This just goes to show that Cabdalla Xaaji Cali and the other Parliamentarians, who went public with the map that was found in Geedi's office, were right. Many dismissed the whistleblowers’ concerns as a desperate smear campaign orchestrated by the Islamic Courts, but can one give Caydiid's mind-boggling statement an equally casual dismissal? I think not. Meles and his Somali co-conspirators can dream all they want. They will be put back in touch with reality soon enough.

Jaylaani, walaal ha iga xumaan. I have nothing against Djiboutians. Practically half my family is from Djibouti and I have been there myself. Dal shisheeye iyo dad shisheeye mihnaba uma arko. Being a Somalilander may indeed be a state of mind, but differences of opinion are to be expected, don't you think? It's perfectly fine to disagree with others, but I personally don't believe anyone has the right to question or negate parts of another's identity simply because he/she has different opinions. Your comment seemed odd to me for that reason. I hope there are no hard feelings though.

Something tells me a PM would have been a more appropriate channel through which to make an inquiry like this (politely). Originally posted by Jaylaani: Red Sea isn't from Somaliland. His family is from there but his heart belong to some where else so he would say YES. Huh? Ma adoo Djiboutien ah oo Quartier Balaayo shalay ka soo baxay ayaad qof Hargeysa ku soo barbaaray hadda Somaliland ka xigsanaysaa? Belo. Red, Keep your head up. Your views, however you define them, do not make you any less of a Somali or any less of a Lander, for that matter. Qof dagan oo iska qalbi furan ayaa lugu moodaa ee dabeecad-wanaagan aad muujiso Ilaahay ha kuu ilaaliyo.

What great pictures. Brings back memories of all the time I spent at Jaziira and Liido as a kid. Those were the days. PS - The ban on female beach-goers was unnecessary. A more accommodating arrangement could have been worked out.

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: Sheikh is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen particularly the surrounding countryside. Qabow u diyaar garoow. I was young and I still remember freaking out after seeing "clouds" moving below the mountains. I have incredibly fond memories of Sheikh, too. It's such a great place. I lived there for well over a year when I was younger. Muqdisho was all I knew before then so Sheikh was unlike anything I had ever seen. Its weather, its rugged highland-like environment, its small town feel. The whole place has as an enchanting lure that is just unforgettable. Originally posted by Dabshid: These are future leaders of the country. Boys out number the girls, but that will change insha allah in the future. Indeed, they are the future leaders. The reason there are fewer female students is because the girls' dormitory is smaller than that of the boys. Sheikh Secondary School was originally an all-male boarding school. The first female dorms were added on a few years ago, while the rest of the compound was being rebuilt and repaired. I figure having at least some sisters there is better than having none at all. The school has been open for three years now so, insha’allah, student enrolment will increase as time passes and the male-to-female ratio will hopefully begin to normalize when more female dorms are built.

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: Xasan Guuleed Abtidoon. [Taloow manoolyahay?] The strangest thing happened. I watched this video yesterday evening and then made a passing remark to someone about Abtidoon's longevity. He didn't look a day below 70 in the video, I said, but the old geezer is still alive and kicking. The same person I made that remark to just told me that Abtidoon died last night. Ilaahay ha u naxariisto. He was 90. ETA: Iyagoo la hadal hayo ayey dadku sii socdaan ma is tidhaahdeen. Ileyn geeridu waa wax ina wada sugaysee.

It's what one makes of it, that is for sure. If these rap lyrics are hate speech, they're mild. I have seen and read far, far worse from both sides of the political divide. One always can fret and call attention to such silly things, but what is the point – really? To generate more hate and reinforce people's mutual misperceptions of each other? Please. Spare me, I say.

Libaaxow, I wouldn't know a Jubba accent if it greeted me on the street. Some people can pick up the slightest lilts and pinpoint the small, give-away markers of people's regional accents, but I'm not at all familiar with Jubbooyinka or how folks down there speak. The Sheikh does seem to be doing just fine, though. Some of the rumours also said he was injured in the Bu'aale battle and then rushed to Marka for treatment, but I'm assuming there is no truth to that either.

