A little boy looks around during a Somali community meeting about stopping terror recruits on Sunday evening at the Brian Cole Center in Minneapolis. Renee Jones Schneider / The Star Tribune via AP
Peter Cox ยท Minneapolis
Monday, September 29, 2014
A group of Somali American community leaders and activists are condemning the recruitment of youth by the militant groups ISIS and al-Shabab, and urging the development of more organizations and programs for youth.
At the meeting Sunday night in Minneapolis at the Brian Coyle Center, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andy Luger compared the battle against recruiters to the battle against drug dealers and gang members, and called for unity of purpose.
"This is something we're doing together. This is something we're doing to solve or help solve a problem," Luger said. "It is not the government attacking this wonderful, peaceful, thriving, large community. You deserve to have this wonderful community grow and live and prosper in peace, and I want to help you do that."
The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen the Twin Cities for a pilot program aimed at combating violent extremism. Luger has been meeting with community leaders to determine how best to allocate federal resources.
Ilhan Omar, a board member of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, said she welcomes the help.
"I'm hopeful that at least there are people thinking more about 'What do we do now?' said Omar. "Giving people resources, who are willing to reach out to these youth and give them an alternative to the people that have isolated and taken advantage of them, that's something to be optimistic about."
About 75 people attended the meeting in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood.