In an effort to temper what he calls ongoing harassment of Muslims in the St. Cloud area, Jaylani Hussein met with area officials Wednesday.
Hussein, the executive director for the Minnesota branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said St. Cloud is becoming “somewhat of a hotbed” of misinformation about Muslims.
“We want to make sure St. Cloud is not known for its battle against immigrants and people of other faiths,” Hussein said.
Hussein met with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and St. Cloud Superintendent Willie Jett to address what Hussein sees as growing Islamophobia in St. Cloud.
Speakers, or “snake oil salesmen,” have visited St. Cloud recently to talk about the costs and concerns regarding immigrants — but those speakers only perpetuate people’s fears and stereotypes, Hussein said.
“St. Cloud is a really great area, and the majority of the population is very welcoming,” Hussein said. But there are some citizens who are not so welcoming, he said.
Hussein said he wants Kleis to use his connections with area politicians, community leaders and citizens to promote positive relationships with minorities and people of Islamic faith.
“As a politician, there’s so much he can do,” he said. “He can do more to inspire others to respond to these issues. I think there is a role for him to be a bridge-builder on some of these issues that involve minorities.
“It was a productive meeting, but we believe that (Kleis) could do more,” Hussein added. “We need to see some sort of improvements.”
Kleis said the meeting was merely a courtesy call, no different from meetings with other organizations who ask to meet and talk about their goals and initiatives.
“It wasn’t much of a discussion. I told him what we were doing,” he said.
Kleis said because CAIR publicized the meeting, he gets the impression CAIR is more interested in creating headlines than having positive conversations.
“Being reactionary to everything that takes place creates more division,” Kleis said. “The community should continue to work on being a welcoming place, rather than being reactionary and trying to sensationalize things.”
In his conversation with Hussein, Kleis said, he described the Create CommUNITY initiative that works with local organizations to create a welcoming community with opportunity for everyone. Members of the Create CommUNITY leadership team include representatives from CentraCare Health, United Way of Central Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, NAACP, local faith organizations and more.
“It’s a catalyst for change in the community,” said Kleis, who emphasized that creating more harmonious relationships between residents of different faiths, races and backgrounds cannot be a top-down approach.
“It needs to be a steady, daily grassroots effort. It starts in the home and the family and the neighborhood,” he said.
An example of a Create CommUNITY initiative is a conversation on race Oct. 20 at River’s Edge Convention Center, which the organization describes as an opportunity to connect with neighbors in ways that move past surface-level conversation to beliefs and values.
“We work on a daily basis to bridge those gaps,” Kleis said. “It should be a continual effort to get to know people in the community and create a welcoming atmosphere on a daily basis — not just grab a headline.”
Hussein, who became the executive director of the organization in January, emigrated from Somalia to Minnesota in 1993. He spent his younger years in Columbia Heights and Minneapolis.
He’s familiar with St. Cloud, living here as a student from 2006 to 2008. He earned a degree in community development and city planning from St. Cloud State University, and went on to earn a degree in political science from North Dakota State University.
“In the last few years, things have not changed,” he said. “We are still struggling with the same issues as 2007 and 2008.”
Ethnic tension at Technical High School became public in March when more than 100 students and parents, most of them Somali, went on the school’s south lawn and protested what they described as a pattern of bullying and discrimination to which school officials did not adequately respond.
Hussein said he met with Jett a few months ago to address some of the protesters’ concerns. He met with Jett again Wednesday.
“We’ve been pleased with how the superintendent has addressed these issues,” said Hussein, who added that CAIR would be willing to partner with the school district in the future to provide training opportunities.
CAIR also advocates for fair housing for Muslims and religious rights such as being able to practice faith at work, Hussein said.
Hussein plans to return to St. Cloud to meet with the mayor and school superintendent in the future.
“We’re very hopeful that these meetings will yield an opportunity where there is more dialogue and conversation in the communities,” Hussein said. “We’re hoping to demystify some of the misconceptions with Islam.”