Originally posted by macalimuu: It could be said that, by and large, Indha Cadde exposed the vulnerability of Jowhar and Baidabo. The spineless warlord patrons of the fallen and soon to be conquered cities are passively soiling in their pants and crying foul................. ........If it comes to this, the long awaited Ethiopian invasion, then, it will be the end of Somalia as we know it. The country will be fragmented into warring fiefdoms for decades to come and gone will be dreams of ever lasting peace in Somalia. The lack of the power of positive thinking is unambiguously observable! Time, though, has fortunately not been nice to these gloomy predictions.

Not a useful article at all. It signifies the politics of pitying and how desperate some people get. Leave the man alone as his opposition vents through legitimate legislative process that’s quite foreign to the gun-wielding nomads. PS. Armed oppositions ought to be dealt harshly. Breathing room must be given to the likes of Sharif.

A_Ladiif, I can relate to the circumstances that you’ve described. Yes, we have a designated area for prayer; they called it meditation room, though Muslims are the only ones who use it regularly. We use it for Friday prayer as well. We’re about 30 Muslims, mainly Arab, Asian, and Somali origin. I some times use my cubicle to pray. But that rarely happens, as I don’t have to (thanks Allah). My advice: always ask your managers for accommodation because it really works.

Aniga, Thanks for Posting. Very informative indeed.

I am tempted to school this lost sheep about the originality of Salafism! But he gone so astray, any rescue mission may be futile. Salafism, my dear, is the concept of remaining loyal to the method of early Muslims. Salafi, mind you, is the Muslim who tries hard to imitate the blessed Prophet in every aspect of his/her life. For now, I must stop here and see if these two definitions make any sense to you.

Originally posted by Duke_Valantino: Ethipia support is there as it always was for Inda Cade/Dahir Aways represent reminants of the Al-Itixad. [/QB] General Duke, you confuse what is a legitimate Islamic organization with a bunch of scofflaws who disguise as a wadaado! Al-Itihad, mind you, is an Islamist party that had its ups and down in the course of the civil war, but a genuine one. So would you care to do little distinction before you throw them in to the mix? As for the latest news and the invasion of Baidoba, I take it as a prelude (as odd as it may sound) for the restoration of government! These are, indeed, testing times. The leaders of Somali anarchy will make their desperate stand to preserve their loot as they know the stakes have never been any higher. The government will also make its stand, as there’s no going back. Although I am not keen on the old man, I sure think this government as the last hope for Somali people. At this point of Somali politics, I am beyond personalities and stick with the big picture. So far things are going as I expected (except this unreasonable insistence for Ethiopian troops from governments part and little delayed relocation) and this latest adventure of invading Baidoba is no more than a waning and fruitless effort from that ilk’s part. They are not going to die quite. A naissance, to be sure, that will be reduced in due time.

Some one is breathing on the old man’s neck! And his crocodile skin is, amazingly, getting thicker! I wonder, though, if the creative writing was a mere assessment for the nomad’s reading skills!

Originally posted by Tuujiye: Kal KAlyooni kuuntadil canbuulo aa lagu dhahay xiinfaniin...Waraa intaan kugu soo xiimo aan ku kala faniininaa runtaa..laasha istaare aa lagu dhahay waraa marax yahoo..Waraa aniga ma i taqanaa horta? cirkaan kaaga soo tifqaa runtii!!!adigoo bojaal ah aa anigoo diiqa SOL ii bootenaayo..waraa intaan kula kaco aan laanka kaaga fadhiisanaa runtii...anigoo ku magac dheer qaar maroodi aa u bootenee waraa.. Looooooo-----------------ool.

