Power Lunch: Local Somalis Gather At MOA In Stand Against Terror
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- A group of Somali Americans in Minnesota is speaking out to condemn the recent terror threats by al-Shabaab.
On Tuesday, they went to the Mall of America for lunch, filling table after table at the food court. The mall has recently tightened security after an al-Shabaab video surfaced over the weekend, threatening attacks in Western malls. The FBI says the terror group has recruited young Somali-Americans from the Twin Cities.
On his lunch break from IBM, Jabril Afyare, the president of Somali Citizens Elite, sat and ate as part of Tuesday's demonstration.
"They cannot drive a wedge between the Somali-Americans and the brothers and sisters in our country," he said. "This is our country."
He said that the terror group is seeking to gain publicity by sowing mistrust between Minnesotans and local Somalis, as well as inside the Somali community itself.
"I've been here 30 years, and I couldn't just sit here idle and watch this," Afyare said. "This has to stop, and it's time we talk the talk and walk the walk."
Tuesday's group says they stand against al-Shabaab and stand up for their hometown mall.
"The majority, 99-100 percent of the Somali-Americans, are really peace-loving, civilized and part of this great country," Afyare said.
The group was doing what the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security is asking: They are showing al-Shabaab that they are Americans by working with law enforcement and with places like the Mall of America.
Yet, some local Somalis have said that over the past few days, especially in shopping malls, that they feel they've been stared at and watched. They're hoping Tuesday's lunch will help show that al-Shabaab is not a representation of them.