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September 25th, 2009                         Contact Information:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             Abdurahman Jama, Executive Director
Office: (206) 721-1119, x107
Fax: (206) 760-9552
Email: [email protected]

SEATTLE SOMALI COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO TERRORISM

We, Somali-American community leaders, intellectuals, elders and youth, speak as one community to denounce violence and terrorism activities in Somalia and around the world. In particular, we condemn the September 17 suicide bombing of the AMISOM facility in Mogadishu which claimed the lives of 21 innocent public servants and civilians.

This act of terror is un-Somali and has no basis in Islamic teaching.  A core Islamic teaching states: ‘Taking away one human life is as taking the lives of all human mankind.’ And, ‘Saving the life one person is as you save the lives of all human beings.’

Our condolences and prayers are with the victims and their grieving families. We wish the wounded individuals a quick and full recovery, and may God bless the souls of the deceased ones in heaven.

As a community, we must decry the media’s accusation of Somali-Americans as home-grown terrorists in the United States. It is unjust and un-American to denounce wholly a law-abiding community of American citizens for the barbaric act of violence of individuals. There is no evidence of radicalization happening within Seattle, and the Somali community in Washington requests respect as good American citizens.

Youth in the Seattle Somali community—a large and new refugee community—face unique challenges and barriers when they come to the United States. Most come with single parents, bearing the trauma of an 18-year civil war where they have lost loved ones and homes.  Upon arrival in the US, they are placed in school based on age, regardless of prior education levels. Some were born in refugees camps, where there is no formal education system. Some disenfranchised youth in the area—school drop-outs because they are so far behind grade level—have turned to gangs or crime, like their low-income peers from other communities. However, there are many agencies that work diligently to offer remedial services to youth including mentoring, peer leadership development, academic support, and community service. These agencies have not seen.

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