I lived outside of Minneapolis for 10 years, so the article was of interest. However, it’s being misrepresented as a mosque. It was a grocery store and apartment building, NEAR A MOSQUE. I really think someone’s trying to create a situation in the reporting of this. Go to Startribune.com for local news coverage.
You’re quite right, it is being misrepresented. The mosque is next door in another building. Three feet away, but not connected.
In 1971 I lived for a year about 5 blocks south of this building, at 19th and Minnehaha. A year before that on Franklin Ave, maybe 8 blocks away. A year later, maybe 6 blocks away in Middlebrook Hall, a U of M dorm. I was a student.
Cedar Ave. S. was a bunch of small businesses on the west edge of the west bank (of the Mississippi river) of the U of MN Minneapolis campus. Nothing notable. A few bars. Not upscale, not run-down. Lots of students. Little crime. No mosques.
After taking a look at the area, Cedar Ave. S. now seems to be dominated by “ethnic” small businesses with lots of Muslim and African names. For instance:
Halal Food Market, 410 Cedar Ave S
Bina Investment Group, 413 Cedar Ave S
Dahabshill Branch Crimiel Communications, 415 Cedar Ave S
Al-karama Mall Cedar Square, 419 Cedar Ave S
Otanga Grocery, 514 Cedar Ave S <==== SCENE OF THE EXPLOSION/FIRE
Wadajir Grocery & Halal Meats, 521 Cedar Ave S
Safari Travel & Tawakal Express Money Wire, 607 Cedar Ave S
Kaah Express Money Wiring, 611 Cedar Ave S
Afrik Grocery, 613 Cedar Ave S
Dr. Sirak Hailu, Chiropractor, 615 Cedar Ave S
Then, there’s Somali Yellow Pages at 1806 Riverside Ave, a few blocks away.
All members of the West Bank Business Association, which, on their site says “The West Bank is home to several religious communities” listing two of them:
Dar Al-Hijrah Riverside Islamic Center & Islamic Civic Society of America 504 Cedar Ave S. <==== NEXT DOOR TO THE EXPLOSION/FIRE
Imam Shafii Mosque 1501 S. 5th Street
And one Lutheran outfit that lost its building when I-94 was built in the ‘60s, commenting that “The mission-minded congregation voted to use its resources in active outreach to the Cedar-Riverside community rather than investing in a new church building.”
Are there more “religious communities” in the area? They don’t say.
They also call themselves a “progressive community,” whatever that means, as if we don’t know.
I guess you can get away with that sort of crap when most of your members are Muslims and the big guys who pay the bills are universities or colleges like the U of M and St. Catherine and Augsburg. And everyone else keeps quiet.
It also turns out that the “apartments” above the grocery store that burned were apparently actually rental rooms, all (except for one empty room) occupied by single men, mostly Somalis, according to one report. Which might explain the Somali “community organizer”-type who was quoted as being “concerned” in another report I read.
Now, perhaps every single one of these businesses are owned by heroic entrepreneurs striving to achieve the American dream and all of the rental room occupants were upstanding people engaged in nothing but legal activities.
But, it is passing strange that an explosion and subsequent fire just happens to occur in a building full of young Somali men right next door to a mosque in a neighborhood that now seems to be overrun by Somali ex-pats.
I can only note that other Somalis, having previously emigrated to Minnesota (surely not by choice) have then been later caught attempting to carry out or support terrorist activities. There’s certainly cause for some concern, it remains to be seen if it’s justified or not.
The neighborhood has certainly changed.
I’ll wait to hear what is revealed as time goes on before forming any conclusions.