Final Thoughts On the Case of Missing Youth

Ladies and Gentleman, the insanely elongated investigation of the case of missing Somali youth has almost come to an end.

The indictments are in; a total of 14. Some of the indicted are believed to be dead while at least two not-so-young fellows managed to slip out of America.

No need to worry about these fugitives because, like Bin Laden, the Feds will hunt them down.
The question that stumps the enquiring mind is; how did these fugitives manage to vanish under the watchful eyes of the ‘vigilant’ American law enforcement agents?

Perhaps, I am geographically-challenged. I thought Tora Bora was located in Afghanistan and not between San Ysidro (California) and Tijuana (Mexico).

Unfortunately, both the FBI and the U.S Border Patrol agencies are not talking.

“No Comment, please”.

But the investigation rattled some nerves and has exposed the government and the Somali community, as like an x-ray; not beautified but stripped down to the core.

All Terror Is Local

Contrary to the wide belief, the case of missing youth was distinctly Minnesotan. To be more specific, it was mainly limited to the Twin Cities.

The Feds and the Congress initially made us believe that Somali pockets in Minneapolis, Columbus, San Diego, Seattle, Portland (Maine) and Atlanta were incubators of terrorism. Somalis, it was hinted, are fanatic Muslims that pose a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States.

Well, the threat is still there but the main problem, so far, is Minneapolis.

Seattle had a case or two of the missing youth, but even that originated, sorry folks, from Minneapolis.

Leadership Crisis

Will the real Somali leaders in the Twin Cities stand up?

No, no, not you self-appointed microphone-huggers! You have a near-clinical need to be around microphones. I bet you never met a microphone you did not like, and when you are behind one, you are an impulsive loudmouth, a certified mediocre, fuzzy on the facts, and, above-all, you spew venom. You are long on complaints but short on prescriptions. I see you more as meddlesome rather than helpful. Sadly to say, you are unaware of the contempt and derision you provoke in others.

Sit down.

I am looking for true leaders.

Sadly, if there is Somali leadership in Twin Cities, it remained resolutely silent during the course of the investigation.

Minneapolis may have the largest Somali population in America, but one may confidently say it also has a lethargic leadership.

Demonizing the Wrong People

Some of the relatives of missing youth rightfully raised their voices and brought attention to the tragedy. We know that no one can efface the pain and the anguish these parents went through.

But the parents, in the heat of the moment, wrongfully accused the people of Abubakar as-Sadiiq mosque in Minneapolis for recruiting, funding, and sending the youth to Somalia.

Imam Abdirahman Sheikh Omar became a piñata for some of the aggrieved relatives and was portrayed as being the quintessence of evil.

He was yelled at, shoved, and gouged.

Yes, I know he was not physically attacked. Maybe I am slightly exaggerating.

But, seriously, Imam Abdirahman was barked at and even threatened. He was accused of leading the youth astray (Somalis aptly call this ‘duufsasho’) and turning them into cold-blooded jihadists bent on killing and maiming innocent Somalis.

Sheikh Abdirahman must have a very amiable personality and a magnificence of spirit. To the surprise of no one, he never lost aplomb in the midst of the tumult.

The Imam was being buffeted on all sides.

The Feds were sharpening their swords to put him away.

Any ‘Black Sites’ left in Romania or Poland?

This poor man was even taken off from a flight, for security reasons, at the height of the investigation.

Sorry Imam, you can drive, within the confines of the U.S, but you can’t fly!

The Sheikh must have asked himself; “You mean, I can drive through Minnesota’s strong and sturdy bridges but I do not even have the privilege of flying and landing in the waters of New York’s Hudson River?”

I love this country!

Fortunately, I am told, the Sheikh’s name has been removed from the “No Fly” list.

So does this mean he had nothing to do with the missing youth?

Well, no one from Masjid Abubakar as-Sadiiq mosque has been indicted.

Do I hear murmurs and titters?

I think an apology is in order.

Now, what?

Ladies and Gentleman, the further investigation of Somali immigrants will, of course, continue, and the missing youth, if they ever return to the States, will be prosecuted.

Hopefully, they will come to their senses and extricate themselves from Al-Shabaab terrorists.

I do not expect President Obama to issue a pardon to the missing youth.

Wouldn’t that be a gesture of good will?

He has already pardoned “Courage” the day before Thanksgiving.

‘Courage’ who?

Oh, it is a turkey whose life has been spared.

The community in Twin Cities needs to have a smart, poignant, and unvarnished look at what has transpired in the case and should engage in a grueling self-examination.

It is mind-boggling.

The very young people who were rescued from Somalia’s tortuous civil war are returning back to that same hell.

