Abstract

Mohamadnur Hassan was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. As a result of the civil war, he moved to live in Kenya before coming to the United States in 2007. He lived for 6 years in California before moving to Cleveland due to high cost of living. Through this journey he learned number of languages. Currently He is living with his wife and two kids. As to preserve his culture, he tries to speak always Somali with his kids. He is a student at Cleveland State University. He likes living in Cleveland because it is affordable and offers a lot of opportunities. The story of Arabs in general and Somalis in particular is a story of success.

Loading...

Media is loading
 

Interviewee

Hassan, Mohamadnur (interviewee)

Interviewer

Tayyara, Abedel (interviewer)

Project

Arab Community in Cleveland

Date

1-11-2017

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

50 minutes

Transcript

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:00:02] This is Abedelraman Tayyara. Today is January 11, 2017. And with us today, Mohamadnur Hassan. So can you first introduce yourself? Who are you?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:00:25] I am Mohamadnur Hassan. I live in Cleveland, Ohio, and I’m a student at Cleveland State University. Senior student majoring in public safety management.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:00:43] Can you tell me a little bit about your family?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:00:52] I have my own family. I have a wife and two kids right here with me in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally, I am from Somalia, especially from the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu. But I left my home country a long time ago, and I lived some time in Kenya, and then I transitioned from Kenya to the United States. And I first landed in southern California, especially Orange county, where I lived there for almost six years and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:01:40] Okay, can you tell us how it came, know how it looks like growing up in, like, your childhood.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:01:54] In terms of, you mean socially or, like, you know, what? Or in general, like, if you give.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:02:00] Us, like, description of the life living in Somalia. What type of life?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:02:07] Okay. Of course, it’s the. The life in Somalia is very different from the life in us. And the reason I say that is at home, when you are about three or, I mean four to five years, you know, no one has to watch you or to babysit you, you know, until you get, like, 18. It’s it. In that respect, I think there was societal trust where you can go to your neighbors and play with the neighbors kids and go even places around your home, and then your parents never worried about that. And then just you show up lunch time or whenever. It’s like food time, home, or sleep time.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:03:11] So did you like it there, living in Somalia?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:03:14] Oh, definitely. But the only nightmare in my country was at the time when I was growing. You know, there has been going a civil war in Somalia. So that was the, you know, scary side and the negative side. But socially, you know, it’s very interesting. And, you know, I really liked it.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:03:40] Yeah, it’s like the city of Mogadishu where you lived. Is it like, you know, a big city, how you describe this city?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:03:51] Yes. Mogadishu is the capital city of the country, and it’s estimated it has a population of more than 2 million people. It’s between two to 3 million people even today. I think last year a report came about, you know, ranking Mogadishu as the second largest growing city in the world. And I think because of the country is now getting relatively better, especially big cities, for the last five years. And we hope it gets better. And Mogadishu is growing larger and bigger and faster.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:04:51] So why you went to Kenya?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:04:54] As a result of the civil war going in my country, I fled to Kenya, which is neighboring to Somalia. And that’s where I lived for some years. Exactly, I’m not sure, but I would say for a long time, for a long time, for a lot of years, more than I stayed in United States.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:05:18] And how you. How did you likely life living in Kenya?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:05:23] Kenya is neighboring Somalia, and we are still in the same region, East Africans. But again, it was different from my country because the language was different. In Somalia, for example, there’s only one religion, there’s only one main language. Everybody spoke. But when I came to Kenya, it was totally different. Different religions, like Islam, Christian is the dominant, but you will see Hindus and all these types of. And also different people. You know, in Somalia, used to see, see and live only with my own people, with only Somalis. But I experienced different people in Kenya. So in terms of language, you know, they speak a different language called Kiswahili. And then when in Kenya, they speak Kiswahili, and their second language is English. But Kiswahili is the main language. But every tribe has their own sub dialectic language. So even studying Kiswahili was also so tough and difficult. But I’m not. I have never become even fluent in Kiswahili because most of the time I have been around Somalis, even when I was in Kenya.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:07:02] I see. So what are the languages, languages spoken in Somalia?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:07:08] In Somalia, we do speak Somali language and Arabic language. But now, as the time and everything is changing, there is also English. English speakers are growing, and a lot of schools are now adapting, you know, curriculums and systems that teach English.