A humiliation and dignity study of somalis in Norway

[Coloow]

Assalamu calaykum,

Allow me to share with you this paper which deals with the issue of humiliation of somalis in Norway.

 

The author is a sociologist and for those of you writing anything on somali issues, you may find some references.

 

http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/FangenSomalia.pdf

[Baashi]

Wa caleykuma Salaam, Many thanks Caaqil. I took the time and read the piece. What the Somalis are saying in these interviews is very revealing. I can relate to some of the frustrations expressed in this paper by the interviewees! Even though they seem to think of themselves as victims (sentiment I don’t share), it’s true that Somalis all over face dilemma after dilemma. Better living standard, opportunities, and material abundance sometimes go hand in hand with expectation that Somalis should assimilate and submit to the system.

 

Somehow, we seem to want to have both ways. We seem to be willing to get the western shores by any means necessary and yet when we got there we seem to expect that the system to bend to our liking. I think today some of us have the choice to leave and go back home. That being said, some of the grievances and frustrations aired by the Somalis in the piece are genuine one. Take a minute and read:

 

I am attending a Norwegian course. In my country, we can pray whenever we want to. That is what I call the freedom of belief. But not in Norway. I think it is difficult to accept the fact that I cannot pray during the course. To pray is half of my life! I heard that there is freedom of belief in Norway, but that is not true. This is very hard for me, so I am considering quitting the course. I get 5,000 Norwegian kroner if I complete the course, but if I must choose between praying and 5,000 kroner, I will choose to pray. (Somali woman in her 30s).

 

 

The politics they have conducted against Somalis has had the form of ready-made solutions. Somalis have never been included in planning these solutions. Somalis feel that Somalis as a group are suppressed by the state. I am a Somali resource person, and I also feel humiliated by the fact that when Norwegian authorities seek advice from a Somali person, they choose persons who are critical to Somalis. I think these persons spread lies about the Somali people, out of an interest in being accepted by the Norwegian system. They have suffered under an undemocratic state in Somalia [the dictatorship under Siad Barre], and thus think they must be strict with Somalis. But they struggle with their identity, as they distance themselves from their own. My position is to give constructive criticism, by not using labels that stigmatise other Somalis (male Somali in his 30s).

 

 

I have experienced it very stressful to meet all the different authorities. Once I was falsely suspected by the police in a case were some Somalis fought in the street. My meeting with the social welfare office was also a disappointment. I had expected to have a much higher standard of living when coming to Norway than what I in fact had, and I felt humiliated by the strict way I was met when I was trying to increase the size of my grant [which is given only once to all refugees in Norway] for buying furniture, clothing etc. (Somali male in his 40s)

 

In Somalia, the war is the problem. Here in Norway, we are free from war, but then it is difficult to find employment. In Somalia, there are also many who are unemployed, but they can do other things instead. There no one thinks that other people hinder them from getting a job, but here they experience discrimination. Here, eighty percent of Somalis do not have a job. Then there must be factors other than competition that hinder them in having a job. The media writes that Somalis are so and so. An employer will notice this and will exclude Somalis when he is hiring new people. If refugees do not have a job they become a burden to the society. But if they have a job they become a resource. It is important to be a good example for others (male Somali in his 40s).

 

 

I wonder how you raise your kids here in Norway, alone, without relatives who help you, and when someone hassles your kids, what do you do then? At school one of the other kids hit my child. I wanted to hit this kid back, but I have learned that you do not do that here. But I wanted to take

revenge. When I use all my time and effort on my children, and then somebody else hits them, what

shall I do then? (Somali female in her 30s).

 

 

I try to help them understand the system. The family has heard rumours about kindergarten which

are not in accordance with reality. When their little boy got sick, the parents took him to the doctor in order to get a confirmation of the child being so sick that the mother could not participate in the Norwegian course. The doctor, however, thinks the child is healthy enough to go to the kindergarten, so that the mother has no reason to stay at home. The family has a ‘hidden agenda’: keeping the cash-for-care benefit [a benefit for those who stay at home with the children instead of sending them to the kindergarten]. The family argues like this: The child has a good time with its mother. It is

important that mother stays at home and makes food for the family. One creates unnecessary chaos

when the mother is out 8 hours daily. Mother is not used to this. The system is brutal. Norwegians do not understand anything about family life etc. The family is thus in collision with Norwegian authorities, which wants the children to go to kindergarten in order to learn Norwegian etc. and wants the women to enter the labour market, in order to achieve integration and equality between

man and woman. (Somali male in his 50s)

 

 

I do not like being asked why I do not feel that I am a Norwegian, and then after that I hear

somebody else say that I am a foreigner. No matter what choice I make it is not accepted. I try to adapt, but even so, I am viewed as a foreigner, because I do not have blond hair, and my skin is not light-coloured (Somali female in her 20s).

 

Yes, you are reminded of this constantly. Where are you from? People always ask. My daughter was

asked in the kindergarten where do you come from? She said the name of the city in Norway where

she was born. But now she says “I am from Somalia, because my skin is brown†(Somali female in her 20s).

