Somali Culture Info



Somali Culture Info

From the Center for Victims of Torture website:



Why they immigrated: Civil war and factional fighting have besieged Somalia for more

than a decade, causing more than 500,000 deaths. Conditions were particularly severe during

1991–92, when war and massive population upheaval produced famine and left 2 million Somalis

internally displaced and 800,000 as refugees. In 2000, a fragile new

national government formed in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, for

the first time in a decade. The new governing body, known as the

Transitional National Government (TNG), immediately encountered

armed opposition from local warlords, some of whom continued to

control large parts of Mogadishu, as well as significant territory

outside the capital. Escalations in violence worsened already

dangerous conditions in much of Somalia during 2002. Widespread

anarchy and violence compounded the already difficult lives of people suffering from persistent

drought and food shortages throughout central and southern Somalia. Nearly 300,000 refugees

and asylum seekers from Somalia lived in about two dozen countries at the end of 2002,

including more than 15,000 Somali asylum seekers in various European countries and the United States.

From the Minnesota Department of Human Rights' newsletter, The Rights Stuff:

Facts and Figures

Why are they here?

Somalia civil war 1990 - Present. Somalia is without a government.

Who is here?

Refugees (secondary immigrants, 60% )

In what number?

Estimates:

US: 22,000

Minnesota: 13,000

Minneapolis: 10,000

St. Paul: 800

Somali Dress

Men

Men wear western pants or a flowing plaid ma'awis (kilt} western shirts, and shawls.

On their heads they may wrap a colorful turban or wear a koofiyad (embroidered cap).

Women

Women usually wear one of the following dress:

• Direh, a long, billowing dress worn over petticoats.

• Coantino, a four-yard cloth tied over shoulder and draped around the waist.

• Toob, commonly worn throughout Africa

• Hijab, and head scarfs are very common

Customs and Courtesies

Greetings

Somali warmly greet each other with handshakes, but shaking hands with the opposite sex is avoided.

Common verbal greetings include:

• Assalam Alaikum (Peace be upon you)

• Nabad miyaa (is their peace).

• Subah wanaagsan (Good morning)

• Galab wanaagsan (Good afternoon)

• Habeeb wanaagsan (Good night)

Gestures

Somali use sweeping hand and arm gestures to dramatize speech. Many ideas are expressed through specific hand gestures:

• A swift twist of the open hand means "nothing" or "no".

• Snapping fingers may mean "long ago" or and "so on"

• A thumb under the chin indicates "fullness".

• It is impolite to point the sole of one's foot or shoe at another person.

• It is impolite to use the index finger to call somebody; that gesture is used for calling dogs.

• The American "thumbs up" is considered obscene

Dating and Marriage

Dating in the Western sense does not exist in Somalia. Young urban people often meet at universities or at work and persuade their parents to help them establish a courtship. Rural marriages are usually arranged.

One-to-one dating is reserved for after the engagement party or after the marriage contract has been signed.

The groom must give a bridal token to the bride's family. Traditional wedding festivities are spread over three nights of dancing and singing, and men and women celebrate separately on some of the nights.

An Islamic Point of View

"We think, act and live within the framework of Islam," explains Adan Mursal, Chairman of Somali American Friendship Association, who counsels refugees and assists those who face discrimination. "We are guided by our religion, it is not something we can abandon."

To be Muslim, followers must show their faith and devotion to Allah by obeying the "five pillars of Islam." They must:

Pronounce the "declaration of faith" (Allah is the only God, and Mohammed is his messenger);

Pray five times each day ;

Make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca;

Donate money -- pay alms -- to the poor;

Fast each day during the month of Ramadan.

As Minnesota's Somali population grows, it is not uncommon for Islamic values to collide with the practices of American employers, especially when the employer is unfamiliar with Islam. Among the issues raised by the clash of cultures, the Islamic requirement to pray has proved a particular challenge for both Somali workers and their bosses.

"To be Muslim, prayer is something that you have to do. It is not something you have a choice about," explains Mursal. And no matter what shift a Muslim works or when he chooses to sleep, the five prayers must be done at fixed times each day -- approximately noon, mid afternoon, sunset, early evening and at about 6 AM.

For a Muslim employee working a typical eight-hour shift, at least two breaks will likely fall during work hours. Under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, non-discrimination may require employers to make a reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious practices, unless to do so would be an undue burden. While some employers have been cooperative, others have objected to providing special breaks or otherwise accommodating the need to pray.

"We've had a problem with a large number of employers who would not give us time to pray," says Mursal. Some Somali Muslims have been fired for asking for time to pray; others have chosen to quit and find other employment. "We have seen so many different incidents that would not cause an undue hardship, but the accommodation was not there."

Although a prayer may take only five minutes, some employers have objected to granting the time, especially in assembly-line situations in which other employees may be idled if one worker is unavailable. Because many Somali have found factory work, the problems can arise often. "They say, 'While you are praying, I cannot let others just stand there while I pay them, '" Mursal says.

But some employers have been flexible, finding alternative assignments to minimize down time, and offering accommodations that work for both employer and employee. "If there is a willingness on the part of the employer as well as the employee, we can always work something out," Mursal suggests. An employee might be allowed to give up 30 minutes of a lunch break, in exchange for two 15-minute prayer breaks, for example.

Prayer is not the only Islamic practice that has caused controversy and need for accommodation in the workplace. Dress codes and grooming have also been contentious issues, especially for Islamic women who are expected to practice modesty through certain traditional forms of dress. A head scarf is common, as is a Direh, or long, billowing dress.

In one incident involving an employer at the Twin Cities International Airport, a Somali woman who worked in food preparation had been allowed to wear her traditional cultural dress, until one day when company policy apparently changed, and she was ordered to wear pants. She refused on religious grounds, and was later terminated.

"Her cultural dress did not prevent her from doing her job, and the employer's handbook did not say anything about dress," Mursal observes. "What some of the Somali are saying is, if their clothing doesn't prevent them from doing their function, then they should be able to wear it."

Other issues that may need accommodation include Islamic dietary requirements -- pork is strictly prohibited -- and the Islamic prohibitions against alcohol, which could be a consideration for Somali cab drivers. "In our religion, you do not associate with alcohol," Mursal explains. "If someone is drunk, we're not going to take them."

When an accommodation is denied and a Muslim is unable to practice his faith, sometimes the reason is not economics or ill will, but ignorance.

In one incident familiar to Mursal, a Somali worker was on a scheduled, authorized break, and using the time for prayer in the lunch room. "The employer came to him and said, 'Hey, stop, let's go, there's something important to do. '" When the Muslim worker continued to pray, his boss persisted. "Hey, it's not a joke, stop," he insisted. But the worker continued with his prayers.

"The employee ended up being fired, and that was unfair," says Mursal. "And I think that employers should be more educated about what the guy was doing. It was not an exercise, like lifting weights."

While cases of potential religious discrimination have increasingly made headlines and lawsuits have become more common, most Somalis would prefer to reach an understanding with their employers. There have been far more cases of discrimination than charges or lawsuits, Mursal says, because Somali people have a tendency not to complain.

"We are new to this country, and when it comes to civil rights, it's not something that we have heard of or practiced in our country," Mursal comments. "As far as we can remember, Somali were under a dictatorship, and we had no rights at all. Police could just come in and do whatever they wanted in your house."

But change is in the air. As Somali people become aware of their rights, the willingness to walk away from unfair treatment without a fight is fading. And with more than 40,000 Somali now living in Minnesota, the need to accommodate followers of Islam, like the rights of individual believers, cannot reasonably be denied.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download