UPTOWN — An Oromo family in Uptown is searching for answers after the mysterious death of their 18-year-old daughter, whose body was found in an apartment last week just two blocks from her home.

Mona Ali’s was body was found at 1:30 p.m. March 9, in an apartment in the 4600 block of North Winthrop Avenue, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. She was pronounced dead at the scene, which is not far from where she lived with her family in a high-rise building in the 4800 block of North Winthrop.

The results of her autopsy were still pending Friday evening, and police said they were still investigating the case.

“It’s tough, very hard. Very, very hard,” her father, Abduselam Ali, said on Friday.

The night of March 8 was the last time Mona Ali’s family saw her alive, they said.

She was getting dressed to go to a party and told her parents she was waiting for a family friend, 18-year-old Issa Issa, to give her a ride, according to her father. He said she left the house about 9 p.m.

“She went out with her friends to a party. We don’t know exactly what happened,” he said.

But in an interview, Issa said he was working at the time and that he did not pick Mona Ali up.

Issa said Ali told him she took a taxi from her house to an Edgewater hookah lounge to hang out with friends from Harold Washington College, where she, like Issa, was a student.

He met the group at 11 p.m. after he got off work. Some of the group later ended up “driving around the city,” and eventually went to hang out at Montrose Harbor until after 1 a.m., he said.

Issa drove some of the others in the group to their cars, he said.

When they pulled up to Ali’s home, she told him, “‘I’m not going home,’” Issa said. She instead asked him to drop her off at an apartment two blocks away, near Leland and Winthrop. He had dropped her off at that address “two or three times” before but he did not know who she was meeting and he did not see if she actually went inside, he said.

“That was the last time I talked to her in person,” Issa said.

What happened next and with whom she met is unclear. Attempts to interview residents in the building were unsuccessful.

Issa said she texted him at 2:30 a.m. asking about her cell phone charger, which was in his car.

Abduselam Ali said that he and his wife spent the morning of March 9 calling their daughter’s cell phone after they awoke at home and realized that she was not there. Nobody answered until about 2 p.m. — when police picked up and told them their daughter was dead, he said. Police Sgt. Jason Clark, who works out of the Town Hall police district, said that Mona Ali’s body “was indoors when [police] found her.”

Police said there were no obvious visual signs of foul play when they found her body, but would not comment further and have not released any other details about their investigation.

Her family and friends were in a state of shock after hearing about her death.

“She was very cool and very calm. She never had any problems with anybody,” her father said.

A graduate of Senn High School in Edgewater, Ali was in her first year of studies at Harold Washington.

“We had this group of people and we used to always hang and have lunch together,” said Noora Yousuf, 20, who was in Senn’s ROTC program with Ali before both graduated in 2012. Yousuf said Ali would “never smoke or drink in her life.”

Yousuf saw Ali a week before her death, but thought Ali was playing a practical joke when she didn’t respond to texts Yousuf sent last weekend.

“Mona stop messing with me. Mona pick up,” one of the texts read.

Yousuf said when she visited the Ali family Monday, she hoped the whole thing wasn’t true and her friend would still be alive.

“I walked into her apartment, and I still had this little hope that I’d see her there — I had this hope in me that I’d see her,” she said.

But it was only Mona Ali’s grieving family and friends.

“Her father is really strong,” Yousuf said.”He told me, ‘Whatever happened is written already.’”

Source

Qabsoon Itti fufa!
Gabrummaan ni kufa!

- Qeerroo.org

MINNEAPOLIS — Ethnic diversity is shaping Minnesota’s culture in many ways, and there’s a small but growing movement in the United States to make Sunday morning church services more culturally diverse.

However, the vast majority of the nation’s religious services remain monocultural, with just one language, race or ethnic group represented.

– Full Story (Minnesota.PublicRadio.org)

Sirni Wayyaanee ummata Oromoo hiyyoomsuun jilbeenfachiisuuf lafa isaa irraa buqqaasuu akka tooftaatti dhimma itti bahaa akka jiru ni beekama. Keessattuu ummata Oromoo Gidduu Galeessa Oromiyaa bakka gabaatti dhihoo fi geejjibaaf aanjaa qabu keessa jiraatu lafa dhablee taasisuun kan karooraan qabamee bal’inaan adeemsifamu dha.