[J.Lee]

The media writes that Somalis are so

and so. An employer will notice this and will exclude Somalis when he is hiring new people.

Thank Allah, we've anti-discriminatory laws in America, An employer would of been sued in the blink of an eye, he'd beg you to take the job.

 

That being said, I've never been in a position nor have I felt the sense of hopelessness described and shared by the interviewees with the exception of the "Identity problem" faced by the young girl in the last statement. As for the Somalis living in that Country, they've to adapt to the Norwegian way if they aren't willing to change the system which it operates nor break down doors that are otherwise locked. Also, as told to me by my cousin who lives there, I think one of the factors that contributes to this problem is that most Somalis are on welfare when they are able to and can work for a living. That might lead a hard working, tax paying individual to hate you for sitting on your a!s while they pay for your rent and housing that you can/able provide for yourself and those Somalis that work and do provide for themselves in terms of getting education/being productive and an assett to the country fall victim to "A worm in an apple can sour the whole batch" mentality and are viewed as though since they are Somali then they must be all Lazy. I'm inclined to believe that, that is the reason why Somalis aren't being welcomed with open arms nor treated fairly.

[Coloow]

Baashi and Msword, Please read the below article by a good friend of Mine (Ducaale who has lived in denmark since 1967). Insha allah, I am going to respond to both articles later on in the week.

 

Danish citizens of Somali origin, Somali immigrants and Somali refugees, statistically 15-20.000 individuals but in reality much less, in the kingdom of Denmark have, for the last 6 years, been subject to a rather peculiar form of discrimination.

 

Danish politicians competing for popular votes found the ethnic Somalis to be an easy target for all kinds of horrendous and collective dehumanizing accusations.

 

As disorganized as they are, the Somalis, and with no national diplomatic services nor international humanitarian organisations willing or interested in giving their case due serious consideration, they have become prey of summary ill treatments such as unwarranted police house searches, smear campaigns in the national press etc. Their situation is so bad that an ever increasing exodus of Somali refugees out of Denmark has been taking place for the last couple of Years.

 

It is reasonable to say that, the Danish political agenda of gassing the Somalis out of Denmark has been successful.

 

Some members of parliament had in 1996-97 even threatened, should the Somali refugees be unwilling to leave Denmark voluntarily, then we (the Danish authorities) will wrap a parachute on their (the Somali refugees) backs, load them forcefully on cargo planes and drop them over the african deserts!!.

 

The means of dehumanising witch-hunt

 

Of all the immoral and false accusations, circumcision of women has been and still is the most dehumanizing tool, it is in fact this totally baseless and insane false accusation, that our politicians have used preparing this new apartheid legislature.

 

To justify this apartheid law, our politicians have used…(misused?) among others, a greedy Somali woman, Mrs. Samya Yusuf Ali, a notorious liar, who for the sake few Danish crowns in pocket money, air ticket and hotel accommodation at a conference in Addis-Ababa, has sold her soul, national pride and committed an act of defamation against all somalis.

 

She was used as rubberstamp, giving the impression that she represents the Somali women in Denmark, by a so called inter-ministerial committee which fabricated a false report on the matter. In this and on several seminars, conferences and published newspaper articles, she consistently declared that more than 98% of all Somali girls of 4 - 14 years of age are this day today subject to genital mutilation performed or sanctioned by their Somali parents due to their primitive and barbaric culture and heritage!!!.

 

As she kept being used to spread this politically and racially motivated false propaganda on Tv, radio and news papers, confirming time and again that she in fact knew of specific Somali girls who have been circumcised, and that this practice is taking place here in Denmark, and as the Danish law specifically requires that any positive knowledge by any civil servant of cases of circumcision, to notify the authorities, I requested her to share this knowledge with the responsible authorities.

 

Mrs. Samya Yusuf Ali refused to do so, and at this point I had no other choice but to file a complaint with the criminal police for investigation of these false accusations.

 

When summoned for interrogation by the criminal investigation division of the Danish police, she suddenly got a memory blackout!

 

She declared that she knew no cases of genital mutilation and that she in fact had never seen any!.

 

As the criminal investigators pointed out her previous statements on radio and tv, she explained that all her statements were based exclusively on RUMORS she had heard in Somalia more than 10 years ago!!! ( See the copy of the police report and her statement to the newspaper ).

 

The fact that I have irrevocably proved that the inter-ministerial report was based on a falsum did not matter for our legislative assembly the “Folketinget†after all, the case had very little to do with right or wrong, it was a politically motivated agenda and it had the support of all major political parties including The Danish Social democratic Party!.

 

The Fatamorgana

 

10 years of systematic and meticulous secret gynaecological examinations of all Somali girls at the primary school age in Denmark, by the national medical officers, published in march 2003 has documented ZERO (0) occurrence of women circumcision among all the examined, furthermore, not less than 27 somali girls aged between 3 and 14 years have been brutalized by so called physicians and social workers, forcefully and shamefully undressed and put them on top of a dining table in their private home, and in front of their father and mother, helplessly looking on unable to defend the dignity and honour of their child, spread their legs examined with their fingers perversely and mercilessly deep inside the innocent child’s most intimae parts, just moments later to retrieve their perverted fingers and exclaim: strange! Nothing is missing ! all parts are there … for now but, addressing the parents, remember do not try anything because we will keep watching You and Your children and in case you get wrong ideas, we will be back!.

