UPDATE:
First, thanks to all of you for jumping in with both feet.
Cold_Spring has sent an excellent piece, thank you! Cigaal has taken a well-thought out and extremely important step of learning more about ‘scapegoating’ and effective responses. We will learn whatever we can to move forward. Scapegoating is the mouthpiece for bigotry and racism, and has preceeded much violence against minority groups.
Seems like the Tennessee article will be our trial run for the Somali Bloggers’ Lobby. This article has received some rebuttals from local and national people and rebuttals are best when close to the issuance of the article. Nonetheless, it is very useful in spreading the word about Brian Mosley as he will no doubt continue his campaign. It is also important in helping us iron out the process and use this like a fire drill. We will time our response and efficiency from this trial run.
So, in the spirit of collaborative work, we need a campaign lead, an editor, and a researcher. The lead will co-ordinate this particular response (contacting writer and editors, connecting with the researcher, and then being the spokesperson to the recipients of the letter). The editor will take the 2 responses already submitted and give about 2 days for more people to submit their work. Once all contributions are in, the editor merges the salient points in the letters/submissions into a brief but powerful rebuttal. The researcher for this project needs to look up human rights agencies, journalists’ associations, and other agencies who should hear about this particular letter.
Ready for work, team!
Let’s do this practice/real run and improve upon our process.
Since we’re beginning, I will delegate for this run only but will open the floor in the future for other to organize and delegate. We will rotate roles for every rebuttal depending on interest. This will give all of us a chance to practice every aspect of lobbying.
Campaign Lead: Isseh
Editor: AMTAF
Researcher: Open for candidate interest. If you are in the US (or anywhere) and have a couple of hours to dedicate to researching and calling around, please respond here or send me an e-mail.
I would like us to be brisk and efficient in our response to these assaults. I would also like us to invite our friends not in the UK, US, and Canada to participate with their own alerts and contributions. There seems to be a tide of xenophobic sentiment in previously decent places. Here in the US, the land of slavery and systemic bigotry, it is as everyday as ayeeyo’s laxoox.
You guys rock!
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Carry arms!
This is my first project alert and I’m hoping that it will be of interest to some of you very smart people. Lurkers, damn you! If you do nothing else, join in the projects.
In the past few months, I’ve had more than 1 person send me an article that defames nomads. These 2 articles are an example (1 & 2). It is no secret that we do not have a strong lobby here in the West that speaks out against biased attacks by the media.
I would like us nomad bloggers to consider forming a virtual lobby that prepares rebuttals through letters and e-mails wherever one of these defamatory pieces surfaces. Think of the ADL. It seems like a passive thing to do but a pen can only be defeated by a pen. There are political and economic tides that launch an unrelenting campaign against the weakest members of a society. Black, muslim, sort-of-new comers are a very easy target.
I propose that we have a system of response:
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Someone reads/hears of the article and sends me or the friendly nomad corner folks word.
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We organize and delegate volunteers to write, edit and send out the response to the editor of the publication.
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We use our contacts to spread the word by sending copies of the letter.
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We seek support from friends/contact who are non nomad in our rebuttals. The world is too large to close it off to only us.
Bloggers are the present journalists of the world. Sure, we got as much respect as George Michael in a ‘No sex in public’ meeting, but we’re still journalists. Some of you are brilliant writers, AMTAF is one and she has graciously signed on. I don’t mean to call you out and put the rest of you on the spot but I will do it anyway from now on so sue me.
In the future, I will post a Project Alert on the blog but keep the discussion to the tab in the top right side of this page so please, always check in there and jump in with both gnarly feet.
I would like to keep this general page for my navel-gazing. In Aya world, she is the star, the director, the cleaning lady, and the creepy asshole who pretends to replace lightbulbs while he collects bodies of little children in his basement. Ya hear me?
A brilliant idea, Aya. I think there is much can be done cyberly to confront offending write-ups and statements. Online lobbying works well and yields results. I have previously lobbied local MPs, newspapers, TVs and Government ministers, who all wrote back to me with either and apology, support or propositions to change their attitudes. Having a direct communication with the target writer, leader or party is greatly advantageous.
I say we bloggers, by writing about certain stories or writing to intended parties could facilitate real change. I say let us get started right away!
PS: Count me in.
Isseh,
I knew you’d be forefront in this and you are definitely counted in. I am thrilled that you have experience lobbying local politicians and responding to newspapers and TV shows. Many groups, small and powerless at first, have banded together and decided that the pen is often the mouthpiece of xenophobic policies. We will issue a rebuttal and use our contacts to spread a unified response. The first opportunity to respond will iron out the process for all of us. Thanks so much for joining in walaal.
