The area of Somalia I visited, puntland, was very beautiful, there was rain, and lots of food to go around, alhamdulilah. Most of the famines in Somalia tend to happen in the areas near Kenya, and Ethiopia I believe. People have food in these parts, but the young people need opportunities...most of them want to leave the country, no surprise.

Yes, Siyad Barre was a hero in my book. He was the only man with the courage and strength to unite a nation of clannish rivaleries. He gave money to clans that felt were outnumbered, he built the great road that connects Puntland and kunfurta...and many people in that area told me without that road they don't even know how they would manage to live. Today, there is no such man that can do half of what Siyad Barre did for Somalia, when he was in power we were a people with pride, and we somewhat had respect in the international community. Today, even if Abdulahi Yusuf is the president, although I admit he is a strong leader, I don't think he can unite the country as better as Siyad Barre did. Allah ha uu naxaristo.

No comment.

"How Mona reinvented herself"...forgot author, but such a hilarious little book.

Of Course MODESTy is the best nick here. IT is hot yet modest

baayo, stop pulling your hair out, stop thinking about the future, and focus on the present..the present is all we have, who knows if we are going to make it to tomorrow. So, have trust in Allah, seek help in Allah and Allah is always their for anyone who calls on him, and do your best at the present moment...And insha'Allah may Allah make it easy for you.

why do somali men marry hijabified sisters? Well because 90 percent of the somali girls I know where hijab. Also, because a girl who wears hijab is seen as being a "good girl" or housewife material.And then there is also "LOVE"...nah.

I think some women put hijab before other obligatory things in Islam. For most people seeing a sister who is wearing the hijab leads them to conclude that she is wadaad even if she doesn't pray. I also believe when you wear the hijab you should also pray and have Islamic manners but not because your parents say so. There are many women with ugly manners who wear the hijab, and it leads many people who are searching for their faith to have a bad impression. Secondly, I noticed in Somalia, society forces women to wear the big jilbab, you can't even wear khimar in some parts of Somalia. I think by forcing people to wear a garment they don't even truly understand, you make them want to run away from it. Many of the girls I talked to in Somalia told me if they lived in the west they would never wear jilbab or cover their hair because they were forced to wear it since the day they learned to walk. The men here in Somalia on the other hand wear the latest designer clothing, some even wear shorts here. The women can't even wear a simple skirt with khimar. Personally, I don't think men oppress women, I think women here oppress themselves. I wear hijab and no one ever forced me to put it on, not my mom, not even my dad. As I grew older and learned about Islam, I put it on myself.I don't have a problem with girls who don't wear hijab because it's their choice and they could have more ibadah than girls who do wear hijab.I hate how Somali society ( I mean here in Somalia)judges women by how big her hijab is, must the girl wear five layers of clothing that she can't even move in, and she is probably hot as hell under all those layers ( I am hot in my scarf in all this hot Somalia weather) while the guy is wearing shorts over there enjoying the breeze. sigh! I think all this heat is getting to me, I should get some caano geel to cool off.

It's actually somali culture too for men to sit at tea shops, they have many biibitos here in somalia where they chew qhat and drink tea 10 times a day and talk about siyaasadow.

I can't speak for all of Somalia, but Alhamdulilah where I am right now, most people aren't starving, food and water is abundant, and life is still kicking. Most people that haven't been here recently think that all of Somalia is basically hungry, that is far from the truth. Some of the restaurants here have better food than some somali restaurants I ate from in America. P.S. thanks for your duas for those who wished me well.

No, I'm not in Mogadishu, I love my life to not go there. Most people live in houses, and we have satelite television,I watch oprah here! I mean some people in America don't even have that lol. I'm not really talking about the technological crap, but being in my native country is the best feeling.It's really peaceful here, no one even looks at you. p.s. Yes, I will post the pictures when I develop them insha'Allah.

^^Xoolo Yes, they should have stronger laws to prevent this kind of harrassment of black players. Europeans are very backward people, they need to teach tolerance in their school systems.

