The Somali refugees in our Minnesota community refuse to assimilate. They feel their religion is superior, and it is their way or no way. Islam means surrender to Allah. As long as they are less than 10 percent of the population, they are relatively docile. When their numbers increase, they begin to flex their muscles.
Besides being tribal, they have an entitlement mentality. I was at a city council meeting where two Muslim men told the council members the following: “We get $12,000 a month in cash assistance, free medical, subsidized housing, and food stamps.” Then he said, “You owe us more.” They live better than people who have lived, worked, and paid into the system a lifetime.
I recently saw a homeless man ask at our foodshelf if they had any fruit. He was told they did not. However, there was a table full of bananas, and the foodshelf director said she had to pay for them, and he couldn’t have any. There were five Somalian women at the foodshelf – each had carts overflowing with food, and each went out with bananas. The homeless man gets $200 a month in food stamps and no help with anything else. He is staying in a shelter and has no place of his own.
It seems that from their records, all the Somalis were born on January 1. With names like Mohamed Mohamud and all having the same day of birth, how can the government possibly keep track of who is here? Maybe the idea is that they don’t want the government to be able to track them.
Our school has had tremendous problems with the Muslim students. They get their prayer time at school. A Christian student can’t pray at the school even though this is our country. Even the cafeteria caters to their dietary ideas.
When one student wrote a paper about how Muslims get special favoritism in school, they got angry. They picked a time when all the teachers and principal were in a meeting to attack this student. There were 30 Muslims attacking one kid. Two of his friends tried to help. They boy they attacked spent the night in the hospital being observed for a head injury. His two friends who tried to help him were charged with assault. The Muslim attackers got no reprimand. It was said, “Boys will be boys so just forget it.” If they were not favored, what would you call it?
Following this episode, there was tension in the high school, and threats went around. To deal with the situation the school beefed up security, which involved some expense. Finally, a meeting was held for anyone wanting to discuss the issue.
Concerned people of all ages arrived, some wearing red shirts to “stop the violence.” With the principal and superintendent sitting up front, near the stage of the auditorium, a few of us (parents) were asked to move closer to the front. After everyone was seated, Muslim women walked in and sat in the middle section toward the back. Were we the shield for the administration?
During the start of the meeting, one person stood up to ask for a public apology from the Somali Muslims who sent the boy to the hospital with the head injury and injured the two others who tried to help him. “We want a public apology,” asserted the parent. The place went silent. There was a long pause, glaring looks, and then the meeting oddly ended.
Days later it was discovered that this clan of Somalis didn’t know what an apology or saying they’re sorry meant. “What is this apology? It’s not part of our language or religion,” stated a Muslim woman during a local TV broadcast of a diversity network meeting.
After that incident, students were told not to discuss the issue, not even with their parents. Fear is still heavily present throughout the community.