For decades, one of the many strategies of America’s errant foreign policy has been to throw stones and hide its corrupt hands. These tactics include destabilizing foreign governments, targeting heads of state for assassinations, fomenting coups to topple governments it disagrees with in order to access oil, valuable minerals and other resources, or to enforce or peddle its system of so-called democracy or governance so it can manipulate or control leaders it installs. America’s history is rife with these examples of meddling in the affairs of other nations.
In part 16 of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s 58-week 2013 lecture series, “The Time and What Must Be Done,” he states, “What does this word ‘meddle’ mean? It is ‘to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation’; also, ‘to interfere officiously,’ which means ‘objectionably’ and ‘aggressive,’ and ‘unwantedly.’ This ‘meddling’ in The Day of Judgment, which is right now, will come back to requite you, America, and those that join you!”
This mischief-making has resulted in millions of people fleeing their countries and then, ironically, many head to the U.S., hoping for the promise of a better future in the very country that caused the problems in their homeland and caused them to flee in the first place. Several African nations have been victims of America’s underhanded machinations, including Somalia. So, the targeting by the Trump administration of Somalis in the U.S. should not come as a surprise and we should be paying close attention to what is unfolding.
President Trump has previously made disparaging remarks about African nations and recently toward Somalia, including disrespectful comments aimed at U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who is Somali and Muslim. She became a U.S. citizen at age 17 and is the first Somali American elected to Congress. She represents Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, which includes Minneapolis.
The largest Somali population in the U.S. lives in Minnesota, mainly in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Statistics show that approximately 260,000 Somalis live in the U.S., with about 80,000 residing in Minnesota.
The president has verbally attacked Somalis and demanded that Rep. Omar and Somalis in the U.S. to go “back to where they came from,” the very African nation the U.S. had a significant hand in destabilizing and causing so many to flee their homeland in the first place. His remarks came just a few days after he also threatened to do away with temporary legal protections for Somali migrants who live in Minnesota.
Now, troops from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been targeting Somalis in Minneapolis, sparking anger and fear. On Dec. 9, according to AP, “Federal agents used pepper spray to push through an angry crowd that blocked their vehicles as they checked identifications in a heavily Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis on Tuesday, amid the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown targeting the community.”
AP also reported that armed ICE agents went to East African businesses on Dec. 9, closed doors and demanded identification from people inside; they also stopped random passersby on the streets.
This targeting crackdown has sparked anger and fear among Somalis. Journalist Abdalle Ahmed Mumin is Somali and lives in the UK. In his Dec. 8 op-ed published on the website of The New Humanitarian, he writes about the concerns facing his people amid what is happening in the U.S.
“Even in the UK, debates around immigration have persisted for decades. But when rhetoric turns hostile and dehumanising, as it has in Trump’s remarks, the consequences can escalate dangerously,” he writes in his article titled, “Trump’s targeting of Somalis risks an escalation of hate against us.” He continues, “I spoke with members of the Somali community in Minnesota—a state Trump singled out during his recent White House speech—where fear and anxiety are now widespread among both refugees and U.S. citizens.”
Mumin also recounted reports from Somalis inside and outside of the U.S. “‘Trump created tension for us. We are looked at differently. Even when I go to the supermarket, I feel different,’ said Ismail Mohamed from Virginia. He recounted that hours after Trump’s statement, family members returning from Europe were stopped and questioned at the airport. ‘People stopped going to shopping malls, especially those with green cards or temporary legal protections,’ he added,” Mumin wrote.
For those, including Black Americans, who may question why what is happening to Somalis is important, it is because what we witness unfolding is part of a bigger picture. And, that bigger picture was revealed years ago by Allah’s (God’s) divine servant in our midst, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
“Whoever controls the Horn of Africa controls that area’s waterway. Ethiopia is now being used by America against an Islamist regime that had nearly captured the whole of Somalia,” Minister Farrakhan said, during an April 7, 2007, message “The War of Armageddon: How Strong is the Foundation, Part 3.”
“This is not as much a war against terrorism as it is a war against Islam. Whenever you find a country where Muslims are willing to live an Islamic life, follow the Sunnah (way or example) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and live by the law of the Holy Qur’an, you will find that America wants to destabilize, overthrow and destroy that country’s government,” he said.
Minister Farrakhan also revealed that Somalia was one of several Muslim nations that the U.S. has targeted to be overthrown or regime change and has constantly warned that what we see abroad or what happens overseas will also come to pass in America. The targeting of Somalia and other Muslim nations is being used as a blueprint for the targeting of Black people in America. And make no mistake about it, in the eyes of the U.S. government all Black folks, no matter our country of origin, language, culture, religion or political party, are in its crosshairs.
What the Somali community is experiencing here in America is also a continued fallout and repercussion of America’s divisive and destructive foreign policy.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is Allah’s (God’s) divine servant who is backed by Allah Master Fard Muhammad and His Exalted Christ, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. What he has revealed is coming to pass and continues unfolding, and what is happening in Minneapolis, Chicago, Memphis, and other cities around the country to Somalis, Venezuelans, Haitians, and other Black and so-called Latinos are not isolated incidents. Now, more than ever, we must work to overcome our minor differences and come together because when it comes to how America views and treats Black people at home or abroad, we are all viewed through the same wicked White supremacist lens and are being targeted for destruction.
We have been warned, but will we take heed of the warning and guidance from Allah’s Divine Warner, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan?