‘Missing youth’ story rattles local Somali community

The story of Somali youth who vanished from the Twin Cities, possibly to fight alongside jihadists back in their home country, is transforming passionate debates at Minneapolis coffee shops into quieter community introspection about how to rebuild the local Somali community’s image.

Are jihadist groups luring Minnesota Somalis back to fight?

Burhaan Hassan was a fairly typical kid, the kind who asked his mother for $20 when he wanted to go see a movie on weekends. But on Election Day, while much of the world — including his single mother — was consumed by the historic election, the 17-year old and a handful of other Somali-American teenagers quietly boarded a plane to Kenya, en route to the front lines of a Jihad in Somalia. Law enforcement officials fear as many a dozen local boys have been lured by Islamist groups to fight.

Obama’s gamble: Are independents more anti-Bush than pro-unity?

In the candidate’s newest ad, a Republican state senator from his home state touts his “bipartisan way” of doing politics. A Republican U.S. senator from a red state is prominently featured. A moderate Democratic U.S. senator from a red state…

After a Year in Congress, Ellison Proves Critics Wrong

Editor’s note: As we count down the final days of 2007, we look back at some of the most interesting or important stories of the past year. Here’s the fourth in this ongoing series.

In…

Double Life: The Public Face and Private Pain of Torture Victims in Minnesota

Like many other torture victims, Iftu has a dual identity: In public, she’s a happy and hard-working immigrant whose gregarious outlook doesn’t give a hint of the horrors she suffered in her native Ethiopia. In…

Fugitive Playwright Fled to Africa, Authorities Say

Hennepin County authorities on Tuesday filed another complaint against Mahamud Abdullahi Isse, who in June failed to show up for a child molestation charges against him. Minnesota Monitor first reported the 72-year-old’s disappearance, and…

Debunking ‘Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week’

Among the vastly exaggerated aspects of “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week,” or IFAW, which debuted nationally this week, is its scope: It is far less eventful than its choreographer, David Horowitz, led us to believe: More and more of…

Kurdish Immigrant: ‘Why Would the U.S. Turn Its Back on Us Now?’

From his thriving downtown St. Paul bistro, Hassan Naqshabandi is counting on the United States to rebuff Turkey if it attempts to invade his native Kurdistan in northern Iraq in pursuit of the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. His view…

Tutu Flip-Flop Roils St. Thomas

Two weeks ago, when University of St. Thomas leaders reversed their decision to block Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu to speak at its campus and extended him a hasty invitation, they hoped to put the snafu behind…

Metro Schools Face Cash Crunch

At the end of this school year, the White Bear Lake school district will close five of its 14 schools, lay off 100 teachers, eliminate a host of physical education and music classes, and increase its class sizes dramatically.

That’s…