No Section

Somali soiree

December 13, 2010 at 10:45PM

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Anwar Maxamed Diiriye and Saharla Jama (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Every parking spot and seat was filled at the Safari Restaurant and Banquet Center, where an enthusiastic crowd gathered last weekend to see Dr. Hawa Abdi of Somalia.

Abdi and her daughter, Amina Mohamed, were in the Twin Cities at the invitation of two local organizations, the Somali Union and the Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council.

"She is considered to be a real hero," said Khalif Ahmed, chairman of the Somali Union, which raises funds for health and education and encourages cohesiveness in the Somali community. "People admire her for staying when most of the doctors left Somalia."

When Somalia's civil war began in 1991, Abdi allowed refugees to stay on her farm. Nearly 20 years later, thousands still reside there. Just this spring, she was held hostage and the hospital she founded was destroyed by militants.

Since then, the Minnesota Somali community raised $10,000 for Abdi's foundation. Additional funds were collected for the hospital during the event at the Safari Restaurant.

Abdi has been traveling in the United States for more than a month. In November, she was recognized at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York, where Katie Couric introduced her.

She said she wanted to visit the Twin Cities to "see my Somali community and to tell them what is happening inside Somalia."

Sara Glassman • 612-673-7177

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Dr. Amina Mohamed and her mother Dr. Hawa Abdi (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Mahamed Cali, executive director of Somali American Community; Layla Ali and Masir Arush (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Said Sheik-Abdi, Dr. Hawa Abdi and Daniel Wordsworth, CEO of American Refugee Committee (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Salma, Abdulkadir, Furkan and Ikhlas Addow. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Abdirizak Nur, Mohamed Magan and Abia Ali (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Mohamed Samatar and Raho Warsme (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sara Glassman, sglassman@startribune.com The Somali Union and Internally Displaced Somali Advisory Council sponsored a celebration of the humanitarian work of Hawa Abdi, MD. The Somali gynecologist and her two daughters, also doctors, have a hospital in Somalia that serves 300 patients a day. Abdi Ahmed, owner of the Safari Restaurant and Banquet Center and Habon Abdulle (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)