avg_rating: 4.52
name: Abdi Nor Iftin
about: When the civil war in Somalia began, Abdi Nor Iftin was five; he and his brother becamethe sole providers for the family while they also attended a madrassa. Amidst the dailyshelling and the famine, Abdi had one escape: American movies and music. Atneighborhood showings of Rambo, Commando, and The Terminator, Abdi learned ofAmerica, and taught himself English, and began to dream of a life in the United States.  In his memoir Call Me American, Iftin recounts his harrowing, extraordinary, anduplifting story. His love of western culture and music earned him the name “AbdiAmerican.” This became a liability when Islamic extremism took hold of Somalia.Evading conscription by al-Shabaab while secretly filing stories for NPR under penaltyof death, When the civil war in Somalia began, Abdi Nor Iftin was five; he and his brother becamethe sole providers for the family while they also attended a madrassa. Amidst the dailyshelling and the famine, Abdi had one escape: American movies and music. Atneighborhood showings of Rambo, Commando, and The Terminator, Abdi learned ofAmerica, and taught himself English, and began to dream of a life in the United States.  In his memoir Call Me American, Iftin recounts his harrowing, extraordinary, anduplifting story. His love of western culture and music earned him the name “AbdiAmerican.” This became a liability when Islamic extremism took hold of Somalia.Evading conscription by al-Shabaab while secretly filing stories for NPR under penaltyof death, he stayed in Somalia until he had no choice but to flee. He smuggled himselfinto Kenya, where a different but grinding life of hopelessness awaited. He spent dayshiding silently in an apartment from raids by Kenyan police, once passing timereading memoirs and watching more movies. And then, a stroke of incredible luck: hewon the Diversity Visa Lottery.  Now a proud and legal resident of Maine, Abdi is advocating for the refugee rights he isalso a community navigator. He’s on the advising council for Refugee International withsome of America’s most distinguished diplomats and prominent international humanrights leaders. Abdi was a TexdAmoskeag 2019 speaker.On Janauary 17 th 2020, Abdi’s long life dream came true after he was sworn in as anaturalized American citizen in Portland, Maine. For the first ever, Abdi is voting in theUS elections and excercising his American rights, one which many Americans take forgranted. But for Abdi it is liberating to have a voice in America.Today’s America and the travel/immigration ban worry Abdi, a Muslim, a former refugeeand a displaced person. Abdi’s dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for ourtime: a vivid portrait of the desperation refugees seek to escape and a reminder of whywestern democracies still beckon to those looking to make a better life. ...more