Organizers of this year’s Somali Independence Day soccer tournament barred a section of Twin Cities mainstream media from reporting on the scene accusing them of a continuous “negative publicity and profiling of the community in a bad light”. The tournament’s spokesperson Abdirizack Ismail Said Maashal, told Mshale of his doubts regarding mainstream media’s sincerity in their renewed interest in the community after ignoring pleas from organizers in the last six years to cover the tournament.

“Its 6 years now since the inception of the tournament and no media house honored our invitations to come and cover this important annual event”, said Maashal. He vowed not to allow anyone with “malicious intentions to come and wreck the spirit of the eventful competitions” aimed at motivating Somali youth and youngsters to engage in sports and other gainful activities to better their lives and shape their moral upbringing. He questioned mainstream media’s sudden interest and change of heart accusing them of focusing on the negative aspects of Somali American community when reporting.

The annual tournament was held to commemorate the 49th anniversary of Somalia’s independence.

The Somali community’s distrust of mainstream media has heightened following an FBI probe regarding alleged Somali-American teenagers going to Somalia to fight alongside Al-Shabab militants.

The soft-spoken Maashal alleged that a local TV news reporter threatened him as he tried to gain  access to the stadium by claiming he had an absolute right as an American to do his journalistic work with or without his consent.

The 6th annual Somali American Independence tournament which saw the participation of several teams from across the U.S. was held from Thursday June 25 through July 4th 2009.

Hundreds of Somali Americans residing in the Twin Cities and environs flocked to the Central High School Stadium to watch the soccer competition. Minneapolis’ Somali Tigers beat arch-rivals San Diego United 3-2 in the final to win the tournament for the second consecutive year. It was deja vu all over again for San Diego as Somali Tigers beat them in last year’s final as well.

A total of 16 teams participated in this year’s competition which was touted to be the toughest so far.  

Other teams that took part in the competition included Cedar Stars from Minneapolis, La Cruz from St Cloud, Eden Prairie, Rochester and FC Owatonna. Boston, Ohio and Dallas also sent separate teams to the tournament.

Maashal says plans are underway to organize friendly matches with Somali soccer clubs in Sweden and other parts of Europe to nurture the talent of upcoming soccer youngsters and foster mutual understanding amongst the youth. He challenged other communities not to judge the Somali-American community based on negative portrayals in the mainstream media but to take time and study his community’s contributions in the U.S.” Please get to know us before you judge us because we are Somali Americans and we are proud of it” he said, adding” we need encouragement and not discrimination”.

He cited a lack of adequate funding as the biggest challenge facing tournament organizers and called on well-wishers to come forward and sponsor the tournament.

Participating teams consisting mainly of youth in school were paying 700 dollars to take part in the tournament.  This writer while in St. Cloud, Minnesota on a different assignment a few days before the tournament encountered Ali Qeys, the Manager of La Cruz United, one of the teams that participated, on a funds drive mission. He said club members were mainly high school and college students who pool resources to raise the amount. Qeys says apart from the participation fee, clubs also pay for their own transportation, medical, and the sports kitty, an issue he said that “needs an urgent intervention”.

North America Somali Sports President Abdi Ali, Abdirizack Mahboub of Cedar Riverside Center and Hussein Samatar, the Executive Director of African Development Center also graced the occasion.

Despite fears of distractions from  the missing Somali youth saga that has engulfed the Somali community in Minnesota, the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center held its 9th Annual Convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center over the  weekend where thirty speakers addressed 10,000 people over three days. Participants said it was encouraging to see the number of attendees, the breadth of topics, and the scope of talent.

Despite a tumultuous year, the mosque saw increased attendance at this year’s convention and a spike in monetary support. Since last fall, the mosque has come under fire for the “missing youth” debacle, a connection that the mosque administrators and its supporters continue to deny. People close to the mosque did not believe the annual event would occur this year, they feared that the need to address the allegations would distract the administration and volunteers from organizing the convention. But after successfully meeting fundraising goals and having a record attendance with the help of 200 volunteers, the Abubakar community believes it maintains the trust and love of the Somali community. “This crowd and their energy is a testimony to their commitment to the mosque and its respected leaders,” attendee Ali Abdi said.

