Say Something Nice

“When someone does bad things, I want to show them that I won’t say anything bad.  Just say something nice.” 

This Somali lady is kind and humble, gentle and deliberate in her words and actions.  True warmth shines in her eyes.  

What kind of oppression have you experienced in your life?

In 2015 I was assaulted on February 24th. I was working at that time and someone came in; a lady with her husband.  I told them to use the other door because I was cleaning and she told me, “no.” 

I said, “Okay, just wait one minute.  I will try the main door and then you can go.”

Then she told me, “You are a f**king Muslim lady.  You are so stupid Muslim lady.  Go back to where you came from.”

I said, “Excuse me mam, you are like my mom.  I am not going to say anything bad towards you.  You can tell me what you want.”

Her husband is watching.  He didn’t say, “Stop assaulting her.”

She grabbed my hair and she pushed my head against the wall.  I had a jacket because it was wintertime.  She closed my jacket.   I could not breath.  I felt close to die.  I fell down because she is a strong lady.  She is tall.

I’m not fight back. 

“I have a lot of back pain since 2015 from that injury.”

“Why are you fighting me? You are like my mom.  Please stop fighting me.    I don’t like to fight.  Please.  I respect you.  Please.  Please.”

But she don’t want it.

I fell down and then I got injured; concussion in my head.  And then I got a back injury.

So that happened to me.

Then she went to the court and she just stayed one day in the jail.

The judges said, “You are guilty.  She’s a bad person.” But after that they let go of her and changed 100 dollars.  That’s it.

I feel that I did not get my rights because she have to go to jail or she have to pay for me injury.  But she didn’t pay for my injury.

…

And back home I got shot, but that happened in my Country all the time.

Someone came to my house; me and my Dad when I was 19 years old.  They came to my house and they said,  “You guys are not Al-shabaab.” 

At first they wanted to take me in their car.  But my Dad said, “Where do you want to take my daughter?  You cannot take my daughter.  If I die you can take her, but if I have a life, you cannot take her.”

They said, “Okay we’ll let go of her.” 

Then I went inside.

My Dad said, “You are looking for Al-shabaab, but we are not Al-Shabaab.”

But they wanted to rape me.

But my Dad he understand.

After that I hear the gun shot and I ran out of the building.

I said, “You guys are stupid.  Why did you kill my Dad?”  I’d never seen  someone die in front of me.  I’d never seen the blood.  I cry and I’m screaming. 

Then they shot my leg and my back, but I did not die.  I stayed two years in the hospital.

After that I tried to get out of that; out of thinking back.

When did you come to Canada?

2013, so almost 4 years and 7 months ago.  I could not write my name.  I could not speak English.  Someone show me how to go shopping, how to go to the store.

Someone told me, “You are a fast learner.”

If someone said something bad to you, what would you like to say to them?

If they say "Hi", I will say "Hi, welcome.”

I will show them I am a nice person.

I’m not say, you told me something bad before.  I show that I am a nice person and that I am not thinking bad things.  I am going to say nice things to them.

What are your hopes?

My hope is to be successful in learning English and becoming a practical nurse or a lawyer. I want my daughter to get a good education because I have one child.

I want to get my family to Canada because I am thinking all the time, “what’s happened to my family?”

Those are also my dreams.