Salaamu Alaykum from Somalia, I just wanted to say everyone should live in Somalia!! It's so beautiful here. The Somalis here are so welcoming and not stuck up like "western" somalis. They have their true culture, the guys here are so respectful, masha'Allah.Contrary to what many people people say about somali girls being oppressed, I haven't seen that at all, girls here are respected as muslim sisters, they have many organizations run by women. Sure it gets hot sometimes, and there are lax and orgi running around the place like maxaa kaa galey, but nothing beats drinking caano ari oo hadaa la lisay.NOT TO mention caano geela!! Everyone who lives in the darkness of kafir lands should visit a muslim country, I hear the athan everyday, Quran is read out loud!!I don't even need an alarm clock to wake up because the fajr athan wakes me up! Masha'Allah, life here is so stress free, you see people who might not even have anything to eat but they never frown or get depressed, people here have strong faith and trust in Allah, their culture and faith is so untainted by kafirism. Somalis in the west are so different, I just noticed the major difference in their cultures, it seems the ones in the west take the western individualistic culture, but the ones here masha'Allah it makes me so proud of my country. I love Somalia!

Oh well, let them cry us a river. These people just need attention, their ranting only services the victory of Islam.

Thanks Redevous. I'm about to go to Al-Ain now, well since this is my new home, I will have to go about it myself Lazie, thanks for your advice, being independent is great, but collectivism is always good No, most somalis aren't "strangers" to me,they're my people and I love them

Salaam, I'm currently staying in a hotel in Dubai, I don't know anyone, if anyone lives there, please PM me!! I want someone to show me around.

^He means accepting Islam. Actually more and more westerners are accepting Islam. Most people come to the west for economic reasons, not to throw away their Islam. So, no I don't think what Max wrote was discredited at all.

^^ I agree 100%. It's just trying to provoke muslims, and the media is always there to say look at how violent and 'uncivilized' muslims are acting with their protests. The only thing we can do is fight with knowledge, tell them who the prophet Muhammad(pbuh) was, so that ignorant people don't start believing about him. Allah is with Nabi Muhammad(saw), so these evil doers will find out , insha Allah.

Yes, I agree that our culture silences women, it seems like these people who are supporting Sangub, they are telling all women that the man is right and you are wrong. I'm not trying to sound like a radical feminist, but the matter is quite apparent. The man admitted to groping the girl..that is enough for me to conclude that he did more than that with the girl. I know many somali girls that were molested as young girls often by close family members, but when they told grown ups, no one believed them. They accused them of lying and even hallucinating. What kind of sickness is that? Quite sick. I'm sure this girl has become a heroin for the many girls out there who are scared to come out and accuse their rapists because of fear of being shamed in the community. I support her, not because she is a woman, not because of her qabiil, but because I don't think she would come out like that to simply destroy a man's character, but to seek justice. However, the court is to decide in the end.

Burn their effing Danish flag!!!

Zero, Boycotting is the least we can do to defend the prophet Muhammad(saw)!! P.S. Can you believe the local somali halaal market was still selling NIDO milk, which is a danish product.

THOSE OF YOU IN THE UK, TODAY FRIDAY the 3rd, PLEASE GO TO PROTEST TO DEFEND THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (saw)!!!

High Five to Turkey finally they did something democratic for once.

Born Friday, if you think about something and worry about it your body will naturally turn on it's fight or flight mechanism. I remember I used to be so nervous when I gave presentations, I would think about it all night the before, I got all these butterflies, then when I go to make the speech, my heart would be pounding, hands sweaty, and I would start off with a quaky voice. I used to avoid it like the flu walahi. So, I decided to take action, I signed up for all these classes that would require some type of public speaking, and eventually I became less stressed over it, I think because I quit caring about my image and how others view me, and you know what talking with many people in my class I found out that many people felt the same way. Knowing that I was in the same boat as all of my classmates put me at ease. So, now I love public speechs, walahi it gives you this thrill that you can't describe, and when you make a great presentation you come out feeling good. So, stop analyzing yourself and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Johnny, why would you show the cartoon here on SOL knowing that muslims are outraged all over the world? I think the moderators should delete that cartoon picture Johnny posted.