Somalis and Somali Americans have condemned President Donald Trump’s attacks on their communities after the US president called them “trash” and hurled insults at them.
President Trump’s comments this week sparked outrage and condemnation of racism.
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On Tuesday, the US president ended his last Cabinet meeting of the year with a vitriolic tirade against both the Somali diaspora and former Somali refugee child Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“If we continue to bring trash into our country, we’re going in the wrong direction. Ilhan Omar is trash. Her friends are trash,” Trump said.
“If they come from hell and complain and do all these horrible things, we don’t want them in this country.”
Omar Fateh, a Minnesota state senator of Somali descent, criticized President Trump’s comments, calling them “hurtful” and “shameful.”
“Also, this was completely wrong. They didn’t just call our MPs ‘trash’, they called the whole community ‘trash’ and said they are good for nothing,” Fateh told Al Jazeera.
“It’s a community that is resilient and has created so much. We are teachers, we are doctors, we are lawyers, we are even politicians, and we participate in every part of Minnesota’s and national economy.”
A state lawmaker accused President Trump of engaging in “political theater” to rally his base ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Fateh warned that the president’s comments could incite further political violence in Minnesota.
Already in June, a gunman in Minnesota assassinated a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, and wounded another lawmaker.
“Our community is scared right now,” said Fateh, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Minneapolis last month.
“Our mosques have been targeted, and I had my own election office vandalized earlier this year, so I want our neighbors to know that we are standing up for each other during this time of federal adversity.”
Kadijo Warsame, a cafe owner in Minneapolis, echoed the feeling that Trump’s comments are creating an atmosphere of fear in the local Somali community.
“It’s deserted. All the shops are closed and it’s been like this for the past three days,” she told Al Jaera. “And we’re really a small business. I don’t want to close because I’m afraid no one is going to buy from me.”
President Trump has escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies in the wake of the shooting deaths of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., last month.
An Afghan refugee who worked with coalition forces during the U.S. war in Afghanistan has been charged with the shooting and has pleaded not guilty.
President Trump has long attacked Congresswoman Omar and the Somali community, but his vitriol against them during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting was particularly shocking.
“They’ve contributed nothing, and to be honest with you, I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said.
“They’re not the people who work. They’re not the people who say, ‘Come on, let’s make this place great.'” They’re the people who complain. They complain, but no matter where they come from, they get nothing. ”
Omar told reporters this week that Trump’s xenophobic and Islamophobic comments are nothing new. “But what’s strange to me is his obsession with me and the Somali community. It’s really creepy,” she said.
President Trump’s comments have also been rejected in Somalia, with many citizens expressing anger and demanding that the government take action against the US president.
The US president called the East African country “hell” and said it “stinks.”
“This is intolerable,” said Mogadishu resident Abdisaran Ahmed.
“Mr. Trump insults Somalis many times every day, calling us trash and other derogatory names, and it can no longer be tolerated. Our leaders should address his comments.”
On Thursday, several leading Democratic lawmakers issued a statement condemning President Trump’s comments as “xenophobic and unacceptable.”
“Rather than use his presidential power to unite the country, President Trump has chosen to attack America’s immigrant communities, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding and have made many positive contributions to our country,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
