Muridi bro. I get dizzy reading your write-up, can you simplify it a bit? it seems that you have a lot in your mind but unable to walk slowly for others to follow you. Everyword you write triggers a topic of its own, such as your Title ( Araathilunaa) but, there is no connection between the words or the sentences. Try to compose your thoughts with simplicity to be beneficial. Some of my thoughts regarding your write up: Being Muslim is not a sentence to poverty, but poverty of wealth is endured in Islam to gain richness of faith, instead of having richness of material wealth and poverty and decadence of moral faith. Islam is a faith of Universal brotherhood for all of mankind, it has no borders, nationalism nor tribalism. If the game is nationalism, we cant beat them, we are playing a different game, Islam is for all of mankind, it crosses borders to reach hearts of the faithful everywhere. Boasting is not an Islamic Virtue, delivering goodness and kindness to people without taking credit for it is an Islamic character , Allah SWT instructs Muslims to do good on earth and never expect fame nor recognition for it, Quraan says " Laa Nuriidu minkum jazaa;an walaa shukuuraa" " say, we want no reward nor gratitude (for our kind actions) toward you" Brother Islam does mean SURRENDER, but not to humans, to ALLAH alone. I hope I clarified some of your thoughts! Nur

Sophist bro. Indeed akhi, These men have revived the Sunnah in a time of upheavals in the Muslim world, without their contributions, much of the Islamic rebirth & enlightenment would not have been possible. May Allah reward them for their valuable work. Rest assured that their shoes will be filled, Islam is self rejuvenating faith, tomorrow's Taymiyas, Albanis are at higher education institutions working on religious issues of importance to the ummah. Nur

Baarkallahu Feek, Akhi Xiin Sidaad u haleeshay, dhiig joojinta ayaa ugu mushimsan waqtiga xaadirka ah. Dabadeed, waxaa furmi kara wada hadallo walaalaha isugu soo dhawaadaan inshAllah. Xiinow, inta aan la sameyn soohdimo ( Borders) kala qaybisa qolyaha iska soo horjeeda, waxaa ila quman in la doorto guddi dhexdhexaadiya ooy labada qoloba ku kalsoon yihiin, oo ka koobma Culimada Somaliyeed, Madaxda qolyaha ku loollamaya hoggaaminta umadda.. Si marka kalsoonidii loo soo celiyo, waa in wax waliba sidey ahaan jireen Dowladdii Maxaakimta lagu soo celiyaa, UNDO, maxaa yeelay, Xabashida iyo khaaimiintii waddanka soo geliyey waa ineyan marna ka faaideysan fara gelinta Xabashida, iyo Calooshood u shaqeystaaysha Afrikaanka, oo markaas ayan ku helin matalaad, maxaa yeelay, khiyaanada waddanka abaalgud ma laha, ee ciqaab baa lagu muteystaa. Waddanku Markey Maxaakimta Hayeen waxaa afhayeen u ahaa Shariifka, waxaa Dusha Ka xukumay Sheikh Daahir, waxaa ciidan u ahaa Dhallin yarada iyo ciidamada maxkamadaha ku gaarka ah. Waxaa aasaas u ahaa kacdoonkaas oo dhan in waddanka lagu xukumo Shareecada Islaamka. Hadaba, heshiis waara wuxuu ka bilaaban karaa in meeshii la joogay December 2006, laga soo bilaabo mar labaad si howlahii Mareykanka iyo Xabashida ka dhexgaleen ay u dhameytiraan. 1. Shisheeye waddanka waa ineyan joogin. 2. Waa in la soo celiyaa guddigii Maxaakimta oo ka koobmay Maxkamdaha, iyo Dhallinyarada u gurmatay. 3. Waa iney meeshii ka sii wadaan nabadda, ooy dajiyaan Dastuurka Dowladda Islamiga ah ee Somalia. 4. Waa iney Maxaakimtu noqotaa hey'ad ka madax bannan Dowladda ( Independent Judiciary) 5. Waa iney Maxaakimtu yeelataa ciidan ilaaliya Sharciga Allah iyo amniga waddanka, ciidankaasna waa inuu hoos yimaaddaa Maxaakimta. 6. Waa in markaas ay Maxaakiimtu doorataa Majlisu Shuraa. 7. Waa inuu Majlisu Shuuraa doorto Xaakimka waddanka Xukumaya. 8. Xaakima waddanka oo heysta awoodda ay siiyeen Majilisu Shuuraa waxaa markaas sugeysa inuu waaqica jira uu wax ka qabto. Waaqica Maanta Jira Waddanku Wuxuu hadda u qaybsan yahay dhowr Qaybood: 1. Qayb Sheegatay iney Somalia Ka goosatay. Somaliland, Shariif ilaa iyo hadda faraha ayuu ka qaadey, wax ku qasbaya Somaliland iney Shariif hoos imaato ma jiraan. 2. Qayb sheegatay Dowlad hoose, laakin ogol Xukun Federaali Puntland 3. Qaybo kala duwan oon aan weli hal qolo u sugnaan, oo hadba qolo qabsato. 4. Caasimadda Muqdisho iyo agagaarkeeda oo intii ay Xabashida ka baxday aan weli qolona wada sheeganin, haseyeeshee la wada joogo, ahan meesha u baahan in soohdintii aad sheegtay ( Beirut Green Line) oo kale laga sameeyo. Koofurta Somalia, Kismaayo iyo Baidhabo iyo inta labada webi u dhexeysa ilaa Xuduudda Kenya/Xabashida, waxaa hadda gacanta ku haya dhallinyarada Kacdoonka ah. Haddii Culimada ay xooggooda saaran hal arrin, dhiig ma daadan doono inshAllah: 1. Inay sameeyaan INSTITUTION umaadda ku kalsoon tahay sida Urur ay u dhan yihiin Culimada Somalia oo dhan, oon qolona ka maqneyn. Nur

Top Girl Alhamdulillah sis, that was a great decision, may Allah make your feet firm on your faith, to stay the course, you will need discipline, dont skip your Dugsi classes, no matter rain or snow, or laziness, just pull yourself and get your self there, inshAllah you will be a great lady. Nur

