Assimilation is a long process for Somalis in US farm town

Saturday, March 19, 2016

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Over the last decade, Somali refugees have flocked to the conservative farm town of Fort Morgan on Colorado's eastern plains and have started to build a community.

But as much as Fort Morgan's small-town feel reminds many of their rural villages back home, some say they will feel like outsiders until they get what has so far eluded them: a permanent mosque.

They say they've tried to buy property to build a mosque but believe no one wants to sell.

Some longtime residents say they don't want a mosque, a step too far especially at a time when fears of terrorism have grown and talk on the Republican presidential campaign trail includes banning Muslims from the U.S.

Some say education and reaching out to Somali children will help ease tensions.

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