In the United States, several Islamic organisations are defending rapists and criminals merely because of their Muslim identity. The Al-Ihsan Islamic Center in Minnesota wrote a community support letter in July this year, for a Somali Muslim immigrant, Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, who is convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl. Dirie was awarded a 12 year prison sentence.
Dirie was born in Somalia, during the country’s civil war and spent his days in a Kenyan refugee camp before migrating to the US in 2006. While Dirie’s citizenship status remains unclear, he stayed mostly in Minnesota and North Dakota.
In July 2024, the Somali Muslim immigrant was booked for raping a 12-year-old girl. As per the complaint lodged in this matter, the victim was playing in the backyard of her family’s home in Minneapolis when Dirie started talking to her from an alley behind the house. He allegedly asked if the victim’s mother was home, and the victim said she was not. The accused left the spot only to return after some time. He put his hand over the victim’s mouth, forced her into a car, struck over her head and drove the car away to a short distance and raped her. Somehow, the victim eventually ran back to her home.
Later, the accused was arrested by the police. In May this year, the court found Dirie guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against the minor. Dirie’s family wrote letters to the judge after his conviction, urging him to consider Dirie’s ‘character’ and ‘contributions’ while deciding his punishment.
Besides, the family’s letter, the Al-Ihsan Islamic Center also wrote a “Community Support Letter for Qalinle Dirie” letter to the judge.
“We, the undersigned members of the Somali community, write this letter to express our strong and heartfelt support for Qalinle Dirie, a member of our community,” the letter reads.
ST. PAUL, MN: An Islamic Center in Minnesota recently wrote a “community support letter” on behalf of 41-year-old Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, a Somali immigrant who abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl.
The letter, written to ask the judge to consider a lighter sentence for Dirie,… pic.twitter.com/9nBqLwcRK3
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) August 2, 2025
Justifying Dirie’s heinous crime, the Islamic Center said, “Dirie faced the challenge of starting over in a new culture,” and Dirie was known as an outgoing, family-oriented person before “this situation”.
It further highlighted, the Muslim rapist’s love for his family and children, adding that Dirie has also been an active volunteer in, Al-Ihsan Islamic Center mosque, “where he regularly visited during Friday prayers, Ramadan, and community events.”
“You’ll often find him helping elders find rides home or staying after to help clean up. His service has never been about recognition — just a quiet commitment to supporting the spaces that hold our community together. The situation [Dirie] is currently facing comes as a deep shock to all of us. It does not reflect the man we know, a man whose actions have consistently reflected family and community. We respectfully ask that this letter be considered as a sincere reflection of who Qalinle Dirie truly is. His contributions may not make headlines, but to us, he has made a positive difference,” the letter signed by Ahmed Anshur, the executive director of the Al-Ihsan Islamic Center reads.
The Al-Ihsan Center projected a rapist as some sort of hero and a victim since he is a Muslim, making no mention of the crime he is convicted of, let alone condemning him for the same.