I am a Somali journalist who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I would like to thank you for the Aug. 5 editorial “Our View: When Trump slurs Somalis, he insults Portland.” You have defended both the state that I love so much and the innocent Somali community from a dangerous and divisive demagogue called Donald Trump.
I arrived in Portland on Nov. 20, 2012, from a refugee camp in Uganda, and that was my first day in the United States of America.
The first thing that I noticed when I arrived in Maine was how patriotic the members of the Somali community are and how they love and are loyal to the country where they have built their future. The thing that Trump didn’t understand is that we, the Somalis, are the victims of the terrorists and that is why he is utterly ignorant about the foreign policy.
As you know in his statements, Trump has insulted and disrespected everybody from President Obama, Sen. John McCain, Judge Gonzalo Curiel and journalist Serge Kovaleski to Muslims and Latinos. That shows us that he loves violence and mayhem. I totally agree with you that he is a best recruiter that the extremists have ever had.
Thank you, once again, for standing with the Somali community in Portland.
Farah Ali
Minneapolis
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