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:07:38] So where did you learn English to speak English?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:07:41] Well, that’s a long story, and that’s one of the interesting stories in my life. I did not speak English when I was in Somalia or even when I was in Kenya, but only when I came to the United States. You know, I started learning English. And I feel it was not something voluntarily I chose to do, but life forced me to, you know, learn English, to be functioning in America and to be able to running my life.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:08:24] So when you arrived in the United States, you did not speak English at all?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:08:28] I spoke zero English when I came to the United States, yeah. Because what happened is when I came here, you know, at some time in my life, there was a time I felt very embarrassed, I would say, because if you don’t know English, you have zero privacy. Even, you know, letters come to me, and I’m not able to read my letters. I have to go depend on other people, whether they are friends or families, to read for me and then tell me what. What is going on. Even I remember going to doctors. I have to have someone with me, or sometimes they have. They provide integrating services at the hospitals, but that was not the case in local hospitals I was attending at the time. And also the job. My first job was a blue color job, which requires only physical ability to do the job, but lack of English. I had very tough experiences communicating and socializing with coworkers and also even doing and performing my job. You know, there will be, like, constant trainings and new rules coming out every month. And then if you don’t know English, if you don’t speak English, because the only language communicated at the time, it was English, and then the second language was Spanish, and I neither spoke English nor Spanish at the time. So I would miss most of the rules and policies. And whenever you make mistake, you’re penalized, and that will harm or affect negatively your job. So that really forced me to learn English. So it was either do or die to me.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:10:53] Later. But, you know, one. The other question that I have. So after living many years in Kenya, why decided to come to United States?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:11:03] Okay, well, some of my siblings and my father came to the United States in 202, and then as a result of that, he responds with a visa for me and for my siblings. And I wanted to join my. My dad here, but of course, in 202. Yeah. So the. The main reason was to join with my father here at the same time, looking for opportunities I did not have in either my native country, in Somalia, or even in Kenya, to get education and to be able to have a decent job that I can survive with and pay my bills.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:12:00] And then. So you came with your family, your own family also?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:12:04] I came with my siblings, and at the time, I was single.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:12:09] Oh, okay.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:12:10] Yeah, I was about 1920, I was single, so I came only with my siblings here. But three years after I stayed in United States, I went back to Kenya to get married, and that’s how I established my family.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:12:30] So what year you got married?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:12:33] I got married in October. 2010. Yeah, 2010. Right now I have two. Two children.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:12:44] Two boys?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:12:45] Yes, two boys. And when I got married, I had to leave my wife behind again because she was not a us citizen. It was. It’s not an easy process to come to the United States if you are not, you know, if you’re not guaranteed visa. So what I did was I just applied and sponsored sports visa. And that just took me not a long time, you know, after I became a citizen, which was in 2012. Then that expired the case, and my wife joined me in 2013.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:13:29] So when you arrived here, you first arrived in your state, you said you spent time in California.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:13:37] Yes.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:13:39] So you mentioned some of the difficulties was language.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:13:43] Yes.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:13:43] So what’s the other difficulties that you faced?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:13:48] A lot of other difficulties. One of them can be also financial, because I lived in Southern California, which is very, you know, the cost of living is so high and ridiculous in California. Generally, if you don’t own a house or your income is not so well, then it’s very difficult to survive in California. So the affordability of life, that’s what caused me even to move to leave California. But, you know, my preference of living is California if I have to choose. Yeah, in terms of weather, because the weather is similar to weather in where I was born and grown up in Somalia. But the main reason I left was the expensiveness of life. So that was also one of the challenges I had at the time. And the language was, you know, to me, language was the main challenge.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:15:02] So, like, you know, how long it took you to master the language, what exactly you did?