Religion beats its adherents, women and men alike, to shape in accepting its teachings. Polygamy, though not mandatory a thing, is nevertheless a part of Islamic teachings. If anything, I implied those who regularly visit in the circles of religious learning have a tendency to be more considerate about the issue of polygamy. Being in polygamous marriage is neither mandatory nor preferred for a woman. But the fact that you got thrown out of balance upon hearing the mere minyaro word is a more suggestive of an attitude that’s quite hostile to anything that has slightest thing to do with polygamous relationship. Why’s that, yaa Qalanjo?

^^What’s twisted about it Qalanjo ? Going to mosques for minyaro hunt or the fact that mosque-going girls have sympathetic attitude toward polygamy? Or the whole minyaro hunting talk? I bet it’s the latter. Very predictable!

The success of Somaliland does indeed sit well with Samaters. What doesn’t sit well with them, and for that matter with me, is this secessionist drive; this mindless surge to separate from the rest of the country. I know these men, and though secular (they are lay in religious matters), their commitment to Somalia’s territorial integrity and their objection to foreign intervention is the most genuine I have seen. Their critique of Somaliland is a valid one, and it’s solid, if I might add, in its argumentum foundation. What they have beef with is not the peace and stability of their brethren but it’s solely the separatist agenda that they object. Given that glaring fact, I find the title of this thread misleading and disingenuous. I think in the end Somaliland’s intellectuals and its well-meaning public will realize that the secessionist initiative is reaching a dead-end! That they have a better role to play and an honorable position to take within a larger Somali body politicks than cornering themselves in narrow spot. That it’s unfitting for a community who envisioned and pioneered the birth of Somali state to have become the ones who rascally take delight in its rapid demise---Somalia’s dismemberment. By any angle you look at it, there's nothing to gain from separating from Somalia. To the contrary, secession might just be precursor for opening that proverbial Pandora jar. I believe separatism is “curiosity that killed the cat†kinda thing! Many people whom I’ve come to admire are so fond of it, but can’t rationally explain why it must be so. A puzzle of great proportions it really is.

Thursday August 31, 2006 By: Abdirahman Aynte Minneapolis, MN (HOL) The sixth Muslim annual convention is to start Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The three-day convention is expected to draw about 4,000 participants, mostly from Minnesota, according to the Council of Imams, the organizing body. More than 30 speakers, including local politicians, are expected to speak at the convention. Congressman Mark Kennedy and state representative Keith Ellison are some of the local politicians expected to give speeches. James Yee, the former Muslim chaplain in the U.S. Army who was accused of spying before all the charges against him were dropped, is also giving a primetime speech. Among other things, he will be promoting his new book. Using videoconference technology, some of the speakers will give their speech from their locations oversees. The multilingual convention (English, Arabic, Somali and Oromo) is designed to raise the awareness of Muslims in North America and to network them, organizers said.

Labada qoloba waa gun; Xabashi bay ku tartamayaan!

Originally posted by Castro: ^ Xiin is pretending there, you're right. His goes something like this: The relentless pursuit of Minyaro That’s closer to truth! Minyaro is tempting, I tell you! [edit]Galool-ow (soo dhawoow horta), when hunting minyaro go mosques, and not to movies. In them you would find girls whom the revealed word beaten them to shape and, as a matter of principle, see no problem with polygamy. P.S: Castrow, your prolonged absence from SOL boards kinda gave an impression that you got hitched! With Minyaro that is.

^^Qooleydayda yaa ku dhaca ? Kaygu waa uul mana tifna, kiisu waa baliil, caadiyaan u duufsanaa adeer!

^^Aayar with that sweeping generalization, adeer! If you insist that you don’t care about crimes committed against your fellow muslimaat though, this site is teaming (so you know) with people who feel the pain and the anguish of those wronged. Midda kale, you can’t seriously dismiss these issues as an Arab thing as it’s not unique to Arabs---it goes beyond Arabia and probably happens everywhere in the world, and for the victims, the consequences are sadly the same. As to what the reasons are for these conducts to be prevalent in the holy land, I agree with Sharmarke. Saudi Arabia comes across as a country with a shaky foundation. Politically and culturally!

