Disclaimed or reclaimed? Muslim refugee youth and belonging in the age of hyperbolisation

Using data derived chiefly from the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this paper explores the challenges confronting its youth. The findings are the result of an ongoing ethnographic engagement with this community that has been conducted for over a decade. Stressing that marginalisation is due to the combined impact of race, religion and class, the article points to the factors that have led some youth in the direction of drugs and crime while others have opted for radical Islam. In the post-9/ 11 era of securitisation, with evidence of over-policing of the Somali community, the challenges to incorporation are intensified due to the ongoing Othering process of this refugee group.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjis202017-05-31hb2016Sociolog

Threatened identities and gendered opportunities : Somali migration to America

Recent literature pays close attention to the ways in which gender mediates the migration experience. In addition to showing that gender matters in the migration process, this scholarship highlights how institutions in the host society can provide opportunities to challenge gender hierarchies within migrant households and communities. At the same time, this body of recent works complicates prior assumptions that migration is always empowering for women, by stressing how the empowermentdisempowerment dichotomy simplifies complex processes that both enable women to challenge patriarchal practices and deter them from doing so. This article seeks to extend this literature through an ethnographic investigation of the dynamic process of change in gender relations among Somali immigrants in Minnesota, a Muslim African refugee population. Most immigrant case studies draw from groups originating from Latin America and Asia, the major sources of migration to the United States in recent decades. Focusing on the migration experiences of Somalis offers a fresh venue to further document and theorize the gendered nature of the new wave of twenty-first-century migration.Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant 752-2005-0622 03 and British Commonwealth Scholarship CACR-2003-166.http://www.jstor.orgam201

A gendered perspective on the impact of conflict in the Horn of Africa

This Policy Note focuses on the gendered consequences of the militarisation of the Horn of Africa. Despite being in different ‘moments’ of conflict, the countries of this region share features of extreme social, economic and political violence, which impact negatively on their citizens. Protracted refugee and refugee-like conditions, extreme disinvestment in social programmes, increasing militarisation and political repression adversely affect women, thereby further entrenching gender disparities. Concerted national and international efforts and resources should support local democratic initiatives to find political solutions to these protracted conflicts and advance the struggle against sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination

Threatened Identities and Gendered Opportunities: Somali Migration to America

Recent literature pays close attention to the ways in which gender mediates the migration experience. In addition to showing that gender matters in the migration process, this scholarship highlights how institutions in the host society can provide opportunities to challenge gender hierarchies within migrant households and communities. At the same time, this body of recent works complicates prior assumptions that migration is always empowering for women, by stressing how the empowermentdisempowerment dichotomy simplifies complex processes that both enable women to challenge patriarchal practices and deter them from doing so. This article seeks to extend this literature through an ethnographic investigation of the dynamic process of change in gender relations among Somali immigrants in Minnesota, a Muslim African refugee population. Most immigrant case studies draw from groups originating from Latin America and Asia, the major sources of migration to the United States in recent decades. Focusing on the migration experiences of Somalis offers a fresh venue to further document and theorize the gendered nature of the new wave of twenty-first-century migration.Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant 752-2005-0622 03 and British Commonwealth Scholarship CACR-2003-166.http://www.jstor.orgam201

Exile, Memory, and Welcoming the Stranger: Panel Presentation

Panel presentations by Dr. Mary Hinton, Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, and Dr. Cawo Abdion Christian, Jewish, and Muslim mandates to welcome stranger

Muslim Identities in Minnesota

In the 21st century there is a plethora of clichés, stereotypes, and over-generalizations about Muslims in Minnesota, where there are also a variety of different ways of being Muslim. In this panel, Professor Abdi and Ph.D. candidate Khan will explore the diversity of Muslims in Minnesota today and the many contexts shaping their lives and identities. Professor Abdi will draw on her recently published book on the Somali diaspora, Elusive Jannah, and Khan will present data from her research on the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in Twin Cities media over the last several decades. This is the second in a series on Muslim Identities co-sponsored with the Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation at Augsburg College. The first, “Muslim Identities in North America,” features Meena Sharify-Funk and Nahid Khan, speaking at 7pm, Monday, September 26, in Woulfe Alumni Hall, University of St. Thomas. Please click here to view this event on the Augsburg Collge website. Cawo Abdi is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota and a Research Associate at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Professor Abdi’s research areas are migration, family and gender relations, development, Africa and the Middle East. Among her many publications, her most recent include the article Where is my Islam? The identity crisis in 21st century Muslims on CNN.com and the book, Elusive Jannah: The Somali Diaspora and a Borderless Muslim Identity, University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Nahid Khan is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a religious studies graduate minor at the University of Minnesota. Khan also serves as special consultant to the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning at the University of St. Thomas. Active in community interfaith dialogue since the 1980s, with a particular focus on Muslim-Jewish dialogue, she was a Muslim delegate at the North American Interfaith Colloquium held at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in 1999 and 2000 and she served for eight years on the board of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, an interfaith advocacy group addressing social justice issues in Minnesota. She is also a trained guide for the Collection in Focus program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and a board member of Mizna, an Arab-American cultural and arts organization based in the Twin Cities. Moderator: Fardosa Hassan Sponsored by the Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation at Augsburg College in collaboration with the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning at the University of St. Thomas, as well as the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center and the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of St. Thomas. To make an accessibility request, call Disability Resources at (651) 962-63

The New Age of Security: Implications for refugees and internally displaced persons in the Horn of Africa

