How do refugees from Muslim countries actually live in the United States
There are about 30,000 Somalis living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most of them are refugees who at one time fled from almost the same thing that is happening in Syria now. For several years, photographer Arthur Nazaryan has been documenting the lives of new Americans in this enclave to show that Somalis, like migrants in general, can be not only "offenders" or "victims of conflict."
Somalis living in Minneapolis are not much different from the rest of Minnesota residents — they have barbecues, go boating and play on playgrounds. "Knowing how conservative the Somali culture is, I was very surprised to see the younger generation who goes on dates and actively uses social networks," Nazaryan says.
The local community made headlines this year after several Somali-Americans were accused of planning to join ISIS. Three of them were found guilty, despite the fact that local leaders are actively trying to resist extremism. "People pay attention to them only when such cases occur," says the photographer. — I think it's worth looking at how this community lives an ordinary life, because they also came to the United States as refugees from a country infected with Islamic extremism. They take advantage of the results of our responsiveness, but at the same time they become victims of our suspicion."
(16 photos in total)
1. Abdikadir Hassan (far left) rides a boat on White Bear Lake — one of the many lakes around Minneapolis — with friends who came to stay from other states and Canada.
2. Girls from Lincoln International School ride on a swing in Minnehaha Falls Park during a picnic in honor of the end of the school year.
3. Osman Omar, who says he will run for president of Somalia for the second time in 2016, wraps himself in an American flag during a break in the preparation of an iftar dinner for the community.
4. Girls from the Lincoln International School are engaged during their lunch break. Somali parents prefer to send their children to independent schools, such as Lincoln School, where the majority of students are Somalis. They believe it will help their children preserve their culture.
5. After dinner at the "International House of Pancakes" — a chain of eateries, which for some reason is particularly popular among Somalis.
6. Carmel, one of the two main Somali shopping malls in Minneapolis, held a Koran reading contest among children in its mosque on the top floor. The event brought together Somali families from all over the country.
7. Children help a woman with her traditional costume in the colors of the Somali flag during preparations for the annual Somali Independence Day parade.
8. Sharon Albee is waiting for her temporary tattoos to dry. Henna drawings are a popular way for Somalis to decorate themselves for festive events, such as a wedding or, in this case, an iftar dinner.
9. Graduation ceremony at the Lincoln International School. This is one of the so—called independent schools in Minneapolis, the majority of whose students are Somalis.
10. Students of the Lincoln International School at the football training of the school team. Somalis are passionate football fans, and they regularly hold amateur matches and tournaments in Minneapolis in the summer.
11. Sasiido Shay was still a child when in Somalia has started a civil war. She lived in a refugee camp before moving to America and obtaining citizenship here. Now she and her husband are raising three children in Minneapolis.
12. Thousands of Somalis gather at the Minneapolis Convention Center for prayer during Eid al-Fitr (or Eid al-Fitr), marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
13. Fartun Mahamud Abdi in his friend's convertible. She is a member of the Committee on Countering Violent Extremism, a government—backed initiative designed to keep young people away from radicalization and street crime.
14. Children break into the office of Fartun Mahamud Abdi, who is the director of one of the many child care centers focused on Somalis. Somali culture is deeply conservative in terms of gender distribution of roles. However, the attitude towards women who occupy leading positions in business and politics has somewhat liberalized after a large number of Somalis moved to the United States.
15. Debbie Mariana (left) and Yasmin Mohamud (right) help Sharon Alby prepare an iftar dinner, which she and her husband Robert arrange at home. Dozens of community members gathered for dinner to celebrate the end of fasting during Ramadan at sunset.
16. A Somali couple who came from Canada, makes a promenade along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.