 

The ugliest of them all took place in the municipality of Aalborg on January 30th 2003, when a swine butcher turned social democratic local politician, now chairman of the municipality’s young-and children’s committee ordered a 6 year old Somali girl, forcefully be put on a table her parents helplessly looking on, be undressed while crying for help and get her most intimate genitals fondled by three intruding strangers, Mr. Ib Rasmussen’s gang of 4 from the Aalborg municipality, who forced themselves entry to the family’s apartment.

 

Once the perverse rape of the child was complete and the gang was gone, the family packed whatever belongings they could pack and fled the country to seek refuge in another European country where state sanctioned paedophilia does not take place.

 

They had no choice but to go in hiding because they couldn’t face the shame!!!.

 

All of these and certainly many others which we do not know about, have with no single exception proven to be based on false accusations received, at times from anonymous informers.

 

Am I wrong when I call this perverse and legalized paedophilia ?? or state sanctioned rape? I let it remain for the decent readers to judge and give their verdict.

 

In spite of the fact that all accusations have been nothing less than malicious lies, our present parliament is just about to pass this new apartheid law. All denials by the government and the other parties behind this shameful law, that this law is not specifically intended for a specific group is just another lie! That is because among many other factors, the minister of justice, answering my question handed over in writing to the parliament, said: this law will enable all Danish institutions and educators of different classifications and individuals, to keep an open eye on all educational institutions where Somali children are tended, to take swift and proper action, whenever anyone feels anything suspicious.

 

And what can rise suspicion? Travelling to the United Kingdom for holydays by a Somali family among others! That was what hit the above mentioned molested child and her family, word came out that the family had been in the United kingdom for a holiday last year and that they were planning to go there again for same!!!

 

In other words, brutalizing and dishonouring a Somali child in Denmark, once this law is passed, will soon be legal according to Danish laws!.

 

Why this inhumane law and why now?

 

This apartheid law is due to be passed by a clear majority consisting of the parties forming the present Government, the Conservative party and the liberal party (Venstre) together with their protégé’ The neo………. Danish popular party of Mrs. Pia Kjærsgaard, the architect of the whole misery.

 

The social Democrats or what remains of it, in its near panic search for popularity, has also embarked a doubtful and racially motivated anti immigrant political programme, in the hope of overtaking the notorious Mrs. Pia Kjærsgaards danske Folkeparti.

 

Once by far the largest Danish political party, the party of the working class, The Danish Social democratic party, with deep rooted principles humanism and respect for the honour and dignity of the individual, is now reduced to a caricature of itself and of its glorious days by Mrs. Pia Kjærsgaard, unfortunately the leaders of this once glorious party still do not understand it as yet and are still dancing and will be dancing for the foreseeable future to her tune!!!.

 

The Somalis, immigrants, refugees or else

 

Cynically one could say that they do in fact deserve what they are getting! That is because when all comes to all, they themselves with the help of no one else from outside, have destroyed their nation! And 13 years after their meaningless and foolish civil war they are still killing and rampaging each other. And for what? They do not even know, apart from the fact that they all want to be a president! That, they do in fact all know, that is they all want be presidents!!!

 

Look at the conference at Nairobi, Kenya, and look at the candidates running for president.

 

The more blood stain on their hands the more it looks likely they will be elected.

 

Brothers and sisters at Nairobi or elsewhere, I sincerely hope You will take time and read the above.

 

I hope You all will take time and look at Yourselves every morning at the mirror, when dressing for that days palaver at the conference hall, and ask Yourselves these simple questions:

 

What went wrong since my brothers and sisters are living under the above humiliation?

Knowingly or not, did I play any part in the making of the destruction of my Somalia?

If positive, do I really regret that I did what I did or what I, tacitly, accepted be done?

Do I really want to be the next president of Somalia, or do I have any worthy candidate ?

What did I do or what am I able/willing to do for my people to deserve their trust and acceptance ?

Who is my people? My family?, my clan?, my tribe? Or the Somalis? Can I define?

 

 

Many nations, including Denmark, came to the rescue and to help the Somalis initially, they accepted them to come into their countries as guest for a while, hoping things would be sorted out back home, so these “guests†would go home again, but then the guests overstayed and grew in numbers, things went sour, racism and hatred surfaced, racist anti immigration political parties flourished, and as a result we came to the point of page 1! The ill treatments of all kinds.

 

But then we have a Somali roughly saying:

 

Prolonged begging and prolonged illness make one undesirable!!!.

 

Brothers and sisters, people tend usually to exclaim: god help us!, but God will not help us, unless we take the spoon on the other hand and take the road for a real and genuine change, not any change but a change to a better society built on respect for the individual, his/her dignity and property, and then make things change to the better for all, only then will it be fair and possible to ask for and expect Gods help.

 

Nothing is impossible, so give a try!.

 

A.F. Dualeh