Hammeenyii addaa diinaan ummata keenya irratti fudhatamaa jiru kun bakkayyuutti mormii itti dhalchee waan jiruuf tarkaanfiileen humna addaan fudhatamaa jiran itti fufanii jiran. Akka kanaan Caamsaa 29, 2012 humni addaa WBO Shawaa Bahaa keessa sosso’u magaalaa Boosat keessatti miseensa tikaa Wayyaanee Chaaynaatti baratee kampany chaynaa keessa hojjatu irratti tarkaanfii maayii fudhatee jira. Miseensi tikaa Wayyaanee Tasfayee Asseggid jedhamu tarkaanfiin irratti fudhatame kun amanamaa sirnichaa tahuun kanneen ummata Oromoo lafa irraa buqqaasuun beekaman keessaa tokko.

Sirni Wayyaanee tarkaanfii humni addaa WBO fudhate kanaan rifates ummata fayyaaleyyii iirratti tarkaanfii gara jabinaa fudhatuu irratti argama.

IUOf!

(OromoLiberationFront.org)

Radion Marii sagantaa isaarratti dhaggeffatoota ykn dawattota fuulleen hirmaachisuuf irratti hojjetaa jira. Ammaaf garuu sagantaa marii (gaaff fi deebii) tahuuf deemu dursinee beeksisuun dhageeffattotni keenya akka qooda irraa fudhtaniif mijeessuu yaala. Akuma kanatti, sagantaa keenya 06-02-2012 darbuuf gaaffii fi deebii Dr Dima Nagawo waliin taasisuuf yaadna. Dhimma Oromi fi Oromoo irratti gaaffii ykn yaada ka’uu malu jettan yoo qabattan bilbila 404-424-4851 bilbilaa yaada kee’adha ykn dhugaahima@gmail.com barreessa.

Galatoomaa

Since December, worshipers at Friday prayers nationwide have been criticizing the state’s alleged attempts to impose the al Ahbash, a moderate sect of Islam, on the community via an unrepresentative, politicized Islamic Supreme Affairs Council. Officials deny any interference.

The protest movement in most major cities among the nation’s 30 to 40 million Muslims – about one-third of Ethiopia’s population – has been largely peaceful and contained to mosque compounds.

– Full Story (Christian Science Monitor)

Jaal Artist Kadir Said:

Jaal Artist Adam Haaruun:

Jaal Artist Ebbisaa Addunyaa:

Mooraan Yuunivarsiitii Adaamaa filannoo gamtaa barattootaaf taasifamuuf ulaagaa miseensummaa OPDO qabu lafa kaa’e. Haalli kunis mooraa yuunivarsiitii Adaamaa keessatti mormii jabaa kaasaa kan jiru yoommuu tahu, Mootummaa wayyaanees yaaddoo guddaa keessa buusee jira. Filannoo gamtaa barattootaa deemsifamu keessatti miseensota OPDO hin taane keessatti hiriirsinaan miseensota ABO horuu danda’u soda jedhuun aanga’oonni Wayyaanee ulaagaa kana lafa kaa’ee jira. Barattootni mooraa yuunivarsiitichaa mootummaa Wayyaanee waliin harka wal keessa naqachuun kaayyoo kana fiixaan baasuuf kanneen yaalan keessaa.