[…] project alert) Posted in Project Alert by isseh on January 27th, 2008 I hereby reproduced Aya’s project alert post with the hope that it may receive a wider coverage within fellow Somali […]
Heegan
xassan iyo xusseen yaan hurdada la tegin
ps Mahadsanid Aya
This is a very noble imitative! I am appalled at the lack of response from the Somali public in the West (especially the youth who are supposed to be the future leaders of our race). I will personally pledge to take an active role in this project and will contribute both time and energy. I encourage my fellow Somali bloggers to join this initiative and make it a success.
Ps.
I have just written a responded to the first item. I will post it here in case they dont publish it
The editorial piece (Somalis respond poorly to local hospitality) is both misleading and highly subjective. The editor goes to great lengths creating a non-existing reality about the Somali people in Shelbyville and conveniently chooses to ignore the immense contribution that the Somali immigrants have made not only to Shelbyville community but also more importantly throughout the United States. Having been driven out of their homes by a devastating civil war ( one by the way the US government contributed to and still contributes by supporting warlords rather than the Somali people), Somalis have not only adopted to life in America but have also more importantly contributed to their society.
Among the most flawed and misleading claims the editor makes, is the assumption that majority of Somalis in Shelbyville are Bantu! The editor’s comment which are bigoted and at best misinformed appear to be shaped more by his lack of knowledge about the Somali people than a genuine interaction and observation of the Somalis in his community. Claiming that the Somalis are “hundreds of years behind the times in ways of hygiene, mannerisms, and culture,” showcases the editor’s inherent bigotry and chauvinistic opinions and his claims couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Within few years upon their arrival to the United State, Somalis whether they are in Minnesota or Shelbyville have contributed to the economic growth of their communities. As home-owners, small business owners, and contributors of diversity, the Somali people of Shelbyville have made their mark visible.
It is highly unfortunate that decent people would such a bigoted and narrow-minded views in this day and age. It is the editor’s claims that are both disturbing and clearly bigoted!
I challenge the editor to go to any school in his community and observe the academic progress new Somalis are making after years of living in civil war and refugee camps. I also challenge the editor to go to area-business and ask the managers about their views of their Somali workers. I have no-doubt that they would have admiration for the Somalis they interact with on daily basis.
Aya hun,
What a great idea! If we were all to do some form or another of lobbying for Somalis, it would yield beautiful results.
And thank you for the compliment, I think I can live up to those expectations.
Great idea Aya!
I don’t consider myself much of a writer but I am willing to do my part. Count me in and inshaAllah kheyr! 🙂
cold_spring, thanks so much for your comment and your posted article. It is extremely well-written and certainly responds to the vitriol in the article. I’ve also asked this in the Update, but please let me know if you are comfortable with having your article blended in with others. The campaign lead and/or editor may contact you so please feel free to leave messages for them on here if you do not wish to give our your e-mail.
Once again, thank you, and I look forward to working with you on more of these responses in the future.
AMTAF, I look forward to lobbying for Somalis (and other disenfranchised groups) in the future. I’ve taken the liberty of volunteering you as editor of this response. We will rotate roles in the future so everyone gains experience in some aspect of the lobbying and to keep everyone interested.
Native, thanks so much walaal. You are an excellent writer (love your blog and :< at you not updating). A researcher spot is available for this rebuttal, so please let me know if it interests you.
I am very happy with my articles being blended with others, and I certainly have no problem with being contacted (I can provide my email if you guys want to). I look forward to working with such progressive-minded lot and I really look forward to working with you guys in projecting the true image of the Somali race to the out-side world and also in combating those that wish to distort the image of our people!
Oh by the way, I will be happy in working in any role you guys want me to. I am fine doing research work or assisting the editor in polishing the responses.
I have ran into a wonderful response to the hateful remarks made by Brian Mosley by the Somali community of Nashville. I thought I should share it with you guys
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/07/2008 – 12:31.