Originally posted by Amethyst: ......However, to make the birthday an important occasion is not very much recommended or encouraged. Thank you for asking and God knows best. And add that to this.Read it, sister, before you become so sure of yourself Originally posted by Amethyst: Also, the gregorian calender is neither an administrative nor a technical innovation but a religious one. Click here to find out the proof as I dont have the patience to argue over nothing with you. I have already conceded its origin and historical significance. :cool: Calender is an administrative tool, is it not? Originally posted by Amethyst: P.s, Falxado is such an ugly name! Far from it. PS. I am not delighted to know that you have no pateince. :mad:

Originally posted by Amethyst: One more thing dear champions of somalinimo, we, the young people of the west or carabta (myself), have grown up in a different culture. Our attitudes, perception and view of things are all shaped by our life experiences. We cant and will never think like some1 who has grown up in Somalia. As long as our values are not anti-islamic, its not right for you to fault us. Falxado, this thinking of yours compelled me to come back to this topic and cause this festivity to halt! This time though I owe no apologies! Perhaps you need to know that embracing non-Islamic values is a world different than taking advantage of useful administrative and technical innovations! Those type of innovations, western or not, have no boundaries. We ‘re encouraged to seek knowledge and cease it regardless of its origin. In that sense, your Gregorian analogy has no legs as it has (besides it historical significance) no cultural value. On the other hand, there’re countless Prophetic sayings that instruct Muslims not to imitate and accept alien values. Needless to say your citation of that Hadith can’t obstruct the fact that the Prophet had never celebrated his birth date. Granted, it’s not my right to fault you. But neither do you have a right to scoff the argument against embracing Gaalo values. Once and for all, call it for what it is. And don’t forget, dear Falxado, when you precede to putout those candles and sing that unholy song, that you’re indeed partaking in an ancient Germanic custom that’s quite foreign to yours.

Tuujiye, Raali-----------------iyo Nus Sxb. Xer-ta casriga ah aa u egtahay Noh! Wax oo xirsi u eg aa qoorta kuugu xiran! Midda kale anaa yarta iyo baliisha e dhehee miyaa? Adiga waa kuusoo laabaanaa. :mad:

LOL@ I don't know, but I'll tell you this: That chicken may run, but it can't hide. God bless America. Jalaato, Thanks for posting.

Tuujiye, Kitaab gaab waaxid. Adiga Xertii Macallin Nuur ku jirtey miyaa? In a more serious note, you're off the mark. Your understanding of that Hadith falls short! Next time, sxb, make sure you do your homework and get help from your xer before you try to issue fatwa!

Amethyst, very clever you’re! Conceding its western origin, is it wrong you asked? And you courtly reminded this stubborn Farah that this thread is not about how to celebrate! It’s rather a mere remembrance of this milestone, you insisted. My objections, dear Falxado (I am a cultural patriot,remember, and I don’t like western names either), are both cultural and religious. For one I take issue with the fact we commemorate this event (Birth that is) out of sheer imitation of the west. We seem to signify this to be socially acceptable in Europe and America (BD celebrations in Africa and Middle East are seldom). For there are countless momentous events in one’s life (marrieage, finishing school, performing hajj to just name few), significance is not the reason we single out Birth for celebration. We do that while our culture is diminishing by the minute. Grandmother Butaaco would’ve deemed all us alien for she wouldn’t see Madiix and Kuraysi performed. She wouldn’t recognize how Buraanbur is presented in our wedding ceremonies and she would’ve shocked to see our brides dressed with European white-gowns. She would’ve abhorred them (Brides) tasting cakes before the staring eyes. That sad state of our culture does not put you in a festive mood, me think I also have my reservation about its permissibility as it represents un-Islamic value! Since we agreed that it’s a western value, I thought it would be over kill to delineate how un-Islamic it ‘s.

Nomads, Stubborn Farah, I am. I refused to embrace western values! I swim against the tide, so to speak, of alien ideas that run contrary to all the things that I hold dear. I try to question things properly and be reasonable when confronted with convincing logic. I tend not to sing popular songs of the day, as it were, and I critically examine things. Birth date parties, good nomads, are distinctively western culture. For a Somali to do so is analogous to that infamous fox of our folk-tale that tried to mimic the peculiar walk of the lion. I can understand it. But I like to call things what they are. Here, I stand and can do no other! In a big scheme of things, this may seem trivial issue and should not get our attention. But when you live in the heart of Midwest and see the daily struggle of Somali families trying to raise their children as Islamicly as they can, this sure puts pressure on them. You would expect learned nomads to be on the right side of the fence and not pioneer to embrace unfamiliar customs, but this (again) is not encouraging. And that merits my interjection of this otherwise smoothly initiated thread. To be sure, I value the birth of this lovely girl of ours (Msword that is). Her contributions to the Poetry forum depict picture of a gifted and talented nomad who, quite successfully, managed to translate the nomadic tradition of oral expression into eloquent writing. I admire her thoughtfully crafted and well-put sentences that narrate complex anecdotes yet convey it with simplicity. That should dispel any hunch of me not thinking highly of her! Besbaaso, Apologies for the civil hijack of your thread! Rendez, Stay cool brother. And lets not indulge in the business of issuing decrees.