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:15:13] First I enrolled in adult education center for some time, and then my cousin advised me because of when he saw the energy and the desire and the commitment I had to learn English. He is the one who advised me and directed me to what is college. He said, just go to college. They will test you. You will take a placement test, and then from there, you will take ESL courses. And once you finish your ESL courses, then you will be able to go further in your education. And that’s what I did. Definitely. Enrolled in a college called Fullerton College in Orange county, then started taking ESL courses. And I started even from the lowest ESL class at the time, the basic one, and then took them one by one and finished. But I dedicated, to be honest, a lot of time in class as well, outside of the class. And one of the things, I think that helped me learn the language fast and succeed was even having good relationship with ESL professors at the time. There were some good professors, so that helped me because I was getting voluntarily some extracurricular works and status at the professor’s office, as well as even meeting them in person outside the school. So that’s what I did.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:17:12] So, like, how long it took you to feel like you can use the language?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:17:22] Okay. Yes, definitely. It took a while. I would say at the time, I felt whenever you know, I did not have any problem in communicating with people or people understanding me or understanding them. It took me three years. Yes. Yeah. It took me three years.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:17:53] So at that time, when you lived in California, did you, like, did you find anyone to help you, like, adjusting to the new life?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:18:06] Oh, my father was there and he came, you know, as I said, in 202, and I came right after him, two or seven. And I think that is a five year difference. So he was here before me, and then some of my siblings and I had cousins who came even before my dad. So I was getting support mainly from my family. But there are, there is also resettlement agencies in different cities, but there was one in Orange county. So they were handling, you know, our transition from. From Kenya to, you know, just making sure we are, you know, adapting the new life.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:19:03] Yeah. So there is a big Somali community.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:19:11] Yeah. There is a small Somali community in San Diego, and there is about 400 to 500, you know, families in Los Angeles. And when you combine, Los Angeles is not far. Orange county is not far from Los Angeles. It’s only 20 minutes away from Los Angeles. So if you combine these two cities, the Somalis in that area would make the time. I was like 800 families together. But there’s a good number of Somalis in. In San Diego.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:19:53] So. So the earliest one, Somali immigrants, like you can date how far?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:20:03] You can date, like, the first in the United States. Okay.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:20:09] This community in southern California.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:20:11] In southern California, yeah, in southern California, I met with Somali person who stayed in, actually two of them. I met two of them. They are brothers. And they stayed there for 30 years. Yeah. Which means they came 1980s. And yes, they came 1980s. So that was 30 years. So one of them was a homeowner, and the other one was graduated from the university, a university in southern California. So he was master’s degree holder in economies. And he is the one who is running event right now, currently, the resettlement agents in our county over all. Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Overall, Somalis who came to the United States are considered only the first generation. That’s one point. The other point is, you know, they are divided only into two waves, the first wave and the second wave. So the first wave was 1980s. You know, mainly there were students. Mostly there were students. Their number was very few. But the second wave, which was a lot larger with still continuing as the one started arriving after 1991, because that was the time the central government of Somalia was hosted by rebellious at the time, and that was a regime led by Siad barrel. And I think you have heard about him he ruled Somalia for a long time. So after the collapse of that central government, the Somalis started moving and fleeing in large numbers, mainly coming to the United States and elsewhere in Europe and Australia, Africa, and even Gulf states. But since we’re talking about in North America, the largest wave started coming 1991. Interesting.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:22:49] Okay, so you lived in California. And then. So my question, why we decided to move from California to Cleveland.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:22:59] The main reason, and I think that is that was the only reason I moved, because I wouldn’t have left California voluntarily. But, you know, because most of my families in us, they live in southern California, as I mentioned, my father and a lot of my siblings, and I have a lot of cousins in southern California, and I have even friends. But unfortunately, you know, the unaffordability of life, that forced me to come to the United States, to Cleveland, Ohio. And a lot of people, they ask me why Cleveland, Ohio opened a lot of money. Other cities in us. Okay, there is another main reason I came to Cleveland is I have one of my best friends here. So he’s a Somali. Yes. And when I went, when I arrived in California a year before that, he came to Cleveland, Ohio. So we were communicating, and he was explaining to me about the life here. And we were comparing the differences between southern California and here. Then I came 2011 to assess the life and the situation here. And I really liked. And, you know, the city was at the time growing and developing because as a person who lived in Cleveland, you can tell the difference between three years ago, Cleveland and now even some people, they talk about five years and now. But to me, the period I have been in Cleveland is only three years and have not even. Still five. It’s almost four years. So I went back and then moved to Cleveland in 20, 1313. And then everything has been going smoothly so far because when I was in California, I was not. The only thing I was struggling for was meeting and, you know, my bills and bidding the deadlines, you know, working two jobs and doing one job still only, you know, so I was not even able to take two to three classes at a time because most of the time was spent on working. But when I came here, my time even became dividable. You know, I, you know, I would work one shift and then four or 5 hours dedicated to my education. So moving to Cleveland really shifted my life. I became, as I said, able to. It was the first time I became able to be a full time student and at the same time work and be able to pay my bills.