Walaale Xiin Waxaa iga su'aal ah marka hore, Dowladda Shariif, Maxey ku saleysan tahay? Ma Sharciga Allah ayey ku saleysan tahay si ay ummadda oo dhan waajib ugu noqoto iney taageeraan, mise wexey ku saleysan tahay qaanuunka qurumaha midoobay, iyo citiraafka Xabishada, Mareykanka iyo wixii soo raacay? Haddey Dowladda Shariif ku saleysan tahay Shareecada Allah, kulligeen waxaa na saaran waajib iyo amaano inaan adeecno, u gargaarno, xafidno nafteenna iyo maalkeennana u hurno ilaalinteeda. Haddey ku saleysan tahay Nadaamka Caalamiga ah, ooy jiritaankeedu ku saleysan yahay qaraaraadka duwaliga ah, Waxaa is weydiin leh: 1. Somalia Ma Somali Baa leh, Mise Qurumaha Midoobay? 2.Yaa Xaq U Leh In Masiirka ( Meeshay Umaddu U Socoto aka Self Determination) Umadda uu qaraar ka gaaro? Haddii loo ogolaado in Qurumaha Midoobey iyo Mareykan ay xaqaas leeyihiin. markaas wexey Dowladda Shariif ku leedahay ilaalin qolyahaas siiyay Siyaadada Waddanka Somalia, iyo citiraafkaas. Sida Muuqatana, ciidamada Afrikaanka ee waddanka hadda ku sugan wexey ku joogaan iney Siyaadada siiyaan Dowladda Shariif maxaa yeelay ma aqbalayaan iney qolyahan dhallin yarada qaybta ballaraan waddanka gacanta ku haya ay Siyaadada waddankooda qabtaan cabsi ay ka cabsanayaan Diinta Islaamka ah oo baryahan dagaal ba'an lagula jiro. Hadii marka Siyaadada uu sheeganayo Shariifka ay tahay mid ay difaacayaan qolyo ay ku jiraan qoladii ridday Dowladdii Maxaakimta oo umaddu ka nasatay, dabadeedna labo sanadood umadda laayey, ma wexey kula tahay Xiinoow in ay qolyahaas hadda ay ka talinayaan wanaagga Somalda, mise danahooda ayaa galay iney taageeraan Shariifka oo ay kala jabiyaan walaalihii shalay ka soo wada jeeday hal jabhad oo mideysan oo gumeysiga lawada dirirayay? Walaal, Allah wuxuu noogu sheegay Quraanka in qofkaadan isku millad aheyn uusan kaa raalli noqoneynin, waxaa hubaal ah, iney hadda kala dooranayaan hadba kii ay is leeyihiin danahiinna ayuu idiin dhaweyn karaa, kala doorashadaasna, wexey keeneysaa iney kala jabaan, iyaga cadow isu noqdaan, ay markaas daciifaan, oo mar labaad si sahlan talada looga wada qaado. Marka, waxaa na hor yaalla Afar talo: 1. IN LA MIDOOBO OO LA WADA RAACO DOWLADDA SHARIIF 2. IN LA MIDOOBO OO LA WADA RAACO DHALLIN YARADA 3 IN LA DAGAALLAMO, OO QOLADII REYSA REERKA U HARTO. 4. IN QOLO WALBA AY XUKUNTO INTAY HADDA FARAHA KU HEYSO OON LA IS COLAADIN INTII ALLAH FARAJ KA FURAYO OO UMMADDU KA GAADHO HESHIIS. Haddii Shariif la wada raaco, wuxuu ummadda hoos keenaya maamulka caalamiga ah, waxaana umadda lagu qasbi doonaa qaraaraadka Qurummada Midoobay oo ku tiirsan Millada Cilmaaniga (Waxaa dhici doonta in xuquuqda raga-isu-galma lagu qasbo Baarlamaanka), taasoo haddii mar la aqbalo in la hoos galo, ay tahay in qumaati looga baxay Milladii Nabi Ibraahim oo bari ka aheyd iney hoos imaato Awood ama Siyaado aan Allah aheyn. Lagamana yaabo Shariif inuu helo gargaar, ama Citiraaf caalami ah, hadduusan aqbalin inuu fuliyo qaraaraadka qurummada midoobay, marka arrinta ugu muhimsan oo umadda maanta hortaalla oo u baahan in ummadda loo caddeeyo waxaa weeye: Yaa Gargaar Laga Doonaa? , Somalia ma u baahan tahay inay Qurumaha Midoobay Xubin Ka noqoto? Taasi Waa talo u baahan in aad looga fiirsado. Haddii talada labaad la wada hoos yimaaddo, waxaa dhab ah, in Qurummada Midoobey ay citiraafi doonin dhallin yarada, haddey taasi dhacdana, Somalida wexey noqon iney ku qasbanaato iney isku fillaato iyada dhaqaala ahaan, runtiina, waddanku haddii dadkiisu is caabbiyaan wey awoodaan iney soo saaran dhaqaale ku filan, arzaaqdana Allah ayaa qaybiya, cirkeyna ka timaaddaa " Wa fis Samaa i Rizqukum, wa maa tuucaduun" Talada Seddexaad haddan raacno, wax cusub ma ah, waana la huba ineyan kheyr keeneyn, sidaad u sheegtay, umaddu dagaal hore oo sokeeye ayaa soo dhex maray, tasna sidaan isla ognahay waxaa ka dambeeyay qabqableyaalka dagaal oo u wada shaqeyn jirey Xabashida, waddankana ku soo hoggamiyey dad badanna mar labaad ku laayey madaafiicda xabashida. Qolyahaas maanta wexey xubno ka yihiin Dowladda Shariif, marka waxaa iiga muuqata in wada jirka waddanka iyo midowga ummadda ay khattar u yihiin raggii hore, oo loo baahan yahay rag nadiif ah, oo aan dambi ka galin waddanka iyo umadda. Dhallinyarada ayaa maanta u nadiifsan xagga qabyaaladda, isla markaas suuro gelin kara midnimadda umadda, Koofur iyo Woqooyi, ama Galbeed iyo Bari, sidaa darteed, waa in lagu taageero dhallinyarada wanaagga ay umadda u horseedeen oo ah in dadku Allah ku walaaloobaan. Anugu qof ahaan waxaan hadda qabaa iney xikmaddu ku jirto talada Afaraad oo ugu dambeysa, in labada qolo lakala ilaaliyo ineyan isku dhicin, dhiigna la daadinin, oo qolo walba waqtiga xaadirka ah ay ku ekaato iney xukunto dhulkeeda, kuna xukunto aragtideeda. Waxaa taladaas xasilloon oo kale lagu Xukumay waddan Jarmanka Federaaliga ah markii labada Jarmal loo kala qaybshay SHUUCI iyo RAASUMAALI, ugu dambeystiina meel bey isugu biyo shubteen oo hadda waa waddan mideysan. Waxaannu taagan nahay isgoys taarikheed, qof walboo Somali ahna gooni buu Allah u hor istaagi doonaa maalinka qiyaame, wuxuuna ku nabad gali doonaa oo qura inuu Allah uu Rabbi ka dhigtay intuu dunida ku noolaa ( Rabbi af carabiga macnihiisa waa kan dadka arzaaqda siiya , nolol iyo geerina u haya) Nur