Unwelcome in Shelbyville, Tennessee
On December 28, 2007, Brian Mosley of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette wrote an article titled “Drug, gang problems accompany Somalis.” Part of a series, the article was, ostensibly, written to help residents of Shelbyville, TN, understand “the impact of Somalian refugees on Bedford County.” In it, Mr. Mosley wrote what Larry Lowman, chief administrator for Bedford County Sheriff’s Department, told him about Somalis and their interactions with law enforcement. According to Mr. Lowman, there were “a lot of gang related activity with Somalis, imported from Nashville,” but Lowman failed to tell Mr. Mosley exactly what these activities were. With no documented gang related activity by Somalis in Shelbyville to write about, Mr. Mosley then cited the “three primary organized” Somali gangs in Minneapolis, MN (a very safe 940 miles away). By mentioning these alleged gangs in far away lands, Mr. Mosley was, essentially, warning his readership that it was only a matter of time before Shelbyville, with a Somali population of 300, would become another Minneapolis, a city with a Somali population of 40,000, twice the entire population of Shelbyville.
Still convinced there was more to Somalis and law enforcement, Mr. Mosley asked the Shelbyville Chief of Police, Mr. Austin Swing, if he knew of any gang related activity by Somalis. Mr. Austin informed Mr. Mosley that he, too, had heard of gang related activity by Somalis, “but as far as knowing it for a fact, he could not confirm this assertion.” If Mr. Swing, the Chief of Police of Shelbyville, had no factual knowledge of any gang activity by Somalis, why did Mr. Mosley see it fit to give his article the title that he did? Undeterred by the lack of cooperation, Mr. Mosley further prompted the Chief of Police only to be told “his department is constantly receiving calls about suspicious activity in the Somali community from the public.” (Could these be the same phantom activities to which Mr. Lowman referred but failed to enumerate?) The Chief of Police finally tells Mr. Mosley that “in his conversations with people in the community who have dealt with the Somalis, the issue of rudeness has frequently been raised, but it has not caused law enforcement a major concern.” Clearly, the Chief of Police had said all he was going to say on Somalis. They were rude, it seems, but not criminals.
Unhappy with the direction his article took, Mr. Mosley wrote another one the very next day, December 29, 2007. With the title “Somalians respond poorly to local hospitality,” it was to become the grand finale of his series on Somalis. In this latest attempt at defamation, Mr. Mosley wrote of how “over the past few years, this community [meaning Shelbyville] has given a helping hand and opened their arms to the new arrivals from Somalia,” but that these ingrate newcomers had, in return, “given Shelbyville the finger.” Mr. Mosley didn’t explain just how the Somalis had been ungrateful except by citing poor attendance at local English as second language classes. In what seems as a last gasp effort, Mr. Mosley then wrote about a terrible crime that horrified Somalis around the nation and used it as an example of a “difference in culture” that he found unacceptable. Failing to realize, or perhaps intentionally so, that similar or more heinous crimes are committed every day by persons of every race, creed and nationality and that few communities are vilified by the actions of individuals, unless, of course, the community happens to be the weak and voiceless Somali community in Shelbyville, TN.
After having miserably failed to link Somalis in Shelbyville to any gang related activity, insinuated that they are of a different species suffering from a backward culture and a lack of proper hygiene, Mr. Mosley concluded his campaign by writing “one can not expect a community to keep bending over backwards to help folks, only to [be] treated with rudeness, disrespect and hostility. At some point, our welcoming attitude and southern hospitality will turn into resentment and distrust.” Could this be a veiled threat to the vulnerable community? Is Mr. Mosley trying to incite hate crimes against Somalis in Shelbyville? It is most unfortunate that hearsay, insinuations and fallacies pass for journalistic reporting. Even more tragic is that Mr. Mosley, seemingly so lacking in journalistic integrity, probably considers himself to have done a great job exposing poor refugees from a war-torn nation as the ungrateful recipients of Shelbyville’s welcome. “The arrogant sense of entitlement demonstrated by these new additions to Shelbyville must stop,” writes Mr. Mosley, as if arrogance was a trait found in every Somali in the community, and if it were, that it is a crime against the laws of Shelbyville. If Shelbyville’s welcome is anything like that of Mr. Mosley, the Somali community must surely be under siege in that city.
The Somali Community of Nashville condemns the unprovoked and undeserved public defamation of Somalis in Shelbyville, TN, by Brian Mosley and the Shelbyville Times-Gazette. We also advocate the following:
A prompt and public apology by Brian Mosley and the Shelbyville Times-Gazette to the Somali community in Shelbyville, TN,
The immediate cessation of the baseless and negative reporting on Somalis,
A sincere effort to build bridges of understanding between the residents of Shelbyville and the newcomers from Somalia instead of fueling the fires of prejudice and xenophobia,
And the adherence by the Shelbyville Times-Gazette to journalistic integrity by providing its readership with fair and accurate reporting on sensitive issues relating to community relations and refugee resettlement.
