What’s going on in Minneapolis?
I knew that there was a large African immigrant population in Minnesota and I have to believe that is one of the reasons Keith Ellison — the first Muslim congressman — was elected.
But this story caught me by surprise:
Hassan is one of more than a dozen young men of Somali descent — many U.S. citizens — to have disappeared from Minneapolis over the past six months, according to federal law enforcement authorities. Authorities say young men have also disappeared in Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Columbus, Ohio.
“A number of young Somali men have traveled from throughout the United States to include Minneapolis to Somalia, potentially to fight,” said FBI Special Agent E.K. Wilson.
Upon closer reading, there isn’t any proof that the kids are turning up among the ranks of jihadist fighters. Nor is there any indication, other than the statement by the FBI agent, that they might, any time soon.
And heaven knows that kids have been running away from home to find adventure for thousands of years. But still…when the news is full of stories about Somali pirates, this story did pop out at me.
The kid in the story is the son of a single mother, his father having died many years ago. He’s smart, having taken multiple AP science classes. He was planning on attending college to become a physician’s assistant. What’s going on here?
…[L]ocal Somalis have voiced concern that, because a large number of the men missing attended the same Islamic center after school, it could have played a role.
[The mother] does not believe the center itself played a role but thinks there are certain people associated with it who may be involved.
You think?
On Monday, representatives of the mosque, Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, held a news conference to address the issue. The mosque’s attorney, Mahir Sherif, strongly denied any allegations that it is connected to the men’s disappearance, saying the center “has not and will not recruit for any political cause.”
“I haven’t talked to any of them [since the stories came out]. I haven’t seen any of them fighting,” Sherif said. “I mean, I would be speculating. I’m hearing what everybody else hears.”
At this point, it’s still a local story, albeit a pretty unique one. Would it be such a bad idea for Rep. Ellison to make a statement and show some leadership?
P.S. The picture that accompanies this story on CNN.com is not helpful, captioned, “Islamic fighters drill in Somalia last month.”