Xiin walaal Waxaad qortay: Maanta wiilashu waxay u muuqdaan inay dagaal u heellanyihiin oo ayna maslaxo marna doonayn. Wax kale iska daayyee waxay diideen inay culumadda xattaa la fariistaan. Waxaad mooddaa inay iyaga hadda ugu badiso in shisheeyuhu sii joogo, li anna iyadoo laga shirayyo sidii shisheeyye ku bixi lahaa bay waxay muujiyyeen hadduu baxo inaysan cidna wax u ogeyn una ogalyn, culumo iyo caamo. Walaal, haddii aan ka bilowno heshiska labo qolo is khilaafsan, waa iney ka bilaabataa inaan labada qolo sinno, ooy u sinnaadaan cadaalada. Haddaad marka horeba taageersan tahay Shariif, anigana aad igu guubaabineysid inaan taageero waxaa ii muuqata inaadan wax dhexdhexaadinaynin. Sidoo kale, culimada sida tooska ah u taageeray Shariif Dowladdiisa ayagey u taallaa, laakin waxaa jira Culimo kale oon taageerin, qaar kalena talo ka ma dhiiban, oo wexey dhowrayaan meeshey arrintu la marto Shiikha iyo meeshey ku dhammaato. Walaal, waddanka waxaa taladiisa leh Allah SWT, hadba, qofkii u dhow talada Allah ayaa ku habboon inuu waddanka u taliyo. Hadduu Shariif daacad Allah u yahay, oo uu wanaag doonayo wajiga Allah u khaalis ah, waxaan shaki laheyn in heshiis uu dhici doono, saa Allah ayaa ballan qaaday " Wa in yuridaa islaaxan yuwaffiqillaahu beyna humaa" " Haddey doonaan heshiis, Allah ayaa is waafajin doona. Waxaad qortay: Walaal miyaadan waaqica soomaaliyya ka jira war u hayn? Yaa diiday culomadda warkeeda, yaase soo dhaweeyey? Yaa xabadda wada, yaase leh halloo kaadiyyo oo hala wada hadlo? Meeday caddaaladii yaa Nur? Mawqifka ah inay shisheeyuhu baxaan waa mawqif saxiix ah oo dad badan oo somaliyeed qaban. laakiin arrinta thaahirada cusub ahi waxa weeyye in dhalinayradu dhiigga dadka iska fududeysteen, dagaalkuna la sahlanyahay iyadoo aysan u aabbe yeelayn cawaaqibtiisa. Talada culumadda hal dhinac ma fulin karo. Aakhirka dadka waxaa lagu qasbayyaa inay is difaacaan, taasoo anigu aan mafsado u arko. Walaal, Culimadu waa badatay baryahan, isku aragtina ma aha. Markii Culimada ay qaraarkii soo saareen in Ciidamada tiradooda aheyd 2000 ay baxaan, Shariif wuxuu dalbaday in loo soo kordhiyo, hadda waxaa waddanka ku sugan 4000, marka waxaa iga su'aal ah, sidee kalsooni ku dhici yaa akhii? Walaal waddanka waxa ka dhacay aad baan ula socdaa. Waddankaan warkiisa hayo waa kala qaybsan yahay, qayb waxaa ka taliya Gumeysi , sameystay Dowlad u dabacsan danahooda, kuna dhiirran danaha walaalahood. Qaybta kalena waxaa ka taliya dhallin yaro ka xoreeyay waddanka cadowga gumeystay waddanka labada sanadood, oo riday Dowladdii Maxkamadaha oo ummadda ku aflaxday. Walaal, Shariifkii jahaadka ku dhawaaqay oo dagaal geliyey dhalin yaro badan, oo qaar ku guuleysteen shahaado, oo dabadeed, intuu hoggaamin lahaa dhallin yaradaas isaga baxay waddanka, kana maqnaa laba sanadood oo uu dagaal ba'an lagula jirey gumeysiga xabashida, inuu maanta, meel kala soo jeesto raggii keenay gumeysoga, waa nasiib xumo, laakin diintan rag bey leedahay, Allahna wuxuu u ballan qaaday qofkey ka dhab tahay inuu Allah u gargaaro, in asgana Allah uu u gargaari doono. Hadaba, maalmaha soo socda aan dhowrno, wax badan baa caddan doona, inshAllah. Nur

Baarakaalahu feek akhi m_aden _nur These jewels need to be hanged in our living rooms for all the family to see every morning as we go to work or school, and at every night as we retire to bed to account for our actions. Nur

Akhi Xiin Waxaad qortay Wiilashaan qoryaha watta waxa laga rabaa wax badan maaha. Waxa laga rabaa inay ogolaadaan in dadku fekero oo tashado oo bal xabadda ayyaamo loo kaadiyo. Sidaad ogtahayba Sh. Bashiir maanta waa hoggaanka culumada xamar, talooyinka uu soo jeediyeyna waa talooyin macquul ah. Xiinow, marka hore, malaha u wanaaji dadka hadba intey ayagu malaha Allah ku wanaajiyaan, taasoo macneheedu yahay, dadka yaaney u wada sinnaan malahaaga, hadba kan Allah ku kalsoon, adigana ku kalsoonoow, taaso qudha ayaa laga yaabaa iney aakhiro ku shafeecdo Allah agtiisa. Walaal wiilasha qoryaha wata wey fakareen, wexey la noqotay in aan heshiis waara lagu gaadhi karin, kalsooni buuxdana ayan soo noqon karin ayadoo shisheeye ay arrinta maleegayaan kana dambeeyaan heshiis la'aanta iyo cadaawaha la dhex dhigay walaalha Somalida. Hadaba, ra'yigaaga ah in ururka culimada oo Sheikh Bashir afhayeen u yahay oo macquulka ah la raaco, anigu waa ila fiican tahay, laakin, waxaa shardi u ah in talada culimada sidey tahay loo fuliyo, taasooy ugu soo horreyso, in ciidamada colooshood u shaqeystayaasha Afrikaanka laga saaro waddanka, shisheeye kalena, marna ayan soo dhex gelin iney xalliyaan mushkiladda Somalia, saa ayagaa abuurayee. Haddey qolyahan shisheeyaha uu xukunka u dhiibtay ay aqbalaan in talada Ururka Culimada oo qudha la wada raaco, waxaan shaki ku jirin in dhiigga joogsan doono, laakin sidaan uga bartay raggan uu shisheeyuhu soo barbaariyey, lagama yaabo iney aqbalaan talada Culimada oo qeexan, igu soo bar Xiinow, sidaa darteed waxaan ku oranayaa raggaas: " Faqad Kaddabtum, fa sawfa yakuunu lizaamaa" Nur