Do Muslims celebrate for Birth Dates? Does it really have any significance to warrant for our commemoration?

The president responses to Cag Bakeyle’s Request Though I appreciate the value of the services you provide, my experts (after long and tedious hours to find out where Somalia is on the map) find some fundamental defects that significantly compromise the quality of your service. 1- Lack of Cohesion. As you’re well aware of any scheme of destabilization to work and have the desired effect of utter devastation, cohesive it must be. We demand a fully organized and interrelated entity to provide any service to us. We understand that you (Somalis) are segmented society that lacks the art of creative destruction: the one that could only be achieved through extreme teamwork and innovative planning. You don’t particularly do well at sabotaging modern infrastructures that require technical competence to dismantle machinery of significant size and disrupt network infrastructures. Fu’ad Ajami tells us that your type of savagery is not useful to our critical missions and it’s primitively ineffective. Your lack of commitment to any particular cause does not appeal to us. Loyalty, which we require, is not one of your traits. Perhaps your ceaseless inter-clan fighting misleadingly gives characteristics of an anarchic society. Anarchism, mind you, is a principal and a valid political theory that you understand little about! It advocates voluntary cooperation and free individual association as a substitute for government authority. That entails strong organizational skills as it aims to attain goals. 2- Undesirable Nomadic Tendencies Our experts understand that nomads (that’s essentially what you’re) not only lack commitment for land, but they also deem alien the most basic frameworks and mechanisms of ours. No contracts, no documentation, and no accountability. In that sense, you are frozen in time. Our terms for outsourcing spell out clear missions and set well-defined goals. It also demands full accountability, which you don’t comprehend. 3- Unpromising Trends What happened in Nairobi did not please us. The words piece process, reconciliation, parliament, president, and prime minister does not sit well with a true anarchic society. How dare you claim to be a true advocator for anarchism in Somalia when the selected President and PM freely visits and gets hero’s welcome in five Somali provinces? Piece keeping forces, he said? I already instructed the African desk of my State Department to come up with working plans to effectively reverse these trends. We’re essentially doing the job you claimed to have mastered. Keeping Somalia chaotic and anarchic that is. PS: you seem to have potential to maintain anarchy and lawlessness but not to create one. Somalia provides a test ground where you can proof your skills.

Originally posted by Samurai Warrior: So, the day has arrived, and Somalia’s parliament rubberstamps FTs to penetrate Somalia with the exclusion of frontline states (provided one goes along with the opponents of frontline FTs). Does this alter the discernment of FTs? Does it negate FTs’s involvement in militia disarmament? I wouldn’t characterize Parliament’s vote as a rubberstamp, but government’s initiative achieved some success as this vote paves the way for the introduction of foreign troops. With or without frontline states, these troops are intended to support this government restore governance in Somalia. And that does not alter the discernment of FTs. In that sense, the president got what he wanted! Does this mean Mogadishu lords (war and law) shall bow out with pleasure, dignity and relinquish the weapons at leisure? It all boils down how one reads parliament’s vote. I for one, read it as a win-win proposition where opponents exercised their political muscle and brought down one important (but not critical) clause in the governments bill BUT failed to halt the momentum of introducing foreign troops (Frontline or not, foreign they are). Now, one has to realize that Mr.Yusuf’s relationship with frontline states stands unscathed. So do his plan to relocate the capital to Baidoba. What’s next? Could this embolden opponents and provide the much-needed fuel to steel another base? Or is it waning strike of men who’re fighting a war that they’re destined to loose? PS. I personally thought insisting Ethiopia’s inclusion was a foolish policy!