Thanks for the link, Juje. The Sheikh's tone of voice is a bit different in the two clips, but it still sounds to me as though it is the same man in both interviews. Turki seems to be learning how to stay calm and mince his words when speaking with the media. He struck me as the Faysal Cali Waraabe of the Islamic Courts with his old (tactless) style of public speaking so this new style might turn out to be a change for the better. Sheikh Shariif had to do damage control for the Islamic Courts after Sheikh Turki's first interview and Sheikh Aweys did the same after the second. Maybe that kind of embarrassed him, maybe other members of the ICU advised him to stop airing the more covert aspects of their agenda, and maybe all of that has prompted him to try to be a bit more media savvy or, at the very least, more selective with what he says in public. Whatever the case may be, I'm convinced the rumour about his death was just that, a rumour.

Just when you think the rumour of this Sheikh's death has come to an end, it takes a bizarre twist. Only time will tell, I guess. Juje, however much Somalis may dabble in the sinister art of propaganda manufacturing these days, the extent of their very limited technological know-how often shows itself. That much was certainly true for the supposed torture video, which was an obvious fake, but I cannot even begin to try to determine if this particular interview is real or not because I haven't heard Xasan Turki's voice before. If someone could direct me to a previous interview of his, I would appreciate it.

The thought of volunteering sounds tempting, but I'm afraid it would be too much of a hassle for me because I don't live anywhere near the location of the conference. Can those of you who have volunteered at the RIS convention before please explain what the volunteers are required to do, the hours they work, and such things. I would greatly appreciate it. Originally posted by x_quizit: Hayam, I'm also looking forward to RIS. Well, well. Look who it is. Glad to see you're still alive, huuno.

Originally posted by Ahmed_Guree: ^^^ If wishes were horses beggers would ride on them. The life and death of Turki is in the Hands of the creator. But if the time would come that he departs then sadly for the wishers of death their are 1000's of Turkis to replace him. So swallow your anger and curse. How you deduced a coded, angry curse –- a death wish upon another human being, in fact -– from what little I wrote earlier is beyond me. Reread my previous post and make your case with specific references, my fellow nomad. Else, I will have no choice but to jump to a few conclusions of my own: namely, that reading and comprehension are not your strong suits.

So that strangely intriguing rumour about Turki's death is true, eh? This is certainly another one of those things that makes you go, 'Hmmm.' Let us see if the story receives wider circulation among Somali news mediums in the coming days.

The leaders of the Islamic Courts should really choose their friends and affiliates wisely. It behoves them to maintain a clean image. Rather than having an open-door policy and unquestioningly welcoming every shady character who claims to be on their side, they ought to ask themselves exactly what these hangers-on are bringing to the table and whether theirs is a positive contribution or not. The likes of Abshir Bacadle are a dime a dozen the world over. As people, they lack integrity and have no real moral compass; you can always find them eulogizing and furiously rubbing up against whoever happens to be King of the Hill at any given moment in an effort to sanctify their own existence. As poets, they are the uncultured and socially unconscious bottom-feeders of the Somali literary scene, who often make up for their lack of skill and substance with the sheer bite of their venomous words. Too heedless to care about the power and destructive potential of their words, they are also quick to sew mischief, spark enmity, and beat the drums of war. People like Abshir Bacadle have always been around, and I suppose they always will, but the red carpet treatment he has gotten as of late is surprisingly distasteful. Last month he was even featured in the ICU's big Eid Day celebration, during which he chanted some things before a crowd of roughly 10,000 -- preceded only by the speeches of Sheikh Aweys and Sheikh Shariif. Instead of distancing themselves from the rhetoric and person of such an individual, the leaders of the Islamic Courts have given Bacadle a platform and made him their unofficial panegyrist. How disappointing.