I thought she was tricking me in to it! Faaraxow, nin hilib baruur badan haystaa baa mid gaajaysani soo ag fariistay; he wanted to politely ask a share of what he thought was tantalizing and tender meat. He was witty and smart: adeer waligaa abeeso ma ku qaniintay ? He calculatingly asked, hoping that the old man would pause a minute and indulge about how painful that bite was. Ma ayadaaba afka iga qaadda ! The old man replied. Moral of the story, Xiin knows how to stick to his gun when he's right! Weligaaba muddac lasoo taagnow ! Wallee I am in that group, the preferred group that is! [Edit], Waryee General Zu maad ragga u garnaqdid. Intaa waa uun iska qosloysaaye, goormaa laguu baxan caano beele .

LOL@too long in Djibouti? Never seen it. But i like that interrogating phrase. Nurow, Today if you let muslimiinta talk you would be amazed how angry they are, how desperate they feel, and at times how hopeless they seem to be. All these are understandable and Muslims have a good reason to be angry. I am one of them. Last Friday prayer I heard Dr. Nihaad of CAIR speak about these issues, and by Allah, his approach as to how to face these besieging crises changed my attitude toward the priorities of our time and what to do about this azmah! As ever before, I now realized that we are messengers of our own right and we are given an opportunity that many around the globe are deprived; living in the most significant country in the world, and an exposure to a society who are ignorant to our faith! 28% of Americans believe that Muslims worship to a moon-god! Amazing! 67% Americans know nothing about Islam! Only two percent know about our religion. Put on top of that we can freely express our selves and breach as we wish. As to score a point on that account, in the same Friday lecture, Mr. Ye (hope I am right about his name), a former Muslim Chaplin in Gautanomobay who was later arrested and accused espionage, eloquently spoke about tests in faith and what he went through and endured because of his allegiance to Allah. What this religoin needs most is people who understand thier role and responsibility in this world and act accordingly.

^^Allaah, yaa Nur! Yaa kaloo u maqnaan lahaa. Annaga waxaa nalaka rabaa inaan raacno un, maaha?

Originally posted by Tyjwania: ^ and you're one of them ! He's too chicken to say your name. Puck puck puckkaaak. ^^Wrong . I am one of those, as good Faarax Coon puts it, 'who already know' .

Nice! Where can i get this though?

^^My trend in SOL has been steady and without variation! I am sure some would argue otherwise, but I insist still [ ].

Originally posted by Castro: The relentless pursuit of sex . ^^Rather, it's 'the relentless pursuit of' Somali politics, literature, and customs yaa Casrto !

Bishaaro’s tol-beelay is not meant to invoke anyone’s knighthood . She isn’t performing for flamboyance sake either; hers is a form of gentility! Haku daalina, bishaaro is a class of her own and so as Xoogsade! When left with their own devices, things would just workout fine . Aniga I weydiiya gabadha awoowaan u ahay asna adeer! Maxaa soo haray; how young is young? Asks Rahiima. And do I just mean in the traditional daylo in our Somali culture’s sense---Bishaaro wants to know! I say any age before 32 and after 20 [range] is the ideal age to wed! If you are at your 35th year, you’ve reached a milestone and you need to hasten your search , I say. In other words If you marry before 30 you are marrying young. As for the stats not applying to Somalis, as Rahima asserts, I would think otherwise. In fact I think it does. It’s the nature of the career world, good Rahima, and not necessarily women’s fault, to postpone childbearing. The rational is clear: families interfere and some times abort promising career opportunities for women so its better to delay making families before realizing reliable financial security. It’s a worldly goal. I had some of my own. But it’s elusive at times, and comes at the expense of ones stability and happiness---especially for women. I must agree with Bishaaro though inaan rag jirin. Raggii aniga iyo xooga yar baa ka haray . The rest are talaf; waa wada ul, ul laqaadana ma leh, as the Somali puzzle goes! Smart and good-looking girls are ready for some gallants to show up and snatch them for good! Caku baadi nimaan lahayn bay ag joogtaa !

