I am,A leader of Edmonton's Somali community is urging the public to resist negatively stereotyping Somali-Canadians.
Jibril Ibrahim, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, said his community is being unfairly singled out after three cousins from Edmonton were reported earlier this week to have died fighting in Syria for ISIS.
He said the 200,000 Somali-Canadians living in Canada and the 20,000 living in Edmonton face unique struggles, and most are leading positive lives. Local Somali teens, for example, have increased their graduation rates in recent years.
"We don't talk about successful things, we only talk about negative things," Ibrahim said.
School is a unique challenge for youth from Somalia, who often come from refugee camps after spending their formative years without school. For those who do receive education in Somalia, language remains a major barrier after they move. Youth who struggle in school sometimes drop out and wind up turning to crime, occasionally being recruited by gangs or terrorist organizations.
Ibrahim is frustrated by the lack of a co-ordinated effort to keep youth from all cultures away from violence and radicalization.
"We are not (getting resources)," he said.
"One thing we need is co-ordinated efforts from all levels." Alberta Education operated an Out-of-School-Time program for Somali-Canadian students at Rosslyn and Killarney junior high schools in Edmonton as a pilot project, which significantly improved student achievement, attendance and behaviour, but the project recently ran out and was axed due to lack of funding.
Coun. Amarjeet Sohi posted a blog Friday condemning extremism and Islamophobia, while sharing his experience of being discriminated against as Sikh after the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 - committed by people identified as Sikh - that killed 329 people.
"The ensuing hatred and discrimination against all Sikh-Canadians impacted us deeply," Sohi wrote. "It was unthinkable that the entire community could be blamed for the actions of a few extremists who outwardly identified as being Sikh, but it happened."
Sohi said the tragedy turned him into an activist. He joined other Edmontonians to organize seminars, workshops and forums to unite people against extremism and marginalization.
He now worries for his Muslim friends who fear backlash after the Paris terrorist attack carried out by men identifying as Muslims.
"In the eyes of many of my Muslim friends today, I see the same fear that lurked in my mind in 1985," Sohi wrote.
Cousins Mahad Hirsi and Hamsa and Hersi Kariye left Edmonton without warning in October 2013, according to CBC. Ahmed Hirsi, father of Mahad Hirsi, said his son last called from Egypt saying he was headed to Syria.
Abdi "You are not judged enough" Johnson
