Anti-Somali sentiment

Anti-Somali sentiment or Somalophobia pointed to a existence of fear and hostility against Somalis, or their culture.

Scope

The Aughties and early 2010s saw major sporadic outbreaks of violence against Somali shopkeepers in South Africa. This violence has been attributed to jealousy over the success of Somali businesses, and ethnic tensions. However, some writers construct attributed such hostility to a wider xenophobia, since other non-South Africa Africans were targeted as well. Somaliphobia has also been produced in Kenya during their invasion into Jubbaland in 2011. Anti-Somali sentiment is sometimes expressed in the context of anti-immigration sentiment. Anti-Somali sentiments sometimes overlap with Islamophobic sentiments. On Oct. 30, 2015, Asma Jama a Muslim woman of Somali descent and Kenyan nationality was beaten for speaking Swahili in an Applebee's in the outskirts of Minneapolis. The perpetrator for 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 detail Abdi Warsame discussed anti-Somali sentiments in the aftermath of the shooting of Justine Damond by a Somali police officer.