Xoogsadow, you’re walking on top of hot coals adeer ! On the career women thing, I am somewhat conflicted. There’s this part of me that admires the courage of career women and the sacrifices they make to get where they are. But there’s also that other part of me that recognizes that (perhaps) the sacrifice is not worth the cost; forgoing childbearing to attain mere career goals. I have seen and read many articles full of sad stories about high-powered career women fighting to snatch a child from the jaws of menopause . If a healthy balance between family and work is properly kept and women are not forced to choose one over the other, however, then that would be a desirable thing to do, you might think. But if the stats are something to go by, a bleak picture of high-earning women yet deeply discontented and unhappy emerges. It’s the latter picture, and not Bishaaro’s success story, that I find objectionable. Truth is that pendulum has swung too far toward a one direction and the trends don’t look good at all (to me)! It’s us, and not only the women, who need to adjust to this changing world. Realistically speaking, the era when man was the provider and woman was the homemaker and caretaker had sadly gone. So the question is not whether one marries a career woman rather it’s how one finds a career woman who understands that there’s a better meaning to life than enjoying the fruits of years of education and training; a woman who sees some values in the art of homemaking and childrearing; one who is ready to compromise, I dare say, and give up her career to raise children! The problem, good Xoogsade, is that money subverts people. What’s true, obvious and right to me, some how, doesn’t even register valid in some peoples radar. Until it’s too late that is. Xiin’s advice: be a career woman if you wish but get marry young. You will be happier! P.S: I am not that conflicted after all.

LS, TFG proved to be incompetent as far as doing something with its mandate goes. On top of its glaring incompetence, it seems to be overly dependent on Ethiopia and unable to make any decisions at all without the latter’s directives! Any casual observer can clearly see how this TFG became a cat’s-paw for Ethiopia and its interest in the region on the expense of its (TFG’s, that is) own political objectives. Given that observation of mine I see no way out for the TFG and I believe it will be reduced to an irrelevant entity. The only elbowroom the old man has is Puntland and its clueless leader---I think. He is making sure, it seems to me, to create as many hurdles as possible so even if the ICU succeeds in the south, the process of uniting the country under one leadership becomes more difficult, if not unworkable. Whether ICU leadership understands that political calculation remains to be seen (fully). But if its latest military adventurism is something to go by, old man, failed to do any good with his term, might have succeeded in scoring few wins in sewing new seeds of conflict in that region. Of course ICU will share the blame with him on that account. So to answer your first question, I don’t see this TFG (in its current form) succeeding to do anything good at all. The fact that its leaders are divided makes it even harder for them to pull it off. ICU is certainly is a sign of hope for Somalia. It obviously can’t do all the things we want to be done in the south, but surely it has made a lot of progress and done a lot of good. And if it continues with this pace, I can see a light, as cliché goes, in Somalia’s long and dark tunnel. But I wouldn’t say it’s the only option we have for a government! Certainly it seems to be a good agent who can help revive Somali state but there are a lot more factors and variables to Somali politics than Islamic Courts could solve. As NGONGE pointed out even with the demise of TFG there would still be Somaliland and Puntland neither of whom are impressed with the Islamic Courts. Assuming of course that Somalia’s larger problems are political in nature and thusly require negotiated settlement to solve, the emergence of Islamic Courts is just the beginning of a viable solution, and not the silver-bullet some of us wish it to be. Somali politics is based on clannish settings and that structure has been cemented by the experience of civil war. Even if we assume that ICU will succeed in the south (I am talking the south which matters) and exact complete control over it, that would give them a substantial leverage but not an outright monopoly to be the only option of government we could get. The fact that both Puntland and Somaliland have secular administrations renders such proposition impractical. Ethiopia is another power to reckon with here as it has a substantial influence on those two entities. When you really look at it, it would be easier for the ICU to reach some settlement with the current TFG rather than deal with those two entities I just mentioned. Such settlement would give them the political cover they would need to pursue larger political goals than currently announced. But of course it seems unlikely to see such arrangements forthcoming any time soon as the TFG seems to be bogged down by internal fighting (instigated by Ethiopia of course). But to be sure ICU is better positioned, politically and morally (if you believe there is a moral dimension to our politics), than its main rival, the TFG. There is no doubt in my mind that its legacy will outlive that of old man’s presidency and its political approach will influence future politics of our homeland. So to answer your second question, and to control my ramble, ICU would not be the only option Somalis would have (not this time anyway) but it will sure be a power to reckon with and as long it has Mogadishu as its seat of power no political calculus could avoid to ignore its significance. It goes without saying that having incompetent TFG and two hostile regional administrations will delay the rebirth of Somali state, a goal for which ICU is working to attain. Not their[iCU's] fault though.

^^ @Gardheerta You know i have no gar to speak of! i am trying to grow some, i haven't had any luck with it before . But seriously, nimanku waa niman fiicane Faaraxow ha la taageero! Of corse i am applauding thier efforts to restore law and order in our land. seems they have succeeded and made progress in many fronts. Isn't that a reason for all of us to support them?

