An Islamic center in St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote a letter on behalf of a Somali immigrant convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl, asking a judge to consider its “heartfelt support” of the 42-year-old perpetrator when sentencing.
The letter, posted by Alpha News on X, was sent to Judge Michael E. Burns in the pre-sentencing phase after a jury convicted Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, 42, of first-degree sexual conduct after he allegedly approached a young girl last June when she was playing in the backyard of her home.
According to Alpha News and other news outlets’ reports, Dirie asked the girl if her mother was home. She told him no. He left, but returned ten minutes later, forced her into his car, hit her over the head, and sexually assaulted her. She then escaped the vehicle and fled to her house, where she hid in her bathroom.
Police arrested Dirie a month later during a sting that was set up by the victim’s family, which lured him to their home.
Dirie reportedly was born in Somalia during the country’s civil war and grew up in Kenyan refugee camps. He immigrated to the United States in 2006, spent time in Minnesota, where there is a large Somali community, and then spent several years in North Dakota before moving back in 2014.
The sentencing judge received several letters from family members, citing him as a “hard working” and “deeply good man” who “enriches the lives of others around him.”
The Al-Ihsan Islamic in St. Paul echoed the family members, writing that Dirie had “faced the challenge of starting over in a new culture,” expressed “love for his family and kids,” and even sent money back to Somalia to support family members there.
The letter concluded:
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.
Judge Burns’ sentence was the least amount of prison time recommended by Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines, according to Alpha News. He potentially could be released in 2033 and remain on probation for the rest of the sentence.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
