Following the Friday prayer, leaders of the Somali community gathered at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis to condemn what they described as escalating anti-Somali rhetoric linked to “Operation Metro Surge” and right-wing politicians and media.
Community and faith leaders said hateful rhetoric is fueling harassment and threats, and spreading fear among Somali Minnesotans.
Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, said recent “attacks did not come out of nowhere. They are fueled by years of reckless rhetoric, political scapegoating, and media narratives that repeatedly associate Somalis with crime, danger and social problems.”
Somali Minnesotans — comprising the largest group of the Somali diaspora in the United States — have often faced racism and religious bigotry over the years.
