Muse was born in Galkayo, a divided city in Somalia. The Federal Bureau of Prisons states he was born in 1990, while his mother states he was born in 1992, and his father states he was born in 1993.
He grew up in poverty often without food or clothes. At a young age he was kicked in the face by a camel and lost two of his front teeth. By the age of 12, he was living alone and initially worked as an assistant to taxi drivers before working as a cook for fishermen. He was married in 2008 but could not afford to establish a home for himself and his wife.
At a hearing to determine Muse’s age, Assistant United States Attorney Brendan McGuire informed U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck, that Muse had told Americans he was variously 16, 18, 19 and 26 years old.
Muse is short in stature—Colleen Long and Larry Neumeister, writing for the Associated Press, reported that Muse was, “only five foot two inches (157 cm) tall.”
