and they’ve been living there since the early 80s, some of my cousins were even born there 20 years ago. They seem to be fully integrated into the Canadian culture, and this is not based on data I’ve collected but mainly from observation. The Somalis in Canada seem to be more “Canadianized” as opposed to the Somalis in Minnesota that are less “Americanized”. It could also be that the majority of Somalis in Minnesota have only been here for the past 10 years at most, and living among other Somalis has preserved that “Somali-ness”.

I personally think Minnesota is the hardest place to make friends that are not your race, the hardest place to integrate mainly because the culture here is 98% white, German, Swedish ancestry and deeply rooted communities that don’t generally welcome outsiders. Somalis in other places like Seattle, Washington, Virginia, San Diego tend to be more “integrated” mainly because they don’t live in close proximity as the Somalis in the metro area of Minneapolis do. However, I do want to ask what does “integrated” mean? I believe the Somalis in Minnesota are hard-working people, and pay taxes just like all other people living in America. The Somalis in Minnesota want to better their lives through education and have a brighter future for their families just like all Americans. The Somalis in Minnesota vote, follow the laws and care about what’s going on around them, so if those things are parameters for “integration”, then I believe that guy was wrong to assume we aren’t integrated. I definitely believe Minnesota in general is a place where people stick with their own.

Somalia Bleeds

This poem was written by M.J. Farah via http://www.garoweonline.com, and I just wanted to share it with you all. It’s beautiful and extremely poignant.

When the nation of poets are reduced to a nation of beggars,

When the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which carry greed and notoriety
replace the government and the United Nations rules Somalia,

When the NGOs exaggerate and perpetuate the vicious circle of victimhood,

When a culture of dependence is created and promoted,

When Sheik Sharif’s religious rhetoric is replaced with Jeffersonian Democracy,

When Somali leaders compete for monetary interests or notoriety,

When AMISOM carry the crimes,

When Meles Zenawi became the poster child of democracy in the Horn of Africa,

When BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Somali services distorts the news,

When foreign Ships dump a toxic nuclear waste in the seashore,

When men ignore the lessons of history,

When injustice spreads like deadly cancer in the land,

When justice is politicized,

When the International Criminal Courts favors the rich and the powerful,

When piracy becomes the nation’s introduction to the world,

When the powerless Somalis carry the shame,

When the Somali children are made of orphans by the Mikhail Kalashnikov’s weapon
(AK47s),

When Al-shabaab’s religious rhetoric fills the airwave,

When the invisible hands fuel the endless bloodshed,

When the children of the war brandish their AK47s in pursuit of their own peace,

When the memories of a generation are clouded by the undying horrors of the war,

When the foreign interest groups hold every Somali peace conferences in foreign soils,

When the system of meritocracy is disfavored,

When the infamous 4.5 clan based systems promotes and fills the TFG’s cabinet seats,

When Somalia’ war profiteers call the shots from their five star hotels in Nairobi,

When the poor women and children decay in the refugee camps in Kenya,

When the earth bleeds and the wetlands are replaced with wasteland,

When the world’s ruling men pursue a short term policy of containment,

When the religion of Islam carry the blame,

When over ten million Somalis carry the pain and the frustration of their country’s period
of destruction,

When the seat of Shah became the seat of blood,

When the incapable men carry the lead and the capable men carry the crimes,

When greedy and hopelessness rules the land,

When the indigenous men become pinheads and avoid the pressing issues of the day,

When the knucklehead leaders race in revealing the nation’s weak spots,

When Google records this as the nation’s history,

This is when Somalia’s future is predictable in the foreseeable future. However, it is
time when leaders with strategic foresight must answer the urgent calls and play upon the
nation’s strength. Remember, everything is reversible except death. The legacy of the
current generation is yet to be written.

Are you willing to reverse it?

Things I would like to do

I’ve been trying to make my 9-5 life a bit more exciting lately. I figured life is too short to not enjoy things you want to do. Why not just do it? So, here are some things I wish I could do/or do more of:

1. More reading- I love reading, but since finishing school and working, I’ve been doing less reading. I do have various books in my house in which I’m still reading and haven’t finished yet. Reading is a good way to keep your mind sharp, and learn new things about the world around you.

