Our colleagues at VOA have recently produced “Why He Chose To Leave This Good Land?” a special report on the radicalization of some young Somali-Americans. This week, we are focusing on one section of the article each day.
Please note that this report is not adapted to the Special English style, so it is more appropriate for advanced learners who use our site.
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Young people leaving the Islamic Da’waah Center in St. Paul, Minnesota
You can read the full report at http://projects.voanews.com/isis-recruit-somali-americans/
Today’s quote is from the section called, Is it True You’re a Terrorist?
Last month, a Somali American man, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for trying to detonate a bomb at a holiday tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon, in November 2010. He was arrested after his parents told the FBI they feared he was becoming radicalized. Later, parents and relatives complained of entrapment, saying Mohamud had been lured into the bomb plot by FBI agents intent on arresting a terrorist.
“They stop you when you’re walking home from your job, ‘So I hear your name is Mohammed and you’re going to that mosque. Is it true that you’re a terrorist?’” said Yassin Mohamed Abdullahi, a 14-year-old studying at the Da’waah Center. “It’s things like that you know that cause this spark of anger, hatred, mistrust in between the two parties … the Somalis and the FBI.”
Our question for today is:
According to the report, what are other complaints about the relationship of Muslim immigrants to U.S. law enforcement authorities? What do you think about this relationship?
Please give us your answer in the comment section below, and come back tomorrow for another question.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Dr. Jill
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Words in This Story
harass – to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way (harassment – state of being harassed)
surveillance – n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime (surveilled – past tense verb form)
radicalize – v. to cause (someone or something) to become more radical especially in politics
vigilant – carefully noticing problems or signs of danger