Cawo M. Abdi looks at the Somali crisis as the most recent conflict being fought in the name of ‘war against terrorism’. She argues that it entails major implications for migration in general and for migrant women in particular. Her central concerns are to track the new realities in the various forms of migration across the world and to better understand at a policy level how migration and development nexus encourages south–north, south–south social and economic relations with more open and accountable development paths. She tracks how the migration and development nexus challenges concepts of citizenship, trans-national borders, diversity, social protection and security. Development (2007) 50, 75–81. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100434

Somali American female refugees discuss their attitudes toward homosexuality and the gay and lesbian community

Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somalis in the USA – most arriving as refugees from the civil war in Somalia. As Somali Americans adjust to life in the USA, they are likely to undergo shifts in their belief systems – including changes in their attitudes toward gays and lesbians. We examined the attitudes of 29 Somali American women in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area toward homosexuality via face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were translated, transcribed and analysed using an approach informed by grounded theory. Three major themes were identified: (1) Islamic prohibitions against homosexuality; (2) homosexuals exiled to a hidden community; and (3) community members exploring tolerance. Participants’ attitudes toward homosexuality were heavily influenced by religious doctrines and cultural contexts. This is the first known study in the USA of Somali American attitudes toward gays and lesbians. As people mass migrate from nations with negative attitudes toward homosexuality to countries with more progressive attitudes toward varied sexual orientations, refugee attitudes about homosexuality will undergo change. Through research and education, we can better understand how to increase tolerance toward and opportunities for visibility among gay and lesbian refugees throughout the diaspora.Le Minnesota abrite la population la plus importante de Somaliens aux États-Unis – la plupart étant arrivés en tant que réfugiés de la guerre civile en Somalie. Alors que les Somaliens-Américains s’adaptent à la vie aux États-Unis, leurs systèmes de croyances sont susceptibles de changer – ces changements concernant aussi leurs attitudes vis-à-vis des gays et des lesbiennes. Nous avons exploré les attitudes de 29 femmes Somaliennes-Américaines, vivant dans la métropole de Minneapolis-St. Paul, vis-à-vis de l’homosexualité, en ayant des entretiens semi-structurés en face à face avec elles. Les transcriptions ont été traduites, transcrites et analysées dans une approche orientée par la théorie ancrée. Trois thèmes majeurs ont été identifiés : (1) interdiction islamique de l’homosexualité ; (2) exil d’homosexuel(le)s dans une communauté cachée ; et (3) exploration de la tolérance par des membres de la communauté. Les attitudes des participantes vis-à-vis de l’homosexualité étaient lourdement influencées par les doctrines religieuses et les contextes culturels. Cette étude est la première à être connue aux États-Unis pour avoir exploré les attitudes des Somaliens-Américains à l’endroit des gays et des lesbiennes. Alors que se produit une migration en masse depuis des pays hostiles à l’homosexualité vers d’autres, où les attitudes sont plus progressistes vis-à-vis des diverses orientations sexuelles, l’attitude des réfugiés vis-à-vis de l’homosexualité sera amenée à changer. La recherche et l’éducation peuvent nous aider à mieux comprendre comment accroître la tolérance vis-à-vis des réfugiés gays et lesbiennes dans la diaspora, ainsi que les opportunités de visibilité pour ces derniers.La población más grande de somalíes en EE.UU. vive en Minnesota, y la mayoría son refugiados de la guerra civil en Somalia. Cuando estos americanos somalíes se adaptan a la vida estadounidense suelen experimentar cambios en sus sistemas de creencias, por ejemplo en lo que respecta a su actitud con respecto a homosexuales y lesbianas. Mediante entrevistas personales y semiestructuradas, en este artículo analizamos la opinión de 29 mujeres americanas de origen somalí en el área metropolitana de Minneapolis-St. Paul con respecto a la homosexualidad. Las transcripciones fueron traducidas, transcritas y analizadas con ayuda de un enfoque informado de teoría fundamentada. Se identificaron tres temas principales: (1) prohibiciones islámicas contra la homosexualidad; (2) homosexuales exiliados en una comunidad oculta; y (3) el modo en que los miembros de la comunidad exploran la tolerancia. Las actitudes de los participantes hacia la homosexualidad estaban muy influidas por doctrinas religiosas y contextos culturales. Este es el primer estudio conocido en los Estados Unidos sobre las actitudes de americanos somalíes con respecto a los homosexuales y las lesbianas. Cuando ocurren migraciones masivas de países con una mentalidad negativa hacia la homosexualidad a países con actitudes más progresistas sobre las diversas orientaciones sexuales, suelen cambiar las actitudes de los refugiados hacia la homosexualidad. A través de investigaciones y educación, podemos entender mejor cómo se pueden mejorar la tolerancia y las oportunidades de percepción entre refugiados homosexuales y lesbianas en la diáspora.UCare Fund of the Minnesota Medical Foundation [grant number 2010-02R]; The New Researcher Award, St. Cloud State University; The IDEA Multicultural Research Award, University of Minnesota; The Planning Grant in Health Disparities Research [grant number PHDR-2009-301].http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tchs202018-08-30hj2017Sociolog

Disclaimed or Reclaimed? Muslim Refugee Youth and Belonging in the Age of Hyperbolisation

Using data derived chiefly from the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this paper explores the challenges confronting its youth. The findings are the result of an ongoing ethnographic engagement with this community that has been conducted for over a decade. Stressing that marginalisation is due to the combined impact of race, religion and class, the article points to the factors that have led some youth in the direction of drugs and crime while others have opted for radical Islam. In the post-9/ 11 era of securitisation, with evidence of over-policing of the Somali community, the challenges to incorporation are intensified due to the ongoing Othering process of this refugee group.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjis202017-05-31hb2016Sociolog