Archive for the Category ‘Food & Recreation’

Burnsville mosque fills gap for Islamic community

Burnsville mosque fills gap for Islamic community

A small sign rests on a table in the lobby of the new Burnsville mosque, offering a simple message:
AHLAN WA SAHLAN
(Welcome and be comfortable)
“We tell all people that it is their place as it is ours,” said Amin Kader, one of the founders of the mosque. “When you say this is a mosque, you are [...]

E. African taxi drivers in Washington, DC may see their stimulant of choice outlawed because, well, it’s not American — or something.

E. African taxi drivers in Washington, DC may see their stimulant of choice outlawed because, well, it’s not American — or something.

By Phillip S. Smith, DRCNet
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
For hundreds, if not thousands, of years, residents of the Horn of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula have partaken of khat, an evergreen plant native to the region. When the fresh leaves of the plant are chewed, they produce a mild stimulating effect. Friends of the plant [...]

Teens organize benefit for homework clubs

Teens organize benefit for homework clubs

Somali youth give back to the community in hopes of helping other kids achieve
OTTAWA — You know you’re dealing with a special group of teenagers when they’re eager to spend hours and hours helping other kids with homework — and it was their own idea.
For weeks, a group of Ottawa teenagers have been planning and [...]

Young Somali men escape homeland, but not violence

Young Somali men escape homeland, but not violence

A federal terror investigation into about a dozen missing Somali men from Minnesota has dominated recent headlines. But gang-related street violence remains a much more common trap for troubled Somali-American youth. Many of these young refugees live in poverty and are struggling to adjust to American life.
Minneapolis, Minn. — Since December 2007, eight Somali men, [...]

A Somali Refugee Family’s Quest for Healing

A Somali Refugee Family’s Quest for Healing

Washington – Large numbers of Somali refugees like Yahya Iman have resettled in the United States, but freedom from war and persecution are not always without a price. Iman’s mentally ill sister was put under the care of Minnesota social services, and the family is finding their culture at odds with the state’s efforts to [...]

FBI, Twin Cities Somalis hope to rebuild relationship

FBI, Twin Cities Somalis hope to rebuild relationship

by Laura Yuen, Minnesota Public Radio
May 19, 2009

The head of the Minneapolis FBI office is asking for the Somali community’s trust as investigators continue to look into the disappearances of a number of young Twin Cities men who are believed to be fighting along with hard-line Islamists in Somalia’s civil war.

St. Paul, Minn. [...]

Somali Youth Decry Police Profiling, Harassment – Mshale

Somali Youth Decry Police Profiling, Harassment – Mshale

Of all immigrant African youth living in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, Somalis are more likely to end up in jail.
MINNEAPOLIS – As a Muslim male of Somali descent living in post-September 11 United States, Mustafa Jumale knew that he risked harassment from law enforcement officers and racism from some Americans. Although he had never experienced [...]