Big names huh! so you expect some heavy duty Fatwas? well, let us share the light side of the Sheikhs, (May Allah Have Mercy On their Souls) Scholarly Humor Once upon a time, Sheikh Albani gave a ride to a student. The Sheikh was in a hurry and the student noticed that the Sheikh was speeding, " Slow down Yaa Sheikh, because Sheikh Bin Baz considers speeding as (Tahluka ) Exposing life to undue danger" said the student Sheikh Albani said This is a Fatwa ( Edict) of someone who has no driving Experience, The student asked " Shall I tell the Sheikh of your position on this issue?" "Yes, tell him" said Sheikh Albani. When the student told Sheikh Bin Baz of Sheikh Albani's point of view, Shikh Bin Baz laughed, and said " His is the Fatwa of someone who has no experience paying Diyaat Compensation Money paid to victims of speeding accident's families! Sheikh Utheimeen! One day, as Sheikh Utheymeen emerged from the Haram of Makkah, he hailed a Taxi and as he sat in the back seat the taxi driver in curiosity asked: Taxi Driver: Who is the Sheikh? Sheikh Utheymeen: "I am Muhammaed Bin Utheimeen" Taxi Driver: "you mean, THE SHEIKH!" in disbelief. Sheikh Utheymeen: "Yes, The Shieikh! Driver shook his head in disbelief about the passenger's audacity to claim that he is Sheikh Utheymeen. The Sheikh also wanting to know who the driver is: "Who is the brother?" asked the Sheikh The Taxi Driver responded: "Abdulaziz Bin Baaz!" Sheikh Utheimeen laughed, and asked the driver again, " Are You Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz? The driver responded in defiance " Are you then Sheikh Utheimeen?" Sheikh Utheimeen responded " But Sheikh Bin Baz is blind, he can't drive" At that point, the Driver realized he blundered! Nur

Nomads Finally there is some hope for the Wests dwindling birth rate. Researchers found a close correlation between the Dow Jones and hits on dating websites, when the Dow Jones was down by more than 100 points, hits on dating websites remarkably increased, which means, tough times remind singles to share costs and their lives with the other sex as a security, which leads to marriage, and possibly the next baby boom, just like the baby boom during the last economic depression of the thirties. May be, this economic downturn is a blessing in disguise for the Wests woes. It's Allah's way of correcting the West' decadent lifestyle, with morality championed my Decent Christians, Jews and Muslims. Nur

Shabeel bro. I think your thoughts on AKs and spears ar half joking, but seriously speaking, Somalis like any other people have lived in peace with each other for ages except for periodic eruption of clan disputes on water holes in which times they have settled through their elders, Sheikhs or fighting. Somali Nomads are not known to have applied Shariah law in their villages until recently. Sharia Law sends shock waves of discipline to would-be criminals, many times, peace is simply achieved by just announcing that Sharia Law will be applied. Today, illiteracy among Nomads is far less than it has ever been, Quraan and Islamic studies and the sharia are readily accessible to some of them who live nearby town or villages with learning centers, which makes sharia arbitration on the go a viable way of keeping the peace in the vast wilderness. Nur

The Environmental disaster hovering over our heads is the result of Capitalism insatiable appetite for "Growth" even, when "Growth" means, the disappearance of a third of the Amazon Valley, or the Congo River rain forests. The Capitalist is like a logger who is on top of a tree trying to cut the branch that he is sitting on. Growth means more wealth for the wealthy, not for the poor. The Poor are more poorer today in America than any other modern time. More wealth for the wealthy means more greenhouse gas emmissions to the environment, more heat, more climate change, disppearnce of forests, wild life, entire Islands, and so on. Communism failed in 1989 Capitalism failed in 2009 Islam is the last hope for the planet. Nur

Adam Thanks again for an interesting account of Islamic history if Somalia. Trade has always been a venue for the spread of Islam in Somalia as well as other far east countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Your conclusion: Somalia in 2006 saw a turning point and it doesn't matter how much it's enemies - whether through soft power or brutal force - are seeking to return Somalia to the warlord/anarchy era it's not going to happen, i'm very confident that we will get through this Insha-allah! Baarkallahu Feek! wise observation that sums it all up for the present and near future. Indhoos I didn't mean that you were forceful in this instance, it was a general observation about us Somalis, we usually get ahead of ourselves in excitement when we encounter a non Muslim who has an interest in our faith, coming across, at times, unintentionally forceful. Zayla bro. Islam never came to make Christians, Jews or Arabs to believe in Allah or the existence of a creator, as they already did. It came to tell them to stop setting up intermediaries, intercessors and giving unworthy powers to the creation, which only Allah was capable of carrying out. Today, hindus, christians and sikhs claim to believe in a single creator, yet they associated partners with Allah in worship. In a nutshell, Islam came to direct all methods of supplication and worship to only ALlah. Allah said of the Quraish: "Most of them do not believe in Allaah except while joining partners to Him."38 Jazakallahu Kheiran for clarifying an important point in faith in Allah, its not a mere belief EXCLUSSIVITY OF WORSHIP TO THE CREATOR is the differentiating feature in ISLAM. Nur

Shabeel Do you need a Quraan in Romanian language? let me know, I may be able to help. Adam Zayla Much thanks, very enlightening! in the mdst of so many religions and animism, we need Somali historians who can explain why Islam became so predominant religion for the warring Nomads in the horn, may its the only force tha can tame them, just like Islam tamed Quresih and American hard Core Criminals in US Jails who find in Islam an awsome power that tames them. Nur

Here is my attempt How many people that you know memorize the whole Koran off by heart? .....Very Few How many would instantly remember the pillars of Islam if you asked them?.......Almost All How many get mixed up between what is cultural and what is Islamic?...Non Wadaads Mostly How many pray?........Well it depends on circle of associates, ......in my case, almost all. How many are good to their parents? .....Hard to tell unless we are neighbors. How many encourage good deeds and discourage the bad?.........50/50 , just a wild guess How many know/remember their Islamic history?... Approximately 3 How many help the needy?........Less than 10 How many have patience?........ZERO How many listen to good advice? ......400 Nomads. Rational: Same ratio of viewers of this page to Politics Section, usually there are 2400 online Nomads, of which 50 are browsing Islam page while 300 are browsing Politics page ( =(50/300)* 2400) How many give to their relatives, the poor and travelers?.......Data available at Dahabshiil! How many issue random fatwas? .......ALL How many jealously guard Islam?......This is a tough one! How many make mistakes? .....Just Me, I and Myself! How many are more knowledgeable than you? .... All Quiet Nomads, plus Most who post responses. How many are less knowledgeable than you?.....In which discipline do you mean? How many are on your level? ....Questions are getting harder How many do you want to help? ...... Myself first, then everybody. How many do you ask for help? ...... ONE, Allah, but you can always send some money to my orphanage if you have excess! How many are beyond help? ....... Never gave up on a living person Nur