What Taq Din al-Hilali said in the Ramadan sermon and what he later claimed to have meant to say (read: his copout) are very different. The article mentioned that he has not mastered the English language, despite having lived in Australia for twenty-four years, and that may be a factor -- albeit, a teeny-tiny one –- in his poorly-chosen use of that meat analogy. He ought to resign, and then enroll himself in an ESL class. Once he learns how to say what he means and mean what he says, al-Hilali should write a how-to book entitled What Not to Say When Explaining the Virtues of the Hijab: For Dummies and he should then donate the proceeds to the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSS). I find his assertion that women are almost entirely to blame for the sins people accrue in acts of adultery more shocking than the actual comment about "uncovered meat". Al-Hilali seems to be working with the ignorant yet still prevalent belief that women are innately sinful and wicked, and any act of sexual impropriety of which they are a part -- be it consensual or not -- is something they ultimately brought on themselves and the men. The reprehensible logic behind that is more in line with Biblical absurdities, which can be traced back to early Christian accounts of Eve's role in the 'original sin', than anything written in the Holy Qur'an. In saying my Qur'an this and my Qur'an that, I cannot help but wonder if al-Hilali was subconsciously, and of course mistakenly, thinking of his copy of Genesis. I suppose we will never know.

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: Aweys is a former associate of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden but denies his group has any aspirations other than bringing long-awaited peace to a divided nation. Well, that's a first. I've come across countless articles comparing the Islamic Courts to the Taliban or making a broad (and still unproven) connection between them and al-Qaeda, but this is the first time I've seen someone draw a direct link, as Ms. Shephard does here, between Sheikh Aweys and bin Laden. Goodness. It's amazing what nonsense some reporters think they can slip into an article and get away with so long as the rest of their content sounds remotely believable.

*Bump* For one, I would disagree with the notion that 'Somalia is already dead' and, hence, can withstand the efforts of anyone that may attempt to set it ablaze in the hope of sparking some kind of an immediate spiritual rejuvenation. This forestry analogy has a maniacally reckless quality that I find a bit unsettling. Frankly, it sounds to me like something only those in the comfort of their homes in the West, while pontificating possible quick fixes for Somalia's dire state of affairs, can afford to entertain with any degree of seriousness. Needless to say, I find the slash-and-burn proposition off-putting; in part, because I'm inclined to think such an imprudent would backfire if the UIC actually used it, but, more importantly, because any reasonable person would have misgivings about whether those kinds of tactics would be lawful (Islamically) to begin with. Leaving those considerations aside, I cannot get past the fact that the slash-and-burn proposition rests on the outlandish premise that Somalia's religious consciousness is dead. When viewed from a different angle, this line of reasoning would suggest that the problems in Somalia are rooted in a crisis of belief. (How did you determine that one, Xiin?) Not only is this premise wrong, in my view, it also poses dangerous implications that would further factionalize Somali society.

To think this whole discussion sprang from a write-up on Haatuf, of all places. LOL. For future reference, nomads: Haatuf is not a reliable site. (Granted, one could of course say that about many other Somali 'news' sites out there.) Beware.

Deleted. (Wrong thread.)

^^^ MySpace can generate trillions for its makers, for all I care. It's useless in terms of content and, at the end of the day, that is really all that matters from the perspective of a potential user (and by that I mean one with standards).

Ugh. I abhor MySpace. What is the point of that online community again? Oh, that's right. There is none.

It's good to see the site in working order again. Keep up the good work, Admin(s). You may not hear it said often, but even those of us in Lurkdom appreciate it.

*Bump* Okay. This thread receded into Never Never Land long ago, but I have a request to make. Last week, I heard a nice little tune by Saado Cali on the BBC's dedications segment. It was a revamped version of an old song of hers that goes: Naftaydaa kuu jirraban Waxay haysa jamashadaa Adaan kuu jeelanahaye Jacayl baad igu abuurtay Ma jiifsado caawadii Daraartii ma joogi karo Dhinaca aad iga jirtaa Qalibigu ii jiidayaa... I know Hamarey.com has a video clip of Saado performing this song at a televised New Year's celebration from 1989. That's an old version, and I don't want it. I'm looking for the newer one, which, though I haven't a clue when it was made, sounded like it was set to Qaaci music. The Qaraami/Qaaci music aficionados lurking about can take this as their cue to come out of hiding. I need to know where I can find this song, and your help will be appreciated, folks.

Walle, Soomaalidu waa dad yaab leh. This letter is thoroughly inauthentic. Pay close attention to the date, folks.

^^^ I'm saying the idea that the Land of Punt was located in the Somali peninsula is one theory among many, which are now considered more or less unreliable, so it should not be portrayed as a firmly established fact.