2. Travel more- Last time I traveled was in 2006. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. I went to the United Arab Emirates, and to Puntland (semi-autonomous region in Somalia). It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I’ve been to couple of States, and Canada. I haven’t traveled in the past 5 years. I think if you have the chance to go see the world, forget about everything and go! You’d be surprised at how little you need to live in those places.

3. Live in a foreign country! Possible destinations would be Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Japan, Taiwan, Senegal, and Ghana.

4. Learn a different language. I speak some Spanish, but if I could re-do everything again when I was attending college, I would’ve taken up Arabic.

5. Learn how to sew

6. Learn how to draw

7. Own a pet- I’m thinking goldfish.

8. Take bakery courses

9. Be in love- It’s a beautiful thing!

10. Work overseas

11. Meet Chris Brown ♥

My thoughts from lack of sleep

It’s midnight, and I can’t sleep. My mind is racing, and so what better time than to write about my recent thoughts.

Recently, I’ve been contemplating about donning my hijab. I used to wear a headscarf for a couple of years, especially the beginning of my college life. I wore it for the last two years of being in college. University being a secular institution can make you less religious, or so I tell myself. I slowly took a “hiatus” from all my religious duties starting my Junior year of attending the Universty of Minnesota. I stopped praying the five obligatory prayers, I stopped going to the masjid, I slowly “de-hijabed” myself until it was totally gone. I did wear it sometimes on occasions where I had to visit family or go to the Masjid during Ramadan.
I was not around alot of muslims who I felt were good role models for me. I wanted to be “normal” and to not stand out so much. Being that 9/11 has changed the American public and the world’s view on muslims, I really felt the stares. Being a Somali “immigrant” on top of that, I felt I didn’t really have a chance. I didn’t want to be stared at, I just wanted to walk down the street without looking different. I wanted to “fit” in. I’ve always been an independent-minded person, but I couldn’t resist going against the flow of the current.
Now that my interest in Islam and being closer to God has increased, I feel that hijab is something that would really help me get closer to Allah. A couple of months ago, I was talking to a friend who is a Christian, and not any type of Christian, he considers himself a “hardcore” one. We were discussing religion and the subject of the muslim women hijab (or dress) came up. I felt I knew exactly what he was going to say about that. I assumed he would have the opinions that many people have today such as it’s a “form of oppression”, “you live in America, you don’t have to wear that” type of view. To my utter surprise, he stated that he encouraged his sister to wear the hijab like the muslim women do. I asked him, why would he want his sister to dress as a muslim? Why not as a nun? His reply was that he didn’t find the nun dress to be “attractive”. He thought the muslim hijab is less uniform-like. I would also have to agree with that. He told me that as a Christian, he felt it was part of his religion for women to dress modestly and that the “hijab” shouldn’t be only monopolized by muslims. Again, I was very surprised. Sometimes you can never assume what someone thinks about you.

Getting back to my original point, I am going to try to transition back to wearing hijab. I want to do it slowly because I don’t want to be overwhelmed and end up taking it off again. Which reminds me of this friend I had while attending school. She used to wear the long hijabs common among Somali sisters. I saw her a couple of months ago, and I couldn’t even recognize her. She took off everything. I’ve never met any Somali girl that took off her “long hijab” before, but things happen. I can totally understand the pressures of the culture we’re in, especially since looks are highly important. You have to be a strong person, and really surround yourself with practicing muslims. Alot of girls, especially in the Somali culture are sometimes forced to wear the hijab by their family. It’s not uncommon to see some girls change their clothes and remove their hijabs when they leave their homes. It’s not even with teenagers that this is common, it is also with young women in their twenties. I’m not one of these women. My family never forced me, and sometimes I wish the did because if I started younger it would’ve been easier for me to make it more natural to wear. Insha’Allah(God-willing), it will be a journey, but I’m hoping for the best.