FBI Probe Into Somalis May Be Most Significant Domestic Terrorism Probe Since 9/11

nytimes.com:

The Carlson School of Management rises from the asphalt like a monument to capitalist ambition. Stock prices race across an electronic ticker near a sleek entrance and the atrium soars skyward, as if lifting the aspirations of its students. The school's plucky motto is "Nowhere but here."

For a group of students who often met at the school, on the University of Minnesota campus, those words seemed especially fitting. They had fled Somalia as small boys, escaping a catastrophic civil war. They came of age as refugees in Minneapolis, embracing basketball and the prom, hip-hop and the Mall of America. By the time they reached college, their dreams seemed within grasp: one planned to become a doctor; another, an entrepreneur.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[ThinkCreeps]

By moving from Somalia to Minnesota haven't they been punished enough?

[levibatgirl]

Only if they moved to bachmann's district.

[MNmommy]

Heh.

She does have her share of them in her district, but they are a big minority amongst the 3G crowd.

;)

[solopico]

Well, they do have Al Franken representing them in the Senate, so I suppose you're correct.

[NormGoldman]

You ever been here? Doubt it. Minneapolis is by far the nicest large city I've been to.

[vikesnfc99]

Funny that the other big ex-pat Somali communities are in Scandinavia (Sweden, especially), "the Minnesota of Northern Europe." Are Somalis gluttons for meteorological punishment or do they have a keen sense for natural beauty, nice people, and strong community and civic institutions? You decide...

[AuntieChrist]

For those unwilling to read of the sυicide bοmber:

Page 3:
"By 2004, Mr. Ahmed had found a new circle of friends. These religious young men, pegged as “bοrn-agains” or “fundis,” set themselves apart by their dress. Their trousers had gone from sagging to short, emulating the Prοphet Mυhammad, who was said to have kept his clothes from touching the ground."

[GoodFeathers]

On a side note, I had few friends from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya when I was in college. They felt they are superior to blacks in this country. That's something I still can't comprehend.

[Rilwan Kujenya]

What's there not to comprehend?

Caucasian Christians don't like Caucasian Jews. Western Europeans feel they are superior to East Europeans. They call them (Slavs, and Gypsies for crying out loud). Whites in America call other Whites (often poor whites) White Trash.

Japanese people commonly feel superior to Chinese. I have South Korean friends who think North Koreans are genetically inferior.

Or is that not the same concept.

Racism is stupid. And it so happens that there are groups with in the same race that feel superior to other groups that are members of the same race.

Wake up, it's the crazy world you live in!

[weebils]

It's incomprehensible because they are here enjoying the benefits and freedom fought for by the same people they look down on.

[vikesnfc99]

All of this--including the claims about Africans-- sounds like some very broad generalizations. I think it would be hard to find factions (however small) of any ethnic group that did not ignorantly consider themselves "superior" to other groups, or that simply "do not like" certain other groups.

[pissedmichael]

One of the saddest things I've ever heard. These young men were innocents once. As children, forced to fight a war for adults--with real weapons like any other army. They escaped, managed to carve out a short but safe life here, ultimately to die violent and unnecessary (though I sure they didn't see it that way) deaths. This happened to them not because the chose the path--it happened to them because they were used by people with no conscience or souls. We can't (I know I can't) even begin to imaging the damage done to them mentally (let alone physically) at such a young age, and the long term effects such barbarism had on their once innocent minds. I'm sorry for them, and ashamed that this is happening to children without intervention by the so-called civilized nations--including our own. May they finally be at peace.

[Ponderus]

Did they vote forMichelleBachmann?

That would qualifyasterrorism.

[jan4insight]

You got that right!

[Libertyfan]

Obviously they were persuaded by Franken's America is a bad place rhetoric.

[levibatgirl]

Calling out thefatdruggie and the lies of rethugs does not translate into saying America is a bad place.

Li@r.

[tel8034]

With ALL that republican mojo, Michelle Bachmann let this happen right under her nose in her state?

[vikesnfc99]

Wrong district. Technically it would be Keith Ellison...

[Chace Haynes]

On average...84 Americans lose their lives to terrorism each year...84! Now how can anyone possibly justify the trillions spent to fight these people?

[Libertyfan]

Since 2001 the average has been about 1000 per year. I think that justifies wanting every last one of the dead.

[Tom Joad]

"...justifies wanting every last one...dead..."

oooo, what a brilliant strategy! It's worked so well all these centuries...we should just 'stay the course' because it's working; we're winning! YAY!

[deepfreezevideo]

Somali immigrants in America are a very small group.
Their numbers in the Twin Cities account for the bulk of all Somalis in America.
The US Immigration service made it possible for them to come here, so now it is time for ICE to admit that perhaps their experiment is a failure, and to restrict further immigration from Somalia.
America should take pride in attempting to open itself to all people from all walks of life but sometimes one has to accept the fact that there are certain societies whose beliefs and customs are not compatible with the American model. I believe that Somalia fits in this latter category.
It is unfortunate, but it's the truth.
Minneapolis has shown a great deal of openness to immigrant groups in the past.
The Hmong diaspora to the Twin Cities is an unparalleled success.
But not every group can find a niche in the United States...that's just a fact of life.

[Tom Joad]

"...not every group can find a niche in the United States..."

Your ancestors and the ancestors of every U.S. citizen were immigrants...lest we forget. Perhaps it is the "American model" that requires fixin'...just sayin'...

