Somali Leader: One Year After Mall Stabbings, Tensions Have Never Been Higher

ST. CLOUD - As the one year anniversary of the Crossroads Center mall stabbings approaches, we talked to a leader in the Somali community about the incident.

Jaylani Hussein is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says a year after the attack here in St. Cloud the country is more divided than ever.

We have seen on a national scale the organizing against Muslims increase. We have seen the attacks on Muslims also increase.

Hussein points specifically to an attack on a cab driver here in St. Cloud, the bombing of a Twin Cities Mosque, and a Somali-owned restaurant that was torched in Grand Forks. However, Hussein does give credit to local organizations like the interfaith leaders, Create Community, and UniteCloud who are all working to create more understanding.

Since September 17, 2016 many residents in central Minnesota have worried about another similar incident happening. Hussein says terrorist-related attacks, like the one at the mall, are a tragedy for the community as a whole as well the Somali community.

We are all united against these types of actions and organizations globally. And we are all victims to the mass murders of these terror organizations.

Hussein says the vulnerability of our youth is something we have to take seriously, and communities need to build strong families. He says if we want to live in a safe community we have to learn to talk to each other.

Earlier this week an FBI Intelligence Analyst told state lawmakers that when they're successful in stopping a young man from leaving the U.S. to go fight for ISIS it's usually because someone from the Somali community spoke up. Intelligence Analyst John Watson advised legislators it's vitally important for law enforcement to develop ongoing relationships with local Somali communities.