TORONTO'S SOMALI COMMUNITY REMAINS CLOSE TO HOMELAND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TORONTO 000200 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF/E, S/CT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER SCUL SMIG KISL KPAO SO CA SUBJECT: TORONTO'S SOMALI COMMUNITY REMAINS CLOSE TO HOMELAND REF: Ottawa 636 TORONTO 00000200 001.3 OF 002 Sensitive but Unclassified - protect accordingly. ¶1. (U) Summary: Nearly 80% of Canada's Somali population resides in Ontario, with the largest community in the Toronto area. The community, which consists mostly of recent immigrants, has had difficulty integrating into mainstream Canadian society due to problems with discrimination, both perceived and real, and few economic opportunities. At the same time, the community maintains strong political and social ties to Somalia. The perception of USG policies towards Somalia depends upon the clan affiliations of the individual. However, in general, there is an overwhelmingly positive perception of President Obama and his policies towards Africa and the Muslim world. End Summary. -------------- Somalis in GTA: Facing Challenges to Integration -------------- ¶2. (U) Official figures from the 2006 Canadian Census put the Somali Canadian community at 29,700 in Ontario, nearly 80% of the official national total. However, community organizations claim that the population is over 40,000 in the Toronto area alone. While a small number of Somalis migrated to Canada and other western countries in the mid 1980s, the majority of Somali refugees in Canada arrived in the early 1990s. Prior to 1989, the small number of Somalis in Canada consisted of immigrants, students and political exiles. This changed between 1991 and 1993, when Somalis were then the second largest group of refugee claimants in Canada. ¶3. (U) Directors and members of Somali community service organizations told PolOff that, to date, cultural and language barriers have made Somali integration into mainstream Canadian society difficult. Ontario's complicated professional certification process has also kept many well-educated Somalis in low-wage jobs. They added that the community faces discrimination based on their Muslim beliefs, as well as race. ¶4. (SBU) Perhaps the most serious problem facing the Somali-Canadian community is youth crime and gang violence. Some local Somali contacts expressed their fear that the youth engaged in these activities are in danger of being radicalized because they feel marginalized in Canadian society. These contacts tell us that they have seen a number of youths who idolize the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabab, and Al Qaeda. One Somali leader, Osman Ali, president of the Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke, asserted that he has heard of some young Somali-Canadians traveling to the United Arab Emirates to join Al-Shabab, and then continue to Somalia. Ali said that he has talked to the Canadian Security Intelligence Services about his concerns but has not seen any agency of the Canadian government act on his recommendation to reach out to these disenfranchised youths. -------------- Somali-Canadians Follow Closely Events Back Home -------------- ¶5. (U) The Somali-Canadian community maintains strong ties to Somalia through family and business connections. They follow closely events within Somalia, with a special focus on how those events affect their respective clans. One recent example is the reaction to Secretary Clinton's meeting with Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed on August 6. According to our contacts, those Somali-Canadians who hail from Mogadishu, and are members of the ruling clan, saw the trip very favorably and were excited about what they perceived as the USG's new focus on Somalia. However, immigrants belonging to rival clans were unhappy at what they viewed as the USG's support of another clan over theirs. Despite this, there seems to be overwhelming support for the United States and President Obama's policies towards Africa and the Muslim world in the GTA's Somali diaspora. ¶6. (U) All Consulate contacts agree that the majority of the Somali-Canadian community is against Somali piracy. However, some sympathize with the acts out of concern for the poverty under which most people in Somalia live. In addition, many consider that some of the pirates are actually protecting their local fisheries from foreign ships that have exploited the Gulf of Aden in the past. There was also particular sympathy for Abduhl Wal-i-Musi, brought to New York in April 2009 to face charges connected with the taking of the Maersk Alabama, who many see as a gullible youth. TORONTO 00000200 002.3 OF 002 -------------- Involvement in Somali Politics -------------- ¶7. (U) In January 2009, Adam Esse, a Canadian citizen and resident of Mississauga, Ontario, lost his bid for president of the Puntland region of Somalia. Esse ran against 10 other candidates, including incumbent, and fellow Canadian, Mohamed Musa Hersi. Esse ran on a platform of ending piracy in the Gulf of Aden and creating jobs. Esse, who was born in Puntland and educated in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Canada, told PolOff that he plans to continue travelling to Somalia to assist the government in any capacity. Another contact told us that Esse's loss was not a surprise, as he is not a popular figure in the Somali-Canadian community in general and was not considered a strong candidate in this race. (Note: Esse recently founded a breakaway mosque, Darul Hijra Islamic Centre, which was the cause for some of his unpopularity. End note.) ¶8. (U) The previously-mentioned president of the Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke, Osman Ali, is also involved in politics, both Canadian and Somali. He proudly showed PolOff his credentials as a special Envoy to Canada from the Somali state of Puntland. As the head of one of the larger Somali community organizations in the GTA, Ali has standing in the local community. Ali plans to run for federal MP of his riding, Etobicoke North, within a few years. However, he says that if he is not successful in Canadian elections, he plans to run for the presidency of Puntland. ¶9. (U) Comment: Only establishing itself in Canada two decades ago, the Somali-Canadian community has a number of challenges to overcome in order to integrate successfully into Canadian society. The failure to completely integrate here may be the reason the Somali diaspora in Canada has kept such strong ties to its homeland, as evidenced by their active participation in Somali politics. While clan divisions exist, even in Canada, there are some signs that they are starting to dissipate as the Somali youth born in Canada move past clan associations, according to our contact. The emergence of Somali community organizations that serve the entire community, not just specific Somali clans, is also evidence of this social shift. As the clans continue to meld together, the Somali diaspora's influence may increase, both locally and abroad. In general, the community seems to view the U.S. positively and there is an eagerness to work with us to improve conditions in Somalia. JOHNSON