We are one people. We share the same language, culture, traditions, and history, yet some families still oppose marriages simply because the two people come from different qabil. That mindset is outdated, especially for Somalis living in the West. What should matter is a person’s character, values, and compatibility, not their qabil.
Honestly, I have two more years until I can become independent and make my own choices, but sometimes it feels impossible to wait that long. I’ve been wearing the hijab since I was only five years old, and it was something that was forced on me rather than a choice I made for myself.
Right now, I feel like I have to pretend around my family that I still wear it, while taking it off in places where I know they won’t see me. I’ve even thought about moving to another city for school so I can have more freedom and feel comfortable being myself, then returning to my hometown while still wearing it around family members and people who might tell my parents.
I’m worried that if my family or relatives find out, it could create serious conflict at home. I just want the freedom to make my own decisions about my life and my beliefs.
Lately, it feels like I see people talking about Somalis every day, and it’s genuinely exhausting. The hostility seems to be coming from all directions, especially from far-right groups, who appear to have developed an obsession with our ethnic group. It feels like a strange hyperfixation. What’s especially odd is that we’re not even a large community in the West. I honestly don’t understand what their problem is or why they spend so much time talking about us.
I understand that events such as the Trump campaign and debates over refugee fraud contributed to increased hostility toward Somalis in the United States. But now it isn’t just happening there, it’s happening across Europe as well. Politicians in several countries speak negatively about Somalis, and people regularly go viral on social media for making hateful comments about us.
I wish they would focus on broader immigration issues instead of constantly singling out Somalis.
I’ve noticed a pattern online. When some people see a Somali person they consider unattractive, they suddenly feel the need to point out that the person is Somali. They’ll say things like, “I knew they were Somali,” or use “Somali” as if it’s an insult or the punchline of a joke.
What’s interesting is that you rarely see the same treatment when a Somali person is considered conventionally attractive. In those cases, their ethnicity is often ignored or they’re treated as an exception. It’s a clear double standard where Somali identity is only emphasized when it can be used to reinforce a negative stereotype.
Whether intentional or not, this kind of behavior helps perpetuate the harmful stereotype that Somalis are inherently unattractive. It reduces an entire ethnic group to a caricature based on selective examples while ignoring the diversity that exists within the community. Ethnicity should never be used as an insult or a way to push stereotypes.
This needs to stop.
Many Somali children are given Arabic names, and that’s completely okay. Parents should be free to choose whatever names they want for their children.
At the same time, I hope we continue to preserve our traditional Somali names. We have so many beautiful names like Hodan, Warsame, Libaan, Dalmar, Bilan, and many more.
They are an important part of our language, history, and culture.
This isn’t about saying Arabic names are bad.. I simply wish more families would consider giving their children traditional Somali names as well. Our indigenous Somali names are beautiful too, and they deserve to be celebrated and passed on to future generations.
This is something I’ve been wondering about for a while.
Whenever I see a video of a Somali woman without a hijab, there are often comments telling her to cover her hair. It made me wonder why the expectation is so strong in our community compared to some others.
I’ve noticed that some Somali girls don’t pray or fast, yet they’re still expected or pressured to wear the hijab. That confuses me. If someone isn’t personally practicing their religion, why is wearing the hijab treated as the most important thing? Sometimes it feels like the focus is more on outward appearance than on personal faith.
From what I’ve seen, some Somali families, particularly from older generations, can be very strict about women covering their hair.
Girls in our community who choose not to wear the hijab are often judged very harshly. It can feel like there’s little room for individual choice. Too many people think they have the right to tell a random Somali girl to cover herself just because they share the same background. That level of overfamiliarity is strange and intrusive.
The cultural expectation is so strong that many Somali girls are encouraged or expected to wear the hijab long before puberty. In Islam, the hijab is generally associated with puberty, yet some girls begin wearing it or are made to wear it in kindergarten or even as toddlers.
I completely respect Somali women who choose to wear the hijab because it’s meaningful to them. My question is about choice. Why has it become such a strong cultural expectation that many women feel they can’t decide for themselves without facing criticism?