^^Source? please!

^^Waryee Coon ninkan ma iska reebi weydey adi . Magacaan Faarax waa i wareeriyey ee ku heshiiya saaxiibayaal.

This is a long overdue decision to lessen the adverse environmental impact anarchy had on Somalia. To me the fact these men recognized this problem and devised a policy to do something about it is a one more sign that the ICU is at least attempting to solve problems and taking inherent risks involved in implementing policies for the public good. Whether their approach proves to be effective or even bears out any fruit remains to be seen. But as good Baashi pointed out Somali anarchy unleashed environmental crisis on us, and any steps taken to reverse this tide is a good policy in my mind. Though completely banning it sounds a bit harsh for some, for the well informed though, banning may be the only logical step to reduce the effect of years of burning all kind of trees, quite indiscriminately, to harvest charcoal especially in the south. Lets applaud their efforts to this end, I say. Perhaps these men of faith could as well be victorious eco-warriors as they have been successful in their effort to chase warlords out of Mogadishu! As for banning Qaad, I think it is too early for that be feasible! And to be frank about it, the analogy sounds simplistic and quite false to me. This mindless charcoal export is a pressing issue and something, I hope we all agree, has to be done about it. Even if the ICU enforce this measure in only the areas they control I would count it as a success. Qaad on the other hand, along with tobacco, though dangerous is not a pressing issue right now, I hold and hence it can wait. And I say that without downplaying how harmful Qaad is.

Islamic courts ban trade in charcoal and wildlife NAIROBI, 23 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital, Mogadishu, and much of south and central Somalia, issued a directive on Tuesday banning exports of charcoal and rare birds and animals, an official told IRIN. The Executive Committee of the UIC issued the directive after a full committee meeting agreed to the ban, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, the UIC Vice-Chairman, said. "The decision was reached after the committee was briefed on the dangers posed by the indiscriminate cutting of our trees," he said. The directive had been sent to all involved in the charcoal trade, and "will be enforced in all areas under UIC control", he added. The directive was welcomed by most Somalis, according to Abdulkadir Ibrahim Ga'al, 'Abkow', head of Civil Society in Action, an umbrella organisation that brings together 12 civil society groups. "This is a long overdue and positive step. It is indeed welcome," Abkow said. Abkow said at the current rate of decimation, "there will be no trees left in Somalia", adding: "They are now cutting mango trees, because their customers prefer the smell of the mango charcoal." He said that 70 percent of the trade passed through Mogadishu and the rest through the southern port city of Kismayo, 500 km south of the capital. Almost all the charcoal goes to the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, where a bag fetches about US $15, Somali business sources told IRIN. The UIC will seek assistance from all quarters to solicit their support in stopping this trade. "This is killing our country and it must stop now before it is too late," said Omar. The directive comes into effect today (23 August) and the committee warned that anyone caught dealing in charcoal after that date would face the full force of the law. Omar warned foreign ships coming to Somalia to take on charcoal that they risk arrest, a fine or both if they are caught. The directive also imposes a ban on trade in wildlife and rare species of birds, said Omar. "There is a brisk trade in falcons, hawks, eland and dik-diks, and many other species, to the Gulf States," said Abkow. Stopping the trade in charcoal and wildlife would not be easy, and would require the cooperation of the Arab countries as well as the Somali business community, sources said. Enforcement of the ban will also depend on the ability of the UIC to set up territorial control and an effective justice system. Source.

LOL@Castro. In NGONGE’s mind, it supposed to convey more than that.

Originally posted by STOIC: I am honestly confused with the whole Muslims versus Westerns, and Israel versus the Arabs war. ^^Brother Stoic, you shouldn’t be confused about it at all! As simplistic as it may sound, terror is the price Western Powers pay for their hegemony. One could genuinely argue about the Islamicity (for a lack of better word) of Islamic resistance throughout the world. But have no elusions about it, good brother, resistance will continue, and it should, as long the West ignores and dismisses the root causes that create desperation and breed terrorism. Just last week our TVs delivered the massacre of Qana to our living rooms and we all witnessed how terrorizing that was. If you think the guilt of the wicked is clear and raw, you are mistaken. Hezbollah is responsible, says Bush. Blair agrees. We are living in such a world whose moral disparity is unbridgeable indeed. So there you have it yaa Stoic.