Ngonge bro Sorry, I missed your question by only 3 years!: You Write: ^^^ I agree with part of what you say there (the part about salafism being a new concept that started in Sudia Arabia). However, in one of your earlier arguments, you alluded to the fact that we assign names to schools of thought by the names of their originators (Bin Hanbal, Abu Hanifa, etc). Correct me if I’m wrong but I was under the impression that Salafis reject such labels too! There is a difference in CONTEXTS between Schools of Fiqh 1. From the context of the Fiqhul Ibaadaat and Mucaamalaat we have the fours Schools. Imaam, Malik, Shafici and Ahmed ibn Hambal and Abu Haniifa 2. From the context of Fiqhul Aqeeda Schools, we have many schools. A. Ahlul Sunnah wal Jamaaca ( Predominant), B. Shia. C. Ibaadhiya ( Remnants of Khawaarij), D. Baatiniya, Ashaacirah and so on. Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jamaaca I am not talking about the neo-Warlord organization in Mudug, Somalia follow one of the four schools. From the CONTEXT of Fiqhul Harakah of Islamic Movements, we have. Ikhwaan from which Islaah and Hisb al Tahrir were born. Salafiya, with variations such as Jadida, whose main focus is absolute obedience to Islamic Rulers, Tabligh, and the unattached general Muslim populace. The scope of the discussion above is that: 1. Ikhtilaaf Difference in Opinions in interpretation of texts is natural 2. Tafarruq Creation of Different Groups along the Ikhtilaaf is Haraam Wallahu Aclam! I hope this classification helped Nur

Xin walaal Jawaab ayaan sugayey markaan ku warsaday " hadaba, haddii kalsooni la waayo, sidee baa nabadi ku iman? Nur

Adan Nur bro. To influence people positively in life, its best that we don't offend them at first. If I was a smoker and read the above Sheikh's statement, I would be so offended too that I would continue smoking, people have a right to do whatever they please, as long as they are aware of the end result of their choices in life. The best way to appeal to people's minds is through respectful dialogue and reasoning like the following eNuri Story. By the way, I am a recovering Smoker, I quit smoking early at age 12! don't ask me when I started! The Perils Of Smoking Mr. Af-ku-Dable, a smoker is asking a learned Islamic scholar about religious edict ( Fatwa) on smoking. Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Salaam, Sheikh, I am a smoker, and I am bothered by some of our wadaads saying that cigarettes smoking is haraam, I think that cigarette are just like food, thus halaal, am I right yaa sheikh? . Sheikh: Well, my son, do you say bismillah before you light up your cigarette? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Of course not. Sheikh: OK, after you are done with smoking do you say, Al hamdulillah? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Of course not Sheikh: What do you do with the remaining tobacco in the cigarette butt? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: I throw it in the dirt and rub it down with my shoe soles. Sheikh: When you go to Masjid for prayers, do you eat or drink, like dates and water. Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Of course, we do that in Ramadan Sheikh: Do you also light up your cigarette during iftar breakfast inside the Masjid? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Of course not, it's impolite. Sheikh: Why not? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Because, its impolite, and not appropriate in a clean environment. Sheikh: My son, as non smokers, when we eat food we say Bismillah, you dont do that with your cigarette. We say Al hamdulillah after we are done with eating, you don't say that either after quenching your nicotine craving, when we finish eating, the remaining portion we save for another day, or feed the poor, you throw it on the ground and rub it down with your dirty shoe soles. We enjoy eating food in Masjid if we feel hungry, you have to walk out of Masjid to smoke, let me ask you now, are cigarettes as good for sustaining your life as food? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Definitely NO. Sheikh: In that case, does cigarettes fall in the category of Al Tayibaat mina Rizq) wholesome good nourishing foods? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Definitely NOT. Sheikh: Does it cause many diseases that kill people? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: yes, Sheikh, many. Sheikh: Therefore, dont you agree that Smoking is Khabeeth not virtuous, evil and bad? Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Yes, Sheikh, I agree. Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Therefore, if we agree that Cigarettes belong to the Khabaa'eth, what remains to be seen is if there are any proof from Quraan or Hadeeth that says that the Khabeeth is Haraam. Mr. Af-ku-Dable: That is right yaa Sheikh, tell me, is there a proof that Khabaa'eth are Haraam?. Sheikh: Allah SWT says in Quraan: Wa Axalla lakumut tayibaatu wa xarrama calaykumu al khabaa'itha" Allah made lawful for you (to eat) the Tayibaat ( good healthy, wholesome foods) (while) he made it Haraam (unlawful ) for you (to consume) the Khabaa' eth (plural of khabeeth, injurious, bad, unhealthy actions, consumables and foods). Mr. Af-ku-Dable: Thank you Sheikh. Sheikh:, son, take this Haroob of foaming Camel Milk. Mr. Af-ku-Dable: UUUUUMH, thats so delicious, yaa Sheikh, can I have more please?. Sheikh: Camel milk is the healthiest nutrition you can put in a Haroob, our camel boys survive on camel milk diet alone for months, it is the only milk that comes with Vitamin C, it has antibodies that are being experimented to penetrate and kill HIV virus, it rids the body of toxicity, binds with heavy metals in your liver to get them out of your system, I heard that it even cures Leukemia and other forms of cancer caused by smoking, so, why not take a vacation for few months to live with the Somali camel boys and regain your clean body, and MIND? http://www.vitalcame lmilk.com/health.htm l Nur 2006 eNuri Clean Wholesome Living A Healthy body = Healthy mind

Muridi bro. You write: ". we should first forbid firearms" Where in the Quraan and Sunnah do you find that we should ban firearms? American Constitution agrees with Islam in securing the right to bear arms for a persons self defense which is the most basic human right, specially when the government who is supposed to protect its citizens fail to protect or at times it violates their human rights. Nur

Indhoos We appear too quick to force others to experience our faith, which is also normal under the circumstances. But like Shabeel said, faith is a calling, it is dormant within us, it can be triggered from outside when favorable conditions exist, when a person is ready to adopt a faith, all roads will lead to satisfy that faith. But, like a plant, it takes time, or it may never see the light, either way, we need to engage our non Muslim guests in this forum without proselytizing to respect their choice of faith and lifestyle. Nur

