Anti-Somali sentiment or Somalophobia refers to fear, hostility, or other negative attitudes towards

Somalis The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...

or Somali culture.

Terminology

Anti-Somali sentiment is sometimes referred to by the countable sense ''Somaliphobe'' or the uncountable sense of ''Somaliphobia'', or ''Somaliphobic sentiment''. The antonym and opposite sentiment is referred to by the countable sense ''Somaliphile'', or its uncountable equivalent of ''Somaliphilia''.

Scope

The

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled during th ...

and early

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saw major sporadic outbreaks of violence against Somali shopkeepers in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. This violence has been attributed to jealousy over the success of Somali businesses, and ethnic tensions. However, some writers have attributed such hostility to a wider xenophobia, since other non-South Africa Africans were targeted as well. Somaliphobia has also been reported in Kenya during their invasion into

Jubbaland Jubaland ( so, Jubbaland, ar, , it, Oltregiuba), the Juba Valley ( so, Dooxada Jubba) or Azania ( so, Asaaniya, ar, ), is a Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies east of the Jubba River, stretching from Gedo t ...

in 2011.

In the United States

Somali Americans Somali Americans are Americans of Somali ancestry. The first ethnic Somalis to arrive in the U.S. were sailors who came in the 1920s from British Somaliland. They were followed by students pursuing higher studies in the 1960s and 1970s, by the la ...

have experienced Anti-Somali sentiment and it is sometimes expressed in the context of anti-immigration sentiment. Anti-Somali sentiments sometimes overlap with

Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

sentiments and

Racism in the United States Racism in the United States comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are related to each other, are held by various people and groups in the United States, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and ...

. On Oct. 30, 2015, Asma Jama (a Muslim woman of Somali descent and Kenyan nationality) was viciously beaten for speaking Swahili in an Applebee's on the outskirts of Minneapolis. The perpetrator of that violence was charged with third-degree assault. In June 2016, two Somalis were shot after wearing their traditional clothing. A week prior to the shooting, a Somali halal shop in the city was vandalized. Minneapolis City Council member Abdi Warsame discussed anti-Somali sentiments in the aftermath of the shooting of Justine Damond by a Somali police officer. In

Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...

several Somali men were the victims of hate crimes ranging from racial slurs to serious bodily injury in 2016. Due to the high concentration of Somali-Americans in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, anti-immigration sentiment has been used as a campaign talking point, specifically by former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

Abusiveness

There are also some pejorative terms that serve to dehumanize Somalis. The term ''skinnie'' became popularized with the film '' Black Hawk Down''. The term has been said to allude to reducing Somalis to their humanitarian struggles and

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

has suggested that its usage deprives Somalis of their own point of view. The term ''Abdi'' is also sometimes pejoratively used to refer to male Somalis. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

's stylebook suggested that ''Somali'' is the correct demonym or adjective, rather than ''Somalian''.

Pejorative terms

*Zoomalia – a combination of two words "Zoo" and "Somalia", which is used to compare Somalia as a tribal, uncivilised animalistic country.

References