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The Somali people are an ethnic group in Maine. As of 2013, there were around 10,000 Somalis in Lewiston and Portland. ==History== In the 2000s, Somali immigrants in the United States began a secondary migration to Maine from other states on account of the area's low crime rate, good schools and cheap housing.〔(Perceived Barriers to Somali Immigrant Employment in Lewiston - A Supplement to Maine’s Department of Labor Report )〕 In October 2002, then-Mayor Laurier T. Raymond wrote an open letter addressed to leaders of the Somali community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that they discourage further relocation to Lewiston. The letter angered some persons and prompted some community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the immigrants' presence and those who opposed it. In January 2003, a small white supremacist group demonstrated in Lewiston in support of the mayor, prompting a simultaneous counter-demonstration of about 4,000 people at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition".〔 Only 32 attended the rally by the white supremacist group. The mayor was out of state on the day of the rallies, while governor John Baldacci and other officials attended. In 2006, a severed frozen pig's head was also thrown into a Lewiston mosque while the faithful were praying. This was considered very offensive by the town's Muslim community, as swine is proscribed in Islam. The culprit admitted to the act and claimed it to be a joke. He later committed suicide.〔(SunJournal.com - Man kills self outside Marden's )〕 In 2006, KPMG International released a study identifying the best places to do business around the world and ranked Lewiston as the best in New England.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829033358/http://ci.lewiston.me.us/news/2006/08-03-06b.htm )〕 In January 2009, ''Newsweek'' associated a drop in crime rate, soaring income per capita and increased business activity in Lewiston with recent immigration to the town by Somalis. In June 2011, the ''Lewiston Sun Journal'' also noted the growing number of Somali recent immigrants earning high school degrees, with more enrolling in local community colleges. The university students consist of both adult undergraduate and continuing education pupils, as well as high school graduates.〔(For Somali grad, Lewiston feels like home ) - ''Lewiston Sun Journal''〕〔(More Somali students graduate, find success ) - ''Lewiston Sun Journal''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of the Somalis in Maine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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