Somali Community of Nashville
Also, if you are curious here is the link for Brian Mosley’s blog. It helps illustrate his continious hatred for any-thing not Caucasian, blue eyed and christain. The amount of hate and bigoty that this man has in abundance is disgusting
http://spinswimming.blogspot.com/2006/02/wacky-fun-with-religion-of-peace.html
The Jante Law:
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-4303977686564782942&hl
This is very good, Aya. Well done to Cold spring and Cigaal. Welcome aboard AMTAF and Native. Thanks all.
Folks, my email is Ali.Isseh@gmail.com
Please write to me to establish direct contact on background stuff through emailing ;).
PS: Do forgive me, I can’t say more for I am in a little hurry.
Living in US for a long time, I am not surprised to see such a cowardice attack on a minority group leaving in predominately “White” area. Let it be known that we will not take such an attack laying down. These articles will fuel hatred and help ignite hate crimes against this small group. I have dealt with such jerks a lot and I am willing to do whatever I can to help. This may have been done already, but did anybody organize massive protest emails or called the newspaper’s office. Let me know what I can do.
P.S I am sorry to get on board so late. Better late then never.
Here is a more comprehensive blog i have written about the bigot from Shelbyville.
It is rarely that some-one gets paid to express their intrinsic hatred and bigotry for others, yet in this day and age, when America, is thought to have moved beyond its centuries old traditions of slavery and racism and towards a more tolerant and diverse society, there still exists people like the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reporter Brian Mosley who make living out of targeting the most vulnerable segments of the our American social fabric. With years of strong anti-liberal and anti-Islam views as a highly opinionated and subjective blogger and regular visitor to sites such as Free Republic, Mosley thought that he could further his conservative and “traditionalist” credentials by targeting the Somali community in Shelbyville and portraying them as savages and “arrogant’. In series of articles he has written for the Shelbyville Times-Gazette newspaper, Mosley goes to great lengths creating a false representation of the Somali people. In one of his most unequivocal attack on the Somalis, Mosley states, “Suddenly introducing a society that is literally hundreds of years behind the times in the ways of hygiene, mannerisms, culture and the treatment of women into 21st Century America is a recipe for sociological disaster. It is a massive shock to the Somalis and doesn’t do the local communities any favors either.”
What is perhaps most disturbing about Mosley hate-bursts (for lack of better word) is the fact that his so-called research investigating about the influx of Somalis into the Shelbyville community was nothing more than presentation of his own distorted views of the Somali people and their culture which he has blogged on for many years. As some-one who proudly states in his website that, “coming from the south as I am, and being a descendent of Confederate veterans that fell at Shiloh,” combined with his long history of a strong detestation for people of the Islamic faith, Mosley found an easy victim in the Somalis. Being both Black and Muslim and refugees, Mosley unleashed mercilessly his venom of hate and bigotry at the Somalis at a level not seen in Media in recent memory.
As is famously noted, after the end of Jim Crow laws and eventual realization of the destructive powers of anti-Semitism, anti-Islamic bigotry has become the most convenient means of expressing hatred and intolerance among certain sections of the American society especially following the heartbreaking events of September 11, 2001. People such as Brian Mosley hold the wrong view that using the Somali people as an expedient tool of expressing hatred that they can get away with their hate-speech.
Had it not been for the systematic hatred of anything that does not prescribe to his narrow-minded and bigoted views, Mosley could have been viewed as “un-educated and naïve individual.”Instead, Mosley has a adopted a principled rebellion against tolerance, diversity and co-existence. Unfortunately, Mosley belongs to a select group of people in the media, who are hell-bent on working towards the disintegration of the American society along racial and religious lines.
In many ways, people who have came to the defense of Brian Mosley like the city editor of the Times-Gazette, John Carney are betting on dead horse, especially when the truth is that Mr. Mosley has a dark history of being closet-racist and some-one that targets the vulnerable and weak elements in our society to satisfy his inner-orgies of hate and chauvinism. It is time we should stop making excuses for Brian Mosley’s explicit pronunciations of hate and intolerance and call a spade a spade.
folks!
If you have facebook I have created a group called “A Synopsis on the Anatomy of a 21st-century Bigot” I encourage you guys who have facebook to join and spread the word.
the above person evolvingprimate is me cold_spring! just to clear the confusion!
Salaamu calaykum…
Aya, This is a brilliant Idea – I am IN!
Evolving Primate, I’ve joined your Facebook group too!
Shafi,
Walaikum al salaam. So happy that you will join us walaal.
Evolving Primate, I will join your Facebook group as soon as I have an account 😀