A Somali immigrant living in Minnesota was found guilty in May of the 2024 abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl. Prior to sentencing last week, the court received a glowing letter of “heartfelt support” for the defendant from the Al-Ihsan Islamic Center in St. Paul.

The letter described the convicted rapist, Oalinle Ibrahim Dirie, 42, as “a devoted family man,” and asked that the court grant him leniency because he “has faced the challenge of starting over in a new culture,” according to the Minnesota-based Alpha News.

So it’s just a cultural difference? They seem to imply that abducting pre-teen girls from their back yard and raping them is a part of the Somali culture, so the court should take that into consideration.

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