Somaliya Toosoo (oo Isku tiirsada) Walaal, waxaad ka bilowdaa caawimaaddaada inaad SOL Forum ( Islam) aad ku soo qortid qoraallo anfacaya dadka akhrista safxaddan. (Best in English since most Somali audience are not well versed in reading Somali articles) Baarkallahu feek Nur

God 'will not give happy ending' God will not intervene to prevent humanity from wreaking disastrous damage to the environment, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. In a lecture, Dr Rowan Williams urged a "radical change of heart" to prevent runaway climate change. At York Minster he said humanity should turn away from the selfishness and greed that leads it to ignore its interdependence with the natural world. And God would not guarantee a "happy ending", he warned. Dr Williams has often spoken out about environmental issues. 'Ultimate tragedy' Speaking on Wednesday he said just as God gave humans free will to do "immeasurable damage" to themselves as individuals it seemed "clear" they had the same "terrible freedom" as a human race. Robert Pigott, religious affairs correspondent Along with his dramatic urging for people to achieve a personal "conversion" in their attitude to the environment, Archbishop Williams is using the opportunity to teach a slightly more sophisticated take on what Christianity says about the issue. The concept of a loving and forgiving God has always been central to Christian teaching, even if some traditionalist evangelicals do anticipate the approach of a world-ending apocalypse. Dr Williams is reluctant to allow Christians to use their faith in a benevolent God - or their fatalism about an apocalypse - to opt out of personal responsibility for the planet Earth. His key message was about free will - the idea God exercises no control over what people choose to do. He has used the economic recession to ask fundamental questions about what constitutes genuine wealth and wellbeing, and to argue material consumption has not brought true happiness. Dr Williams evidently sees the potential for similar lessons to emerge even from the looming crisis over climate change. "I think that to suggest that God might intervene to protect us from the corporate folly of our practices is as unchristian and unbiblical as to suggest that he protects us from the results of our individual folly or sin," he said. "God's faithfulness stands, assuring us that even in the most appalling disaster love will not let us go - but it will not be a safety net that guarantees a happy ending in this world." Without a change of heart, Dr Williams warned, the world faced a number of "doomsday scenarios" including the "ultimate tragedy" of humanity gradually "choked, drowned, or starved by its own stoopidity." The poorest and most vulnerable and our children and grandchildren would pay the heaviest price for climate change, he added. A Greenpeace spokesman welcomed the speech: "Hundreds of thousands of people are dying every year because we haven't taken the necessary steps to stop climate change. "Whilst there's nothing wrong in hoping for a miracle, relying on one does seem to be more than a bit reckless. "We need to all do what we can now, or we're giving up on this world." Friends of the Earth's executive director, Andy Atkins said: "Humans are responsible for escalating climate change. We have a choice as to how we respond, but we and future generations will live with the consequences of this generation's choice." Meanwhile, a spokesman for the British Humanist Association said: "The fact that god is not going to help us handle climate change will come as no surprise to many. "But nor will the reinterpretation of ancient texts to be about stewardship rather than dominion, or indeed any faith in some non-human support. "What may help us to manage it is human reason and the application of technology, and a recognition that we are on our own on this earth and must handle our own problems."

Goodir bro. Be easy on Shabeel, wallahi his words smell honesty and not hypocrisy like many so called " Muslims". He is honest in saying that he needs his booze as a person who grew up in a Christian society, and that getting laid in his culture is like having tea in ours. That was the same culture in MAKKA ( Mecca) when Mohammad SAW began preaching Islam. Remember Hadeeth of Aisha, that there was up to 10 socially acceptable types of sexual relationships in practice prior to Islam? that is what Shabeel is talking about, the fact that he finds it difficult to give up thee habits is normal, and it should not be asked of him before he is comfortable with the concept behind the legislation which is Justice with the Creator, and Justice with fellow Man. What Shabeel said at the end shows that he has a great sense of Justice and tolerance in his heart as a Christian, in the sense that he has sympathy for the oppressed Somalis and Palestinians. We should be proud to have a Christian person like Shabeel in our Forum, and community. We should also show utmost respect and hospitality for his participation in our forum. I have no doubt that his honesty will lead him to the right path at the end. Nur

Ashkiro sis you write: " ....You mentioned you know a few converts whom left Islam. Do you personally know them, and what were the reasons behind their change of faith?" Answer: Yes, a room full of Somali youth who invited me over to Christianity. Their American Pastor was keen in my conversion, they had hard time answering some of my questions about the nature and resurrection of Jesus (May Peace Be Upon Him). To say I was shocked would be an understatement, specially when I have known these guys as normal Faraxs that I used to hang around with. Did they know much about Islam? Yes, as much as the Transitional Federal Government knows about Islam. What drove them to switch their faith? Expediency, some even confided in me that they were doing it for money and that they planned to switch back again. But, one myth needs to be cleared here while we are at it. One of the kindest and most respectable human being I have ever met was a Somali Christian Convert, who was probably driven by belief, to this day, I pray for that man, the least I can do for someone whose good character is imprinted in my memory forever. Nur

