When a President Calls My Community "Garbage," I Must Speak

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

When a President Calls My Community "Garbage," I Must Speak

As a Somali-American, a local Imam, and a faith leader, I cannot remain silent when the President of the United States refers to my community as "garbage."

Such language is not merely offensive—it is dangerous.

And it demands a response.

This attack follows a familiar pattern. President Trump has repeatedly targeted communities that challenge his political agenda, and Somali Americans are his latest scapegoats.

But slurs cannot erase facts.

Approximately 80,000 Somali Americans live in Minnesota. We arrived as refugees, fleeing civil war and violence, seeking safety and the chance to rebuild. And rebuild we have.

Today, Somali Americans serve as doctors at our hospitals, officers in our police departments, teachers in our schools, and owners of businesses that employ our neighbors.

We have elected Somali Americans to the Minneapolis City Council, the Minnesota State Legislature, and the United States Congress.

These are not abstract contributions; they are woven into the daily life of this state.

To reduce all of this to "garbage" is not political commentary. It is dehumanization.

And history teaches us where the dehumanization of entire communities leads.

I have watched this pattern before: a political figure singles out a group, assigns them a collective label, and uses them as a foil to energize supporters.

But Minnesotans have seen this tactic, and we are not deceived.

To all Minnesotans: don't be fooled. The President's strategy is divide and conquer.

He aims to split our unity by turning neighbor against neighbor.

We must not let him succeed.

Verbal attacks have never built a school, healed a patient, or strengthened a community.

Only unity, mutual respect, and shared commitment to the common good accomplish those things.

This moment of darkness will pass.

Minnesota has faced division before, and we have always chosen solidarity. We will do so again.

Together, we will endure. Together, we will prevail.

Mowlid Ali

December 3, 2025

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

Kofi Bilal Mahmud Eid AlFitr 1443 A.H.

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Kofi Bilal Mahmud

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