Somali Gang Violence in Minnesota: An Imam on Guns, Social Media and the Community Response
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The Twin Cities are grappling with a troubling wave of gun violence involving young people — and few conversations are more complicated than the one surrounding Somali youth and alleged gang activity. In the days surrounding this interview, shootings in Eden Prairie and Bloomington brought the issue back into the spotlight, as law enforcement leaders called for a more coordinated regional response. So what is actually happening? Why are young people getting caught up in violence? What role are social media and guns playing? And how can a community confront a real problem without painting an entire group of people with the same brush? This week on Bigger Than Belief, Adam Duxter sits down with Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America. Abdulle has spent years working with young people and community leaders. He strongly rejects the characterization of the violence as “Somali gang” violence, arguing that the young people involved are American kids and that the problem is ultimately a Minnesota and American problem. But he does not minimize the violence. Abdulle talks candidly about the fear and frustration inside the Somali community, the work Muslim faith leaders are doing with parents, imams and young people, the role social media may play in escalating rivalries, the availability of guns, and why some witnesses and families may be reluctant to cooperate with police. He also offers a deeply personal perspective on the violence — explaining that it “keeps me awake at night” and describing his fear that the next shooting could take the life of another young person in his community. And he makes a broader appeal: confront the people responsible for the violence, he says, but don't punish or blame innocent people who had nothing to do with it.
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The Twin Cities are grappling with a troubling wave of gun violence involving young people — and few conversations are more complicated than the one surrounding Somali youth and alleged gang activity. In the days surrounding this interview, shootings in Eden Prairie and Bloomington brought the issue back into the spotlight, as law enforcement leaders called for a more coordinated regional response. So what is actually happening? Why are young people getting caught up in violence? What role are social media and guns playing? And how can a community confront a real problem without painting an entire group of people with the same brush? This week on Bigger Than Belief, Adam Duxter sits down with Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America. Abdulle has spent years working with young people and community leaders. He strongly rejects the characterization of the violence as “Somali gang” violence, arguing that the young people involved are American kids and that the problem is ultimately a Minnesota and American problem. But he does not minimize the violence. Abdulle talks candidly about the fear and frustration inside the Somali community, the work Muslim faith leaders are doing with parents, imams and young people, the role social media may play in escalating rivalries, the availability of guns, and why some witnesses and families may be reluctant to cooperate with police. He also offers a deeply personal perspective on the violence — explaining that it “keeps me awake at night” and describing his fear that the next shooting could take the life of another young person in his community. And he makes a broader appeal: confront the people responsible for the violence, he says, but don't punish or blame innocent people who had nothing to do with it.
Official Site: http://wcco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBSMinnesota
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wcco
Instagram: https://instagram.com/wcco/ Close description