Liquid War Welcome to Pipelineistan By Pepe Escobar March 25, 2009 -- -- What happens on the immense battlefield for the control of Eurasia will provide the ultimate plot line in the tumultuous rush towards a new, polycentric world order, also known as the New Great Game. Our good ol' friend the nonsensical " global war on terror", which the Pentagon has slyly re branded "the Long War", sports a far more important, if half-hidden, twin - a global energy war. I like to think of it as the Liquid War, because its bloodstream is the pipelines that crisscross the potential imperial battlefields of the planet. Put another way, if its crucial embattled frontier these days is the Caspian Basin, the whole of Eurasia is its chessboard. Think of it, geographically, as Pipelineistan. All geopolitical junkies need a fix. Since the second half of the 1990s, I've been hooked on pipelines. I've crossed the Caspian in an Azeri cargo ship just to follow the $4 billion Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline, better known in this chess game by its acronym, BTC, through the Caucasus. (Oh, by the way, the map of Pipelineistan is chicken-scratched with acronyms, so get used to them!) I've also trekked various of the overlapping modern Silk Roads, or perhaps Silk Pipelines, of possible future energy flows from Shanghai to Istanbul, annotating my own do-it-yourself routes for LNG (liquefied natural gas). I used to avidly follow the adventures of that once-but-not-future Sun-King of Central Asia, the now deceased Turkmenbashi or "leader of the Turkmen", Saparmurat Niyazov, head of the immensely gas-rich Republic of Turkmenistan, as if he were a Conradian hero. In Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan (before it was moved to Astana, in the middle of the middle of nowhere) the locals were puzzled when I expressed an overwhelming urge to drive to that country's oil boomtown Aktau. ("Why? There's nothing there.") Entering the Space Odyssey-style map room at the Russian energy giant Gazprom's headquarters in Moscow - which digitally details every single pipeline in Eurasia - or the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)'s corporate HQ in Tehran, with its neat rows of female experts in full chador, was my equivalent of entering Aladdin's cave. And never reading the words "Afghanistan" and "oil" in the same sentence is still a source of endless amusement for me. Last year, oil cost a king's ransom. This year, it's relatively cheap. But don't be fooled. Price isn't the point here. Like it or not, energy is still what everyone who's anyone wants to get their hands on. So consider this dispatch just the first installment in a long, long tale of some of the moves that have been, or will be, made in the maddeningly complex New Great Game, which goes on unceasingly, no matter what else muscles into the headlines this week. Forget the mainstream media's obsession with al-Qaeda, Osama "dead or alive" bin Laden, the Taliban - neo, light or classic - or that "war on terror", whatever name it goes by. These are diversions compared to the high-stakes, hardcore geopolitical game that follows what flows along the pipelines of the planet. Who said Pipelineistan couldn't be fun? Calling Dr Zbig In his 1997 magnum opus The Grand Chessboard, Zbigniew Brzezinski - realpolitik practitioner extraordinaire and former national security advisor to Jimmy Carter, the president who launched the US on its modern energy wars - laid out in some detail just how to hang on to American "global primacy". Later, his master plan would be duly copied by that lethal bunch of Dr No's congregated at Bill Kristol's Project for a New American Century (PNAC, in case you'd forgotten the acronym since its website and its followers went down). For Dr Zbig, who, like me, gets his fix from Eurasia - from, that is, thinking big - it all boils down to fostering the emergence of just the right set of "strategically compatible partners" for Washington in places where energy flows are strongest. This, as he so politely put it back then, should be done to shape "a more cooperative trans-Eurasian security system". By now, Dr Zbig - among whose fans is evidently President Barack Obama - must have noticed that the Eurasian train which was to deliver the energy goods has been slightly derailed. The Asian part of Eurasia, it seems, begs to differ. Global financial crisis or not, oil and natural gas are the long-term keys to an inexorable transfer of economic power from the West to Asia. Those who control Pipelineistan - and despite all the dreaming and planning that's gone on there, it's unlikely to be Washington - will have the upper hand in whatever is to come, and there's not a terrorist in the world, or even a "long war", that can change that. Energy expert Michael Klare has been instrumental in identifying the key vectors in the wild, ongoing global scramble for power over Pipelineistan. These range from the increasing scarcity (and difficulty of reaching) primary energy supplies to "the painfully slow development of energy alternatives". Though you may not have noticed, the first skirmishes in Pipelineistan's Liquid War are already on, and even in the worst of economic times, the risk mounts constantly, given the relentless competition between the West and Asia, be it in the Middle East, in the Caspian theater, or in African oil-rich states like Angola, Nigeria and Sudan. In these early skirmishes of the 21st century, China reacted swiftly indeed. Even before the attacks of September 11, 2001, its leaders were formulating a response to what they saw as the reptilian encroachment of the West on the oil and gas lands of Central Asia, especially in the Caspian Sea region. To be specific, in June 2001, its leaders joined with Russia's to form the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It's known as the SCO and that's an acronym you should memorize. It's going to be around for a while. Back then, the SCO's junior members were, tellingly enough, the Stans, the energy-rich former SSRs of the Soviet Union - Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan - which the Bill Clinton administration and then the new George W Bush administration, run by those former energy men, had been eyeing covetously. The organization was to be a multi-layered economic and military regional cooperation society that, as both the Chinese and the Russians saw it, would function as a kind of security blanket around the upper rim of Afghanistan. Iran is, of course, a crucial energy node of West Asia and that country's leaders, too, would prove no slouches when it came to the New Great Game. It needs at least $200 billion in foreign investment to truly modernize its fabulous oil and gas reserves - and thus sell much more to the West than US-imposed sanctions now allow. No wonder Iran soon became a target in Washington. No wonder an air assault on that country remains the ultimate wet dream of assorted Likudniks as well as former vice president Dick ("Angler") Cheney and his neo-conservative chamberlains and comrades-in-arms. As seen by the elite from Tehran and Delhi to Beijing and Moscow, such a US attack, now likely off the radar screen until at least 2012, would be a war not only against Russia and China, but against the whole project of Asian integration that the SCO is coming to represent. Global BRIC-a-brac Meanwhile, as the Obama administration tries to sort out its Iranian, Afghan, and Central Asian policies, Beijing continues to dream of a secure, fast-flowing, energy version of the old Silk Road, extending from the Caspian Basin (the energy-rich Stans plus Iran and Russia) to Xinjiang province, its Far West. The SCO has expanded its aims and scope since 2001. Today, Iran, India, and Pakistan enjoy "observer status" in an organization that increasingly aims to control and protect not just regional energy supplies, but Pipelineistan in every direction. This is, of course, the role the Washington ruling elite would like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to play across Eurasia. Given that Russia and China expect the SCO to play a similar role across Asia, clashes of various sorts are inevitable. Ask any relevant expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing and he will tell you that the SCO should be understood as a historically unique alliance of five non-Western civilizations - Russian, Chinese, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist - and, because of that, capable of evolving into the basis for a collective security system in Eurasia. That's a thought sure to discomfort classic inside-the-Beltway global strategists like Dr Zbig and president George H W Bush's national security advisor Brent Scowcroft. According to the view from Beijing, the rising world order of the 21st century will be significantly determined by a quadrangle of BRIC countries - for those of you by now collecting New Great Game acronyms, that stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China - plus the future Islamic triangle of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Add in a unified South America, no longer in thrall to Washington, and you have a global SCO-plus. On the