People travelled from Columbus, Nashville, Toronto, Kansas City, and across the United States and Canada to listen, learn, and meet. Hundreds of others logged-in to a live broadcast through several websites that serve the Somali community. Twenty-year-old Anab Ibrahim travelled from Seattle to attend the convention. “We came because my aunt was impressed with the line-up. When we arrived, we were amazed with the number of people we saw standing and sitting around in the lobby… we were even more shocked to see the packed auditorium,” she said. At the peak of the event on Saturday, an estimated 7,000 thousand people filled the two auditoriums. Anab said she especially enjoyed the English lectures. “Other conferences are only about the politics of Somalia, and often make us feel hopeless. This was applicable to our lives here and our faith. It showed me what we could do for our community and ourselves.”

Speakers addressed a wide range of topics, including the future of Somalis in the diaspora, the prevalence of autism, the importance of knowing your rights, the danger of gangs and extremism, the notion of Islam as mercy among others.

The only wrinkle on the conference was keynote speaker, Sheikh Mustafa Harun, being denied entry to the United States upon landing at Newark airport. He ultimately addressed the audience via webcam the following day. Participants expressed outrage over their revered scholar being denied entry. Harun said he checked in with the U.S. Embassy in Norway weeks prior to his scheduled flight and was told he should not encounter any issues. Norway has a visa waiver program with the United States. Despite his attempt at planning ahead, he did not make it to the convention. After a 9-hour flight, he was questioned for 3 hours and was told that although his identity was cleared, he must leave the country. He was allowed to make a call before boarding another 9-hour flight back to Norway.

Other speakers included imams from around the U.S. including Minnesota, among them Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Omar, Sheikh Abdirizak Hashi, Sheikh Jamel Bin Ameur, and others. Audience members were astounded by the knowledge and wit of 12-year-old Mohamud Ahmed Mohamud, who was introduced as “Sheikh Mohamud.” He related the story of Salman Al-Farisi, a historic figure in Islamic history, and spoke on the importance of seeking knowledge and asking questions. He shared the Somali proverb of regret where a person says, “when I had youth, I did not want to learn, and when I had age, I wished I had learned during my youth.” Mohamud says he wanted to send a strong message to the youth, and encourage them to take advantage of their time. “I want young people to step up to the plate because I see so much good in them and it’s time for the youth to rise,” he said. Mohamud spent the past three years helping in the bookstore of the mosque, reading and writing as he could.

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Kelley, and Constituent Advocate to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Siad Ali spoke on the health, education, and anti-immigration sentiment. Klobuchar addressed the audience by video where she touched on the cultural and intellectual wealth Somalis bring to Minnesota. Minneapolis welcomed Abukar Arman, the President of the CAIR chapter in Columbus who did a “know your rights” presentation in Somali, while members of the local chapter of CAIR did a program in English. “It’s important for people to understand their legal rights and the implications of their actions – intentional or not. Wanting a lawyer is not an omission of guilt. We want people to cooperate with law enforcement and we want them to know their rights,” he said. Arman also addressed the allegations against certain mosques in the city, saying that, “we’re finding that people are being judged by public opinion, which is ridiculous because this is a nation of law and order, and rumors should not absolve or condemn people or institutions of allegations. Rather, this should be determined by an established legal process.”

Poets Sara Mohamed and Maryam Warsame made their début at the convention. Warsame is one of three organizers for the mosque’s “Youth to Youth” group, a mentorship program for young women. Sara is a student in the program, and the two began writing together this winter. They rhymed about the situation of women in their homeland, and shared the stories of those who did not find relief. “We don’t want to be famous, we just want to get message out and not forget about those who are suffering,” Warsame said. She added that the convention was a good opportunity for students to share their work.

In addition to the poetry and lectures, the convention also included a fundraising component. In a little over an hour, participants pledged $150,000 to help cover expenses incurred over the construction of the second floor of the mosque, as well as to jump-start the next phase of development. The administration hopes to complete the parking lot and make the exterior of the building more visually pleasing.

It is difficult to imagine that this is the same institution that operated from a garage in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood – the epicenter of the city’s newest wave of immigrants. Founding member Abdulaziz Sugule says this vision for a mosque comprehensively serving the community started over a decade ago and the organization began operations in 2000. Then called the Imam Shafi’i Mosque, the name was changed to the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center and the organization moved to an abandoned warehouse in South Minneapolis. “Today, that vision is a five million dollar project,” Sugule said. “The mosque plays a major role in advancing the community; it consists of all kinds of social services including providing family counseling, settling community disputes, celebrating Islamic holidays, working with local and national government leaders, mentoring youth, and providing a place of Islamic worship and education,” he said.

Looking up with a smile, he added, “Contrary to what some people are saying, they (the mosque administration) are trying to build a healthy community with good people… they’re starting a movement for positive change and people love the place and its people.”