– Full Story (Qeeroo.org)

Ummaannii Oromoo seeraan alaa Qee’ee isaa irraa buqqifamaa jira, Qabeenyaan Ummaataa Oromoo lafti gabataa fi albuudaa of keessaa qabuu fi Omiishaa garaagaraaf mijaa’aa ta’ee dabarfamee inveesiteroota alagaaf kennamuuf jedhcha ummanni Oromoo Godinaa Wallaaggaa Bahaa Onotaa Armaan gadii irraa Caamsaa 23, 2012 qe’ee isaa irraa humnaan akka gadhiisee deemu ajaji battalaa itti kennamee yeroo itti meshaa isaa fi da’immaan isaa walitti qabatu dhabuun humna waraana Wayyaaneen reebamaa qe’ee fi maasii isaa akka gadhiisu taasifame qabeenyaa fi lafti irraa fudhatames Caamsaa 24, 2012 investeroota heddumminaan naannicha dhufaniif hiramaa olee akka jiru beekama. Naannooleen ummanni irraa buqifaman keessaa.

– Full Story (Qeerroo)

The following is an interview of Dr. Ali Birra with the Ethiopian Reporter.

Some of the rumours have it that you had a tumour, some say that it is cancer and others that one of your eyes is blind?
It is all true. For the past three years, three major things affected my life. Three years ago, I was diagnosed for colon cancer and had surgery; they were able to remove it. After the follow-up, now I am free from cancer. After a year, I was treated with glaucoma, they opened my head to correct my eyes and through the process they made a mistake, which cost me one of my eyes. The other eye as well only sees half of things. The surgery was performed in Canada and they did a mistake during surgery. They scraped the nerves while trying to remove the tumour. All I do is pray to God to make it all for good. Now, I feel fine.

We have also learned that you have been away from music for a while to focus on charity work. Can you elaborate on that?
I have not completely abandoned my musical work. It has been forty-nine years since I embarked on a musical career and for the celebration of my 50th anniversary next year, I am planning to release my last album and retire. But for now, my priority is charity work. The organization, which was founded by my wife and me, works on education and health in Ethiopia. It is really sad to see kids going to school without breakfast and torn, shabby uniforms; and we wanted to do something about that. When we were discussing the issue we realized that we had the opportunity and the access to help some of the kids. It is really sad to see the situation and not doing anything about it; in a way it makes us ignorant and we decided to start the Birra Children’s Education Fund.

– Full Story (Oromia Times)

Muna Ibrahim says she loves living in Garden City.

A 32-year-old mother of six, Ibrahim said the quality of education has improved for her children. Four out of six of them attend Florence Wilson Elementary School.

Before she and her husband, Mamfoud Mohamed, moved to Garden City in 2008, Ibrahim lived in Kansas City, Mo.

The community has been welcoming and has given the family many opportunities, Ibrahim said.

Read more: http://www.gctelegram.com/news/oromo-picnic-5-14-12#ixzz1uv0esILi

Akkamu hedduu kennya hubannutti ummata Empaayara Itopia keessa qophatu harki guddaan Islaama. Haa tahuu malee, hamma yeroo dhihootti islamummaan madda kabajaa fi ulfinaa osoo hin tahin akka asxaa salphinaa fi gad aantummaatti ilaalamaa turee jira.

Kessaahuu, hamma bara 1930-mootatti islaamummaan akka amantii ummata itoopiaa hin tahin fi Empaayarattiin diddibboo kiristianaa jedhamtee akka yaamamtuu fi “Isalaamota” (Muslimoota) itopia jechuu caalaa Islaamota itopia keessa qubatan jedhamanii akka ibasamaa turan seenaan nu yaadachiisa.

– Full Statement (Ayyaantuu.com)

The Coon Rapids-based company has embarked on new construction in Fridley for its expanding transportation services, and its client list just keeps building.

Ethiopian-born Tashitaa Tufaa started the company in 2003, after he lost his civil service position with the Minneapolis Housing Authority. He’d been a bus driver earlier in his career as a way to make money during graduate school, so he was familiar with the industry and decided to take a leap into having his own company.

– Full Story (bizjournals.com)

Oduun biyyoota addunyaa addaddaa keessaa bahaa jiru akka ibsutti sabboontoti Oromoo bara kana keessa Guyyaan Gootota Oromoo kan kabajatan gootota Oromoo qabsoo Bilisummaa irratti wareegaman yaadachuun callaa miti.

– Full Story (Oromedia)

– Full Story (Qeerroo.org)