In my view, if someone wears the hijab, it should be because they genuinely believe in it and want to wear it, not because they’re afraid of family or community pressure. Religious practices are most meaningful when they come from the heart. If the hijab is a religious obligation, shouldn’t it remain a matter of sincere faith rather than becoming a cultural expectation that people feel forced to follow?
I’d be interested to hear different perspectives, especially from Somali women who wear the hijab, have taken it off, or chose not to wear it.
I’ve seen some people praising Siad Barre on social media lately, and I honestly don’t understand it. he was an authoritarian dictator whose government committed serious human rights abuses.
The bombing of Hargeisa and the brutal repression in the north are a big part of why so many people in Somaliland want independence today. While it’s fair to acknowledge that some people remember certain achievements from his time in power, that shouldn’t erase the suffering his regime caused.
His government also left Somalia with weak institutions and deep divisions, which made it much harder for the country to recover after his regime collapsed in 1991. The civil war had many causes, but his rule undeniably contributed to the conditions that led to Somalia’s collapse. In many ways, his regime set Somalia back by decades.
We shouldn’t glorify leaders who caused so much suffering just because they also had some accomplishments.
For those who have taken off the hijab, how did you talk to your family about it? How did they react? Did they let you?
Today I was out for a walk in the park when a group of boys on e-scooters rode past me. One of them shouted a racist comment because I’m Somali. I shouted back and called him out for being racist.
I live in Sweden, and until the past few months, I had never really experienced anti-Somali discrimination firsthand. Lately, though, it feels like anti-Somali rhetoric has become much more common. The way President Trump, some Republicans, and certain media outlets have repeatedly singled out the Somali community, especially in Minnesota, has made it feel like Somalis are increasingly being used as a political scapegoat.
Even in Sweden, some right-wing politicians regularly point to Somalis as an example of “bad immigrants.” Sadly, there hasn’t been enough pushback against this kind of rhetoric. Too many people, including some immigrants, seem to buy into it. Sometimes I wonder if some do so because they think it will make them more accepted by the majority.
Over the past few months, I’ve had several uncomfortable encounters where people have treated me differently or been openly racist simply because of my ethnic background.
If this is happening in Sweden, I can’t imagine what the Somali community in Minnesota is going through.
May Allah protect you all and keep the Somali community safe.
Most of the guys who refer to themselves simply as “Abdi” are actually named Abdirahman, Abdullahi, Abdifatah, or another name beginning with “Abd.” These names come from Arabic, where ʿAbd (Abdi) means “servant” or “slave,” and the second part refers to one of the names or attributes of Allah. For example, Abdirahman means “servant of the Most Merciful.”
When you shorten the name to just “Abdi,” you’re only saying “servant.” Servant of whom? The full name carries the intended meaning, so it’s better to use the person’s full name.
original source 5aahhh tiktok
I think Somali people need to stop pretending that we are not socially disadvantaged or that we do not face discrimination. Somalis have experienced racism, xenophobia, religious discrimination, and anti-immigrant prejudice for decades. Being Black, Muslim, and largely from refugee and immigrant backgrounds means that Somalis face multiple forms of bias at the same time.
What frustrates me is that anti-Somali racism is rarely taken as seriously as other forms of discrimination. In many places, it has become so normalized that people openly mock Somalis, make negative assumptions about us, stereotype our culture, and obsess over our identity without facing any consequences. At least where I live, disrespect toward Somalis is often treated as normal rather than recognized for what it is.
Many Somalis do not even refer to what they experience as racism because they have become so used to it. When people constantly hear negative comments about their community, identity, language, religion, or culture, it can become something they simply expect and tolerate.
The daily mockery and disrespect that many Somalis experience is real. And it is important to acknowledge that this prejudice does not only come from white people. It can also come from other minorities and even from other Black communities. Discrimination should be taken seriously no matter who the target is or who is responsible for it.
It is important to recognize anti-Somali racism and call it out for what it is. Somali people should not have to experience this level of hate because of their identity. I understand that this kind of prejudice has become normalized in some places, but that does not make it acceptable. Racism is still racism, even when people have become used to it. Anti-Somali discrimination deserves to be acknowledged and taken seriously.