No doubt, they may have come to this country as children, but when they embarked on the journey to Somalia, they were adults.

Alas, Shirwa Ahmed, 27, the first ever American suicide bomber, was a man.

But most of the youth were still impressionable.

Those who helped their recruitment and financed their trip must be brought to justice.

The parents and the relatives of the missing youth have the right to ask the U.S Congress to hold a hearing regarding the flight of alleged terror suspects like Mohamud Said Omar (now in custody in the Netherlands), Abdullahi Farah and Abdiweli Isse.

The latter two men are the ones that had crossed the U.S Mexican border.

Where are the microphone-huggers when you need them?

Oops, I forgot that they were banished.

At any rate, it is a wild world.

But then, the sagacious people of Benadir were right; “If you live long enough, you will even see a she-camel give birth.”

Hassan M. Abukar

Somali Youth, Violence, and Misplaced Priorities

Recently, I have been shocked by the increase of violence among Somali youngsters from Toronto to Alberta; Minneapolis to Seattle. Every week, a Somali youngster is found dead due to gang related crimes. These killings have not generated the same outcry, intense scrutiny, and speculation seen in the cases of disappearing Somali youth in Minnesota and now Canada. Among the Somali populace, gang-related killings have become an issue of non importance.

The American government has spent a great deal of resources in investigating the disappearance of Somali youth in major urban areas populated by Somali immigrants. While the authorities have the jurisdiction to investigate those who train, fight, or provide material support to designated terrorist entities, there has been a negative side effect that has been impacting mosques and Islamic centers. There is a prevailing fear among many parents who are hesitant to allow their teenage boys to go to mosques or become active there. Parents are taking the “safe-side” of not letting the youth get involved. Some have naively stashed away their children’s passports hoping these measures will prevent the youngsters from joining subversive groups. Some of the mosques, though under investigation, have been in the forefront for saving many youth from drugs, chemical dependency, and gangs. There are no statistical figures, of course, that show the number of youth saved by religious institutions. But one thing that is glaringly apparent is the number of youth killed in the streets of London, Toronto, Edmonton, Minneapolis, or Seattle due to gang wars is much higher than the number that has joined terrorist organizations like Al-Shabaab. Currently, in many Somali mosques, there are a large number of youth who are committed to studying their religion and not interested in going back to Somalia to fight in an unjust war. I wonder if all the negative campaigning waged against some of these Islamic centers can be partially blamed for the increase of juvenile delinquency. Of course, there are other variables that might explain the rise of Somali youth killings.

No one can expect the Department of Justice or the FBI to help in tackling the Somali youth killings in the streets of America’s finest cities. The American and Canadian governments are interested in ensuring that the youth do not pose a security threat to their respective governments, first, and to Somalia, second. This is an understandable and legitimate national security concern. What is not understandable is what happens when the pursuit of this goal leads to the weakening of the very institutions that are designed to serve the youth and their parents. A climate generating ‘fear of mosques’ and a veritable barrage of calumny directed against some Imams have gained currency in various Somali communities. Unfortunately, these have inadvertently led to some of the youth to eschew, perhaps, in places where they could have gotten guidance and counseling. The Somali mosques have been somewhat successful in communicating with the youth when their parents were unable to do so. Of course, a mosque cannot be a substitute for a caring and engaging parent. But the fact of the matter is, many of the Somali parents are absent, figuratively, and sometimes, literally.

The American federal government, perhaps, can take a ‘Marshall Plan’ type approach in assisting the Somali youth. Agencies like the Health and Human Services, the Labor and Education departments can undertake various projects to assess this phenomenon of gang killings and find viable solutions. Of course, these will likely never happen because, to the American authorities, the Somali youth are only seen through the prism of ‘terrorism’. The Feds will always claim that the killings are local matters. Unfortunately, more killings will happen if Somali youth have no access to all the resources that they need (parents, schools, mosques, community based-organizations, etc). I must add here that there are some elements in some mosques that are, in the simplest terms, “bad news”. I have no qualms whatsoever seeing these dangerous elements rooted out from the Somali communities. Fortunately, these individuals are numbered and insignificant. So far, the federal indictments, in the Somali Youth cases of disappearance, have only produced a few convictions.

It is tragic that the Somali young men are dying violently while so many of the resource are spent on matters that are of no value to the safety, well-being, and future advancement of our children. It is the most opportune time for all Somalis in the West to start speaking against this new phenomenon that is leading to the gradual attrition of our youth. Parents, community organizations, local and federal governments all need to address this important matter before it is too late. Most of all, it is time that we listen to the youth themselves and see them as part of the solution. The process may be daunting but we should remain undaunted until there is a way out of these tragic events.