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:26:11] So what type of job you or jobs you did when you lived in California?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:26:20] In California, I did different jobs, but mainly manufacturing jobs. Yeah, I did manufacturing jobs in Cleveland. I started doing taxi driving. Taxi. And then I owned even my own taxi in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. And then from there, I, you know, after I became fluent, almost fluent in English. And besides English, I do speak Somali language and Arabic. Then I became a freelance interpreter at different places, like mainly Cleveland clinic, family and job service centers, and also a lot of places.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:27:23] So how you, like, you know, you’re full time student, you work full time. Like, you know, do you have time for, like, do you have free time? And if so, by what you do?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:27:38] To be honest, my schedule is very tough because it’s not easy working full time and being a student full time. But currently I’m not a full time student, but almost. Almost full time student. Mostly I’m short only two to three credits to be full time, but almost. I consider myself full time, but it’s almost full time. It’s very tough. But. But still, you know, by managing my time, I’m able to get time to socialize with my friends and to get some time for my family.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:28:18] So which. This leads me to another question about your connection, like, to the Somali or the Arab community?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:28:29] Oh, yes, we have connections with Somali community here and also with Arabs in California, Ohio. I did, you know, got introduced to some of, you know, people through school. You know, there are a lot of professors. I’m, you know, Cuyahoga Community College graduate, and I got introduced some, you know, Arab professors in Cuyahoga Community College and also at CSU. But not only that, you know, here, most of the businesses, like groceries, gas stations, and a lot of restaurants are owned by Arabs, especially in Lakewood and West 117th area. So a lot of them, I know them even personally. So, yeah, so the relationship between. Between us is good.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:29:51] So is it like, the Somali community here is like a large community?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:29:57] It’s estimated 350 to 400 families. Yes. Yeah. Families in Cleveland, Ohio, the number was a small, I think, before 20 or 207 or 208. But recently, the number is going up as a result of a lot of Somalis brought to Cleveland by the government. From the refugee camps? Yes, from the refugee camps. They are not coming only from one country, but they are coming from many other places. Some of them are coming from Ethiopia, some of them are coming from Kenya, and some of them are coming from Cairo, and some of them are coming even from China and all these places, but mainly they are coming from Yemen, Ethiopia, and Cairo. Most of those I met with.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:31:13] I hear there is a, there’s a larger Somali community in Columbus.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:31:18] That is true. The largest Somali community in us is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the second largest Somali communities in Minneapolis. So as a result of that, you know, since Columbus is only 2 hours away from Cleveland, a lot of Somalis, even, who are working here, but still their families are in Columbus, Ohio. The second largest. Yeah. Has the common. Yeah. The second largest Somali community in us. So a lot of them, even their families are, they are working here, but their families are in Columbus, and some of them are moving from Columbus to Cleveland. So Columbus is really affecting the Somali community here in Cleveland in terms of, you know, people or communities know each other. So whenever they spoke and talked about opportunities and jobs, they call each other and, and try to affect each other. Yeah.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:32:32] So it’s like, you know, the, you know, the Arab community in general. I mean, the, you know, relatives bring another relatives, you know, cousins.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:32:47] Yes, exactly. Exactly. That, that really applies strongly to Somali community. They’re very good at helping each other, having good relationship, connecting with family members. That is how they function their lives because they are newcomers, most of them, I would say, or they are first generations. So instead of depending on loans or all these kind of things or retirement plans, but at this point, what they do is they depend on each other. If one needs to buy a car or do something, then he borrows or gets loan from his family members, and that’s how they sustain their lives. And it’s something really, you know, amazing. And I really praise that.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:33:55] So what type of, like, jobs? Usually.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:34:04] They do different jobs. There are some young folks who are driving taxi. You, you, you would see them in, in different circles of jobs. They got. There’s one police officer, Somali police officer in Clifton, Ohio, who graduated from police academy and, and joined the police forces last year. So they are in the police now. Some of them are also business owners, restaurants, grocers, halal places. And so, and also there’s a whole, you know, what is it called? I think, yes. Home care center owned by a Somali guy also. I met with him, and I know him personally. So some of them, they own their own businesses, and that’s it. Yeah. And they’re doing well, really, in, overall.