Somali-Americans Join Power Struggle in Somalia

Newsweek reports that al Shabab, an Islamic political group in Somalia, has been enlisting Minneapolis Somali-American men into a power struggle in the lawless country. Newsweek's story focuses on the personal story of Burhan Hassan, a 17 year old boy who mysteriously left his Minneapolis home in December, 2008 to go to Kismaayo, Somalia. Shirwa Ahmed, also from Minneapolis, blew himself up in Somalia last October.

United States Officials fear that other al Shabab agents are in the United States, but the FBI, KWLM radio, and Minneapolis channel 6 news are reluctant to connect the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, a mosque that several of the missing persons prayed at. The channel 6 report only gives the mosque's vague official statement. Only Newsweek investigated the issue by interviewing Yusuf Shaba, a writer for Minneapolis Somali-English paper the Warsan Times.

Shaba recalled an incident in a small section of Abubakar called Imam Shafii where a Somalian Militant told the audience that Jihad was necessary and grew very emotional. After the message, Shaba no longer allowed his children to attend the mosque. When Newsweek tried to validate his story with Abubakar, they denied allowing any Somali militants to speak in their mosque.

When I investigated online, I found an article on somalitalkradio.com that advertised a Somali conference at Abubakar. Basically, if not directly involved, Abubakar knows something. Regardless, I do not think there is any national security threat. Despite supposed ties with Al Qaeda, al Shabab seems to have few concerns outside Somalia, where they are unlikely to be any better or worse leaders than the alternatives.