The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, once defined by Protestant and largely northern European immigrants, are now embodying the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-religious America. While the legacy of nineteenth century immigration (mostly from Ireland, Germany, and Sweden) remains visible, recent decades have brought new waves of immigrants hailing from places as diverse as Laos, Somalia, and Burma. These men and women have brought with them Islam, Buddhism, indigenous traditions, and great ethnic...
All eyes were on 20-year-old Abdullahi Yusuf when he stepped on the stand in federal court last week in Minneapolis to testify for the prosecution in America's largest ISIS recruitment trial.As Yusuf began to speak, his words provided a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how more than a dozen young men convinced themselves that the way to prove they were good Muslims was to travel to Syria and fight for ISIS.p
Elizabeth Varro begin her research during the summer of 2002 while a student at Harvard Divinity School. Her work included two phases. The initial phase involved updating profiles in the origin edition of On Common Ground, the Pluralism Project's CD-ROM. The second and more extensive phase focused on the exploration of interfaith groups in Minnesota. Most of these groups were based in or near St. Paul; one group was from St. Cloud, about 80 miles north of the Twin Cities. She also spoke with members of the chaplaincy departments of several Twin Cities area hospitals, to find out how they handle the area's increasing diversity.