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:35:22] So you think it’s, if I like, you know, describe the experience of this somehow community as a story of success?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:35:30] Yes, yes. When, when I compare to, you know, Somalis in other places, even though, you know, Somalis in Minneapolis or in Columbus, there are success. But, but the main point I want to underline is here in Cleveland there, we don’t have a big number in justice system, whether it’s juvenile or jealous or prisons, you know, there is only few number of Somalis, which I can see, four, five, you can, you know, handful of them, very small number. Isn’t it just justice system? So that means they are doing well. I would not say perfect, but still they need to do more.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:36:31] I mean, I ask people, like some people, they say, like, about the Arab community here in general. It’s a story of success. But, you know, some might say this is only on the individual level, not at the level of the community level. Yeah.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:36:47] Okay.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:36:47] So what do you think? What do you think about that? Do you think it’s the story of success is limited to it? Like individual, one individual here, one there, or it’s a community.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:36:58] But okay. As a person, when I observe generally and through my experiences and interactions with Arabs overall here in this region, I think it’s not only individual, and I think it’s. It’s collective. I I think it’s collective because I have been to different cities. So in, in terms of. Or putting, you know, a perspective of, you know, average, you will find the average people succeeding in Cleveland is a lot higher than average people succeeding in any other city in the United States. That’s what I think, even though I have not been into every other city, but to many cities I have seen, and that’s a good sign.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:37:59] It’s the affordability of Cleveland. Is that the reason succeed more in Cleveland than other places?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:38:07] I have not conducted research on that. But to me, Cleveland as a growing city, diverse, and people in the city are friendly. So that all helps. That all help. And I think that contributed, that all contributed to the success of the Arab communities in Cleveland.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:38:39] But you mentioned that it’s the success of the Somali community. It’s a collective. It’s a community. Can you give me, like, one or two examples?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:38:50] Yes. As I said, when they try to own or establish a business, sometimes you will find more than one owner. So that means they give opportunities to friends, family members. So that way everyone can share and can become a stakeholder in the business, and they can develop that, you know, business, and they can all profit from that business. So you will see in Cleveland businesses owned by more than one owner. And the other point I want to mention is Somalis in Cleveland, they all know each other, so they mentor each other. And, you know, they, you know, those who came first try to help those who came late. Yeah.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:40:02] So among the Somali community, do you have, like, social or social centers or cultural centers.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:40:14] We don’t. But what they are doing is these days, as they rent a hall, you know, for events, for just meeting, socializing weekends or sometimes even holiday times, so they contribute, you know, some, not all of them even maybe, you know, five, four of them might organize, you know, social event, and then everyone will be invited and then just to socialize and see each other and know, you know, because that is how you find out who is working, who is weak, who is sick, who needs support. Because if you are not seeing each other, then you know nothing about your people. So I think that is the main reason they are doing that. They invite everyone and they provide even food, sweets and, you know, cakes and all these kind of things just to enjoy the time together. And that’s all voluntarily. Someone will just call you and they will tell you, we are having an event. So what can you contribute to that event? So everything is, without burdening anyone, is going that way smoothly. Yeah.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:41:44] And in terms like how you preserve or maintain your culture.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:41:53] Okay. Somalis are very conservative society, as, you know, Arabists, you know, in general. But Somalis are very conservative, so. And families are trying their best, even though there are a lot of challenges, you know, especially if you want to preserve your culture, one of the main things you need to preserve is your language. And there’s a great challenge, especially, you know, those who are born here, the generations who are born here in the United States to maintain. To learn and maintain their home language, but they’re trying just their best, you know, to use only their home language at home. And if. If someone that’s something that contradict. Contradicts Somali culture, I think it, you know, it’s almost, they don’t excommunicate that person, but what they do is they would. He would be isolated almost because everyone talking about him or her, you know, like, veering from the culture. So that is a type of punishment, and I think no one wants to happen to that. So that’s also helping.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:43:29] But in your opinion, like, you know, to preserve the culture, like, you know, what are the certain steps that you follow for your own to preserve the culture?

