Somalis Seek Unity in Statewide Council

Mohamoud Mohamed wanted to leave clan divisions behind when he left Somalia a dozen years ago, but he soon learned that the Somalis living here were clinging to old grudges and prejudices.

So his first call after founding a refugee services agency was to the older Somalis living in central Minnesota. Gathering at a home here for a knockdown, drag-out debate, he said they ultimately buried some of their differences.

"Most of the refugees here lost relatives in the civil war (in Somalia) - a war that is still ongoing. So there is bitterness," Mohamed said Thursday. At the meeting of the clan elders, he remembered telling them, "Whether you belong to this tribe or that tribe, this is the reality. Let's work on it."

Abdulkadir Mohamed, who is not related to Mohamoud Mohamed, was one of the elders at the gathering and said it was good to clear the air. Clasping his hands together in a tight fist, he said: "It helped us be like this - united together."

Somali unity can be elusive, and some leaders are looking to a new, statewide group for help in narrowing the clan rivalries that still linger in Minnesota, a decade after Somalis first arrived from their country that was, and remains, in chaos.

The east African nation has had no effective central government since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted by faction leaders.

"It will be up to the council to make people understand how to use their influence in a civilized way - the right way," Mohamoud Mohamed said. "We need to solve peacefully what we couldn't solve by the gun in Somalia."

The council, which would consist of elected members, would also be a way for Somalis to learn about elections, the legal system and other basics of civic life, Somali leaders said.

Minnesota is believed to have the largest Somali population of any state. More than 11,000 Somalis live in Minnesota, according to Census 2000, though some estimates place the population much higher.

Some have been active for years through a loose network of small community centers and advocacy groups.

The Somali Community Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, for instance, led by its media savvy executive director Omar Jamal, has been a critic of what it considers aggressive police conduct. Here, Mohamed founded the St. Cloud Area Somali Salvation Organization three years ago to provide language and translation services and other help for Somalis.

But there has never been anything as broad or ambitious as a statewide board.

Ali Galaydh, a former prime minister of Somalia who now lectures at the University of Minnesota, said he supports the idea of an umbrella organization for Somalis, but he's not convinced the council would have broad backing.

"The perception among some other Somalis is that they don't represent the whole gamut of Somali clans," said Galaydh, who was prime minister of a transitional government between September 2000 and December 2001.

Another group of leaders, calling themselves the Somali Alliance, recently gathered about 500 people for a dinner in the Twin Cities, he said.

The statewide organization - called the Somali Community Leadership Council - would include representatives from the Twin Cities as well as out-state cities with heavy Somali populations, such as Willmar, Mankato and Rochester.

Plans are for holding an election this summer. Any Somali at least 18 years old would be eligible to vote, most likely for a council president and that candidate's slate of council members.

Organizers are asking state election officials for advice in holding an election. Two years ago in Columbus, Ohio, local government officials helped oversee a similar election to a Somali group.

In recent weeks, organizers have met with members of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's cabinet and other government officials to tell them about the council and appeal for their support.

Rich Stanek, the commissioner of public safety, met with the group and came away impressed with the idea.

"I told them that on behalf of my office and the governor, we welcome their input," he said. "It's great to have a group of leaders that we can go to, not just with problems and concerns but also ways of working through them."

Dahir Jibreel, the council's interim director and a teacher at a Minneapolis high school, said it's important that elected leaders run the council, rather than a board chosen by a handful of people.

"We don't want to claim we represent Somalis without the legitimate support of the Somali community," he said. "It's the only way we can convince different levels of government that this actually represents the Somali community."

By GREGG AAMOT Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Posted on Friday 9th April at 17:58:52

Somalia | Society | |