Somali president's visit to Minneapolis celebrates resilience

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed a nearly packed auditorium Thursday evening at the Minneapolis Convention Center, praising the resilience of the Somali people and vowing to combat religious extremism abroad.

About 300 community members turned out to see Hassan, who appeared onstage just before 11 p.m. The president spoke for about 40 minutes , eliciting cheers from attendees who waved mini Somali flags throughout the festive, hours-long event that also drew local political leaders.

Hassan pledged to help create Somali consulates in areas of the United States with large Somali populations.

"Tonight, I want to promise Minnesota's Somali community that we will open a consulate here in Minnesota," he said.

More than 73,000 foreign- and native-born Somali people live in the state, according to U.S. Census data from 2020 and a report from Minnesota Compass, a demographics research organization.

Hassan also spoke about curbing the militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia, and about creating designated spaces for mosques and Islamic education in Somalia. He said his administration now understands how al-Shabaab misuses religion. He called for a future that is "post-Shabaab."

"Al-Shabaab is like a fish that has been starved without its water. Can it still survive?" Hassan said.

"No!" audience members shouted back.

He touched on the strength of the Somali diaspora, and people's ability to find community all over the world after fleeing the country's civil war.

"These are the same people who were fighting between clans back home," he said in his speech. "This is evidence for the fact that Somalis can never break up or leave each other behind."

Several attendees wore bright blue baseball caps emblematic of the Somali flag. One man walked in with the flag tied around his neck like a cape.

Anisa Ahmed, who attended the speech, has lived in Minneapolis since she was three. She said she's only recently become more connected with Somali politics. Hearing Hassan encourage Somali youth to one day return to Somalia and give back to their home country was inspiring, she said.

"It's not an Islamic movement," she said of al-Shabaab. "It has nothing to do with our religion. He found the tactics for how to stop them."

Minneapolis resident Farhiyo Mohamed said many Somalis are afraid to visit homebecause of security issues.

"In the last six months, he has achieved so much in terms of fighting terrorism," Farhiyo said. "It's not just a fight of guns, but also a fight of ideology. He has energized the whole country."

Hassan encouraged Somali youth to prepare for a modernized version of Somalia.

"Prepare to return to your home country, even if it's just when you have a break or holiday, or when it's extremely cold like this," Hassan said.

The program began at 8:30 p.m. with an opening speech, a recitation from the Qur'an, and the Somali national anthem.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar arrived with Hassan and gave a short speech. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman also attended the event. Frey spoke briefly, speaking in Somali at times.

"It is a great honor to have you here in Minneapolis," Frey said to Hassan. "This should indeed be a home away from home. This is your city. This is our city."

Singers and dancers from a troupe with the Somali Museum of Minnesota also performed .

Ali Elmi, a Minneapolis resident, said he attended the event to support the president and the Somali government because of their ability to curb al-Shabaab's influence.

"Some of my family, where they live, it was controlled by the terrorists of al-Shabaab. Now they're not controlling it anymore," Ali said. "I'm feeling good. In the future I can go back to visit. Before it was hard."

Hassan's Minnesota visit comes after his attendance at the U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. Nearly 50 heads of state from Africa attended the summit from Dec. 13 through 15.

Hassan served as president of Somalia from 2012 to 2017 and won another term in May 2022. He last visited Minneapolis in 2014.

Hashi Shafi, executive director of the Minneapolis-based social justice organization Civic Ark, said he was appointed by the government of Somalia to host the Minneapolis event.

"The community has been waiting to see the Somali president because the last five years the president didn't come to Minnesota," Hashi said.

Hassan was elected in September 2012 by Somalia's Parliament in the first election held in the country since the 1960's. He visited the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium during his term in 2014 and gave a speech urging the Somali community in Minnesota not to raise money for al-Shabaab. Hassan called on parents to keep their children away from the group.

About a hundred or so protesters gathered outside the auditorium in 2014 and denounced his visit, calling the president tribalist and corrupt.

This year's summit included discussions about health, food scarcity, climate change, civil unrest and space exploration.

This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota's immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for its free newsletter to receive stories in your inbox.