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:43:42] I think my personal experiences, I try to, you know, rule number one is, you know, to me, as a person who is in college and I know the importance of language. So my rule number one is speak my own language with my children, whether it’s at home or outside home. I always speak in Somali because I’m very sure English is not a problem because you’re going to school and they will learn it, and they were born with it. So what I will focus is the language. And the other thing some people are doing is taking them even to Somalia for vacation, especially, like, summertime when the schools are closed. So if they, you know, spend three to four months, you know, in Somalia, interacting and living with their people, I think they will. They will be okay. They will learn, or at least, you know, that solidify their language and they will learn their culture. So.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:45:01] But, you know, growing up here, I mean, your kids were born here.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:45:05] Yes.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:45:06] Growing up here, even, you know, you. You have different identities. You know, you’re American, Somali, you’re Muslim. There’s different identities. And it’s. Sometimes it makes things complicated. My question, how you deal with all of these different identities, or maybe this, you see it as advantage.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:45:32] In some way it’s advantage, and in some way it’s disadvantaged. But I think, you know, through my readings, normally asian families, they do well here in the United States, preserving their culture, their language, and also passing it to the generations coming. So mostly what they do is, you know, it doesn’t mean, you know, to preserve or, you know, to integrate and to be successful in America does not mean to assimilate and lose your identity or your culture. So, but the, you know, Asians, the concept, they believe, is the more you preserve your language and your culture, the more you become stronger and successful, you know? And as a person who is living here and raising children in this country, I take that one of my takeaways, and really, I think that works. So what, the first thing we need to do is respect all different identities and diverse identities in this country and at the same time, stick and live with your identity. It is. It is. And I mentioned the affordability of life. And even, you know, California is overpopulated. So the life is very tense and time is very limited because there are long queues. You don’t even save time whenever you want to get done with something, and even traffic delays will cost you a lot of your time. But here is a good place because you save a lot of time. You can divide your time wisely between your job, your family, and your education. Absolutely.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:48:04] I would like to ask you, like, how you see, let’s say, five or ten years from now, how you see the Arab community integrating into the culture of Cleveland or society of Cleveland.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:48:24] Okay. Even, you know, as I see the status of Arabs in Cleveland is, they are in a good standing right now. So five years from now, I think they, if, you know, everything depends on how, you know, the cities are improving and sustaining, creating jobs and opportunities. So if Cleveland goes as it’s going right now, I think the Arab communities will advance in succeeding their life, because even right now there are a lot of, specially in housing businesses, you will see a lot of Arabs owning houses and businesses. So I think the future of Arab communities in Cleveland is really bright.

Abedelraman Tayyara [00:49:40] Thank you a lot.

Mohamadnur Hassan [00:49:42] Thank you very much. It’s my pleasure, professor.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Additional Files
345009.csv (10 kB)
345009 Mohamadnur Hassan.txt (31 kB)
Download

Share

COinS