drawing boards, at least, it's a high-octane dream. The key to any of this is a continuing Sino-Russian entente cordiale. Already in 1999, watching NATO and the United States aggressively expand into the distant Balkans, Beijing identified this new game for what it was: a developing energy war. And at stake were the oil and natural gas reserves of what Americans would soon be calling the "arc of instability," a vast span of lands extending from North Africa to the Chinese border. No less important would be the routes pipelines would take in bringing the energy buried in those lands to the West. Where they would be built, the countries they would cross, would determine much in the world to come. And this was where the empire of US military bases (think, for instance, Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo) met Pipelineistan (represented, way back in 1999, by the AMBO pipeline). AMBO, short for Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation, an entity registered in the US, is building a $1.1 billion pipeline, aka "the Trans-Balkan", slated to be finished by 2011. It will bring Caspian oil to the West without taking it through either Russia or Iran. As a pipeline, AMBO fit well into a geopolitical strategy of creating a US-controlled energy-security grid that was first developed by president Bill Clinton's energy secretary Bill Richardson and later by Cheney. Behind the idea of that "grid" lay a go-for-broke militarization of an energy corridor that would stretch from the Caspian Sea in Central Asia through a series of now independent former SSRs of the Soviet Union to Turkey, and from there into the Balkans (from thence onto Europe). It was meant to sabotage the larger energy plans of both Russia and Iran. AMBO itself would bring oil from the Caspian basin to a terminal in the former SSR of Georgia in the Caucasus, and then transport it by tanker through the Black Sea to the Bulgarian port of Burgas, where another pipeline would connect to Macedonia and then to the Albanian port of Vlora. As for Camp Bondsteel, it was the "enduring" military base that Washington gained from the wars for the remains of Yugoslavia. It would be the largest overseas base the US had built since the Vietnam War. Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root would, with the Army Corps of Engineers, put it up on 400 hectares of farmland near the Macedonian border in southern Kosovo. Think of it as a user-friendly, five-star version of Guantanamo with perks for those stationed there that included Thai massage and loads of junk food. Bondsteel is the Balkan equivalent of a giant immobile aircraft carrier, capable of exercising surveillance not only over the Balkans but also over Turkey and the Black Sea region (considered in the neo-con-speak of the Bush years "the new interface" between the "Euro-Atlantic community" and the "Greater Middle East"). How could Russia, China, and Iran not interpret the war in Kosovo, then the invasion of Afghanistan (where Washington had previously tried to pair with the Taliban and encourage the building of another of those avoid-Iran, avoid-Russia pipelines), followed by the invasion of Iraq (that country of vast oil reserves), and finally the recent clash in Georgia (that crucial energy transportation junction) as straightforward wars for Pipelineistan? Though seldom imagined this way in our mainstream media, the Russian and Chinese leaderships saw a stark "continuity" of policy stretching from Bill Clinton's humanitarian imperialism to Bush's "global war on terror". Blowback, as then Russian President Vladimir Putin himself warned publicly, was inevitable - but that's another magic-carpet story, another cave to enter another time. Rainy night in Georgia If you want to understand Washington's version of Pipelineistan, you have to start with Mafia-ridden Georgia. Though its army was crushed in its recent war with Russia, Georgia remains crucial to Washington's energy policy in what, by now, has become a genuine arc of instability - in part because of a continuing obsession with cutting Iran out of the energy flow. It was around the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, as I pointed out in my book Globalistan in 2007, that American policy congealed. Zbig Brzezinski himself flew into Baku in 1995 as an "energy consultant", less than four years after Azerbaijan became independent, and sold the idea to the Azerbaijani elite. The BTC was to run from the Sangachal Terminal, half-an-hour south of Baku, across neighboring Georgia to the Marine Terminal in the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. Now operational, that 1,767-kilometer-long , 44-meter-wide steel serpent straddles no less than six war zones, ongoing or potential: Nagorno-Karabakh (an Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan), Chechnya and Dagestan (both embattled regions of Russia), South Ossetia and Abkhazia (on which the 2008 Russia-Georgia war pivoted), and Turkish Kurdistan. From a purely economic point of view, the BTC made no sense. A "BTK" pipeline, running from Baku through Tehran to Iran's Kharg Island, could have been built for, relatively speaking, next to nothing - and it would have had the added advantage of bypassing both mafia-corroded Georgia and wobbly Kurdish-populated Eastern Anatolia. That would have been the really cheap way to bring Caspian oil and gas to Europe. The New Great Game ensured that that was not to be, and much followed from that decision. Even though Moscow never planned to occupy Georgia long-term in its 2008 war, or take over the BTC pipeline that now runs through its territory, Alfa Bank oil and gas analyst Konstantin Batunin pointed out the obvious: by briefly cutting off the BTC oil flow, Russian troops made it all too clear to global investors that Georgia wasn't a reliable energy transit country. In other words, the Russians made a mockery of Zbig's world. For its part, Azerbaijan was, until recently, the real success story in the US version of Pipelineistan. Advised by Zbig, Bill Clinton literally "stole" Baku from Russia's "near abroad" by promoting the BTC and the wealth that would flow from it. Now, however, with the message of the Russia-Georgia War sinking in, Baku is again allowing itself to be seduced by Russia. To top it off, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev can't stand Georgia's brash President Mikhail Saakashvili. That's hardly surprising. After all, Saakashvili's rash military moves caused Azerbaijan to lose at least $500 million when the BTC was shut down during the war. Russia's energy seduction blitzkrieg is focused like a laser on Central Asia as well. (We'll talk about it more in the next Pipelineistan installment.) It revolves around offering to buy Kazakh, Uzbek, and Turkmen gas at European prices instead of previous, much lower Russian prices. The Russians, in fact, have offered the same deal to the Azeris: so now, Baku is negotiating a deal involving more capacity for the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, which makes its way to the Russian borders of the Black Sea, while considering pumping less oil for the BTC. Obama needs to understand the dire implications of this. Less Azeri oil on the BTC - its full capacity is 1 million barrels a day, mostly shipped to Europe - means the pipeline may go broke, which is exactly what Russia wants. In Central Asia, some of the biggest stakes revolve around the monster Kashagan oil field in "snow leopard" Kazakhstan, the absolute jewel in the Caspian crown with reserves of as many as 9 billion barrels. As usual in Pipelineistan, it all comes down to which routes will deliver Kashagan's oil to the world after production starts in 2013. This spells, of course, Liquid War. Wily Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev would like to use the Russian-controlled Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to pump Kashagan crude to the Black Sea. In this case, the Kazakhs hold all the cards. How oil will flow from Kashagan will decide whether the BTC - once hyped by Washington as the ultimate Western escape route from dependence on Persian Gulf oil - lives or dies. Welcome, then, to Pipelineistan! Whether we like it or not, in good times and bad, it's a reasonable bet that we're all going to be Pipeline tourists. So, go with the flow. Learn the crucial acronyms, keep an eye out for what happens to all those US bases across the oil heartlands of the planet, watch where the pipelines are being built, and do your best to keep tabs on the next set of monster Chinese energy deals and fabulous coups by Russia's Gazprom. And, while you're at it, consider this just the first postcard sent off from our tour of Pipelineistan. We'll be back (to slightly adapt a quote from Terminator). Think of this as a door opening onto a future in which what flows where and to whom may turn out to be the most important question on the planet. Pepe Escobar is the roving correspondent for Asia Times Online and an analyst for the Real News. This article draws from his new book, Obama Does Globalistan. He is also the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. Pepe may be reached at pepeasia@yahoo.com