Somalis lead culture class in Eden Prairie

More than 150 Eden Prairie residents, most of them white, crowded into a community education class last week to sample goat meat, sambusa and other Somali food while learning about Somali history and customs.

"It's a great night for me, so welcome all of you," said Somali speaker Asad Shane, who addressed the Eden Prairie Community Education gathering designed to increase understanding of Somali culture.

Shane and Khadra Hirsi, a Somali woman who works for the city, explained where Somalia is -- on the east coast of Africa bordering the Indian Ocean -- and why many of its people have fled the country -- to seek safety from an ongoing civil war over which Somali clan should govern the country.

Hirsi drew laughs when she addressed a common question: "Why are Somali in Minnesota?"

Certainly not for the weather, she said. In Somalia, the temperature ranges from 75 to 95 degrees year-round. Before coming to this country, she had never worn a sweater or jacket.

But Minnesota offered the warmth of its people. "Minnesota has tradition of hospitality," Hirsi said. "People are welcoming us," and the schools are good, she said.

Most Somali immigrants started off in other states and were drawn to Minnesota by positive word-of-mouth reports from friends and relatives about efficient resettlement programs, good services for refugees, available low-skilled jobs and lower cost-of-living than other states, she said.

"Eden Prairie has become a real attractive place for the Somali culture to move, and we want to have that welcoming atmosphere. We want to be sure that we portray that you are welcome here and we want to do all we can do to make you feel successful," said Coates.

The city's Human Rights and Diversity Commission, which works to promote community cohesion, announced during the class that human rights commissioners are being trained in conflict resolution and, beginning this fall, will act as a forum where residents can discuss and defuse tensions caused by cultural differences.

The commission will invite police, fire and school district officials who hear complaints about cultural differences to forward them to the commission. An example of the kinds of issues the commission might tackle would involve disputes over lawn care, said Molly Koivumaki, housing and community services manager for Eden Prairie.

Why the focus with lawns?

During the summer months, the city receives calls from residents who say that Somali homeowners don't know how to care for their lawns. On the other hand, Somali residents say they don't understand the big concern over long grass or weeds, Koivumaki said.

"There is a hesitancy to approach a person if there is a cultural difference. They may be afraid it will appear racist," she said. But if people sit and stew about issues, there is a tendency to indict a whole culture, she said.

The commission will not judge or rule on conflicts but will listen, give people a place to air complaints, and ask questions such as, "What will make this right for you? What's going to make this work?" Koivumaki said. "It may be an opportunity for someone to say, 'I didn't know that was offensive.' "

There was no such tension in the air at the class, however. People said they were just there to learn.

Lois Hall, there with her husband, Phil Morton, said going about their daily lives in Eden Prairie they see Somali people in the stores and at the gas station but "You don't really get to relate. We are happy to have the opportunity to know more."

Curiosity got her to the event

Shane offered a primer on the Somali people.

He explained that Somalia has a population of 8 million, most of whom are Muslims. The religion requires abstention from pork, alcohol and gambling, Shane said.

Somali families are led by the fathers, who are the primary providers, Hirsi said. Women supervise the home and care for children but are free to become educated and to work.

Women keep the names of their fathers when they marry, she said. Typically, the groom is older than the bride, and chosen by the bride's parents.

The thinking is that "if my parents [are] happy where I am, then I should be happy," she said.

Abdirizak Sheik-Ali, who works as a cultural liaison to the Somali community for Eden Prairie's Central Middle School, led one table. He began by answering a question about the bananas handed out with each plate of food.

The Somali custom is to eat a banana along with the meal, he said, opening the fruit from the bottom up.

Sheik-Ali said he came to the United States 18 years ago when he was about 30. He was looking for a safe place to live because some of his family had died in the civil war.

Living first in the state of Virginia, he and his family moved to Eden Prairie 15 years ago. "For the last couple of years the people, the Somali, they come in big number," he said of those moving to Eden Prairie. "They have a vision -- the vision of succeeding.

"When we came to the U.S., we don't know nothing about it. We started from zero. You have to go to school to educate yourself, and you have to have a dream," he said.