[deepfreezevideo]

My parents were immigrants...I'm the first generation that didn't come off the boat.
But my parents didn't wear burquas, participate in animal sacrifices, train with Al-Qaeda, believe in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion or plot the destruction of the United States. Let's face it, your blanket statement concerning "the American model" denies the fact that some societies are incompatible with ANY "model" regardless of whether or not our is perfect. No "model" is perfect.
Some models are more tolerant than others.
Clearly the Somali model is NOT one of those that can be termed as tolerant nor can most of the other radical Islamist cultures.
There are millions of Iranian, Egyptian, Turkish, Jordanian and other Islamic immigrants in the US. It's obvious that many of these immigrants do better in the United States than their counterparts from other Muslim countries.
The fact is, some countries apparently encourage a mindset that is destructive to the Western mode of living, and in those cases it's probably advisable that a prospective immigrant seek a non-Western place of residence rather than "fixing" the American model so that it more closely resembles the immigrant's home country.

[danusgram]

I live in Minneapolis. I have said this over and over these people are dangerous to the community. The article describes the area they live in as rundown. It was not rundown until they took over the area. I was driving over there recently and thought I was in Africa. The domestic violence shelter in Minneapolis is full of their women who are beaten by their men that do not work most of the women do. All of them receive welfare. They have overtaxed the social service systems so much that Americans are often turned away because there are no funds. The women and men look down on American citizens. Especially black Americans. There is no assimilation. Only what they can take from the community. The article failed to tell the whole story of what has been forced on the Minnesota community.

The school systems struggle to make their curriculum relevant to them at the expense of the other students. It has to stop and America needs to wake up I truly feel something serious can happen here.

[Chace Haynes]

What are you doing to reach out to these people in your neighborhood?

[danusgram]

That's just it they do not want any interaction with Americans. They only see us as a way to get money or their needs met they think that all Americans are infidels.

[deepfreezevideo]

I too lived in Minneapolis PRIOR to the Somali diaspora and have been back to the Twin Cities since then and I concur. The area is an unmitigated disaster.
It is UNSAFE for a non-Somali or any kind of outsider to venture into the area after sundown, it is even unsafe for a non-Somali to venture into the area at any time of day, to be frank about it.
It's even unsafe for SOMALIS, not that they'd admit to it.
Africa isn't a fair comparison because at least there are some functional cities and towns in some parts of Africa.
Sorry, but the Somali experiment has failed. These people hate our country, they don't wish to adapt to living here and they don't intend to do so.
That doesn't bode well for continuation of the experiment, in my book.

[temenos]

Dear Moderator,

Why so sensitive? That last comment was lighthearted and meant to raise a smile even if it was at your expense. If you have no sense of humor you are in the wrong job.

[Tom Joad]

Somalis in MN? WTF? Are they orchestrating pirate raids on the Conestoga wagons crossing the prairie?

[mat3]

Since they weren't planning on killing Americans, when they come home we can send them to Palua with the Uighers.

[temenos]

Dear Moderator,

That was the most innocuous comment I have posted all day. Why oh why did you feel the need to scrub it? Perhaps the word "love" offended you.

[cromanion]

I even have relevant information about this story, since I graduated from the school in the article. Still can't get a comment through no matter how much editing for content I do. Oh well.

[temenos]

I tried replying to you earlier and got scrubbed. I hope this moderator's next job isn't compiling a no-fly list.

[Blurp]

Here are the little darlings in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfW9inRkTpU&feature=PlayList&p=20CC9B024AF4D6A3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=57

[danusgram]

Thank you for posting this. It supports my previous posts about the attitudes toward the average American citizen in Minneapolis,these are young kids on the streets of Minneapolis. Wow!

[ElsaIndy]

That made me sad.

[pissedmichael]

So, your point is that all Somali's engage in this deplorable behavior? Based on the deplorable antics of children? This has never happened with any other ethnic group? Gay bashing is the exclusive purview of Somali's based on this film clip? Interesting conclusion--conclusion you had before you saw this? So, what entire block of a society are you going to label in this way that are not Somali? Take your pick, the list is endless because this behavior, and much much worse is a malignancy that affects each and every group in the world. You guys need to use a different yardstick to take the measure of a people. This one, while disturbing, is certainly not an indictment of an entire ethnicity.

[danusgram]

Well children are not born acting that where did they learn their intolerence from if not from their elders and their religion. A religion that despises and hangs people for being gay in other countries. Just sayin..again the truth is what it is.

[The Albany Kid]

It's good to know that the FBI is keeping an eye on these guys.

It will be interesting to see if, going forward, our immigration / refugee assistance policymakers will become more cognizant of potential threats like this one. For all of our sakes, let's hope so!

[Rondo]

my mother lives in the suburbs of minneapolis

she's seen women in burka's

head to toe burka's

in the land of the free

please check your religion

for limitations on this offer

[MNmommy]

So?

So have I, especially at the grocers that sell halal meat.

What's the issue?

[BigBagel]

I could care less. Log onto a p orn site and see how we treat women here in the USA.

[Tom Joad]

OHHHH! Women in Burqas in the suburbs! Muffy, we're moving!....

[vikesnfc99]

If your mother saw a Burka, it was probably an exception in terms of the typical Muslim scarves or veils worn around the Twin Cities. Very few Somali women wear face covering (in fact, in my 15 years living in Minneapolis, I have never seen a Somali woman who covers any part of their face, unless of course it is very cold outside). It is more likely that your mother saw women in the Al-Amira, which is a two-piece, headscarf, that really only covers the head, along with a full-length gown, similar to the traditional Habit and robe worn by Catholic nun's.

Any Burka sightings were probably of visitors from elsewhere in the Middle East, or from very small Twin Cities muslim communities. There has certainly not been any local reporting in an increase in Burka-wearing.