Taasaa Mashaakila! Bishaaroy waxaa jiray nin hal-heyskiisu ahaa erayga taasaa mashaakila. Waagii danbe baa waxaa ninka iyo reerkiisaa soo booqday sodohdii(xaaskiisaa hooyadeed). Markayse timid isagu reerka ma joogin oo shaqo buu ku maqnaa. Markuu soo laabtay baa loo sheegay iney sodohdii timid. Sidii lagu yiqiiney buu wuxuu yiri taasaa mashaakila. Duqdii baa markay maqashay eraygaas caro la baqtin gaartey kadibna carootay, ninka iyo gurigiisana isaga haajirtay. Maxaa meeshaa lagaa dhibsanayo ku dhigay bay mindhaa isku canaanatay! Markuu ka warhelay in sodohdii hak-heyskiisii dhibsatey oo sidaas darteedna u carootay wuxuu ku jawaabay: taasaa mashaakila.

March 15, 2005 New Democrats: Hamas and Hezbollah by Patrick J. Buchanan "We do not negotiate with terrorists!" How many times have we heard statesmen so declaim, even as they worked back channels to cut deals with the men with bloody hands with whom they publicly refused, on principle, to negotiate? FDR negotiated with Stalin, who conducted what historian Robert Conquest calls "The Great Terror." Nixon went to Beijing and toasted Mao Tse-tung. Reagan sent aides to Tehran, with Bible and cake, to arrange the release of U.S. hostages held by the terrorist accomplices of Iran in Beirut. George W. Bush negotiated a deal with Ghadafi, who engineered the Lockerbie massacre of Pan Am 103. And Bush succeeded. In return for Libyan payments to the families of the victims and Ghadafi renouncing his weapons of mass destruction, we lifted sanctions. Ghadafi walked. Bush surrogates declared it a triumph. And, perhaps, rightly so. From 2000 to 2004, Yasser Arafat was a terrorist pariah. Yet no leader had spent more hours with President Clinton, and two Israeli prime ministers shared a Nobel Prize with Arafat. As scholar Michael Vlahos has written, "terrorist" is a term used to stigmatize one's enemies and justify a refusal to negotiate. Moscow calls the Chechen rebels terrorists, India calls the Muslim resistance in Kashmir terrorist, and Americans are now shunning Gerry Adams as a leader of IRA terrorists, though Adams was listening to "Danny Boy" at the White House for every St. Patrick's Day in the last nine. To end the Algerian terror war, Charles de Gaulle cut a deal with the FLN. To end Vietnam, the United States negotiated with North Vietnamese who had used mass murder at Hue in 1968 as a weapon of war. And so we come to the point. If President Bush is committed to his democracy project – Let the people rule! – he must risk a rise to power of Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Or be judged a hypocrite. And it would appear the White House has lately awakened to the implications of free elections in the Middle East. While, in Ukraine, one man, one vote may mean Viktor Yushchenko, south of Beirut it means Sheik Nasrallah. Friday's New York Times must have jolted neoconservatives who cheered Bush's second inaugural. "U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role," read the startling headline. "After years of campaigning against Hezbollah … as a terrorist pariah," wrote reporter Steve Weisman, "the Bush administration is going grudgingly along with efforts by France and the United Nations to steer the party into the Lebanese political mainstream…. "The administration's shift was described … as a reluctant recognition that Hezbollah, besides having a militia and sponsoring attacks on Israel, is an enormous force in Lebanon that could block Western efforts to get Syria to withdraw its troops." That acceptance of Hezbollah is where Bush is headed was confirmed for Weisman by an unnamed, appalled source: "'Hezbollah has American blood on its hands,' an administration official said, referring to such events as the truck bombing that killed more than 200 American Marines in Beirut in 1983. 'The administration has an absolute aversion to admitting that Hezbollah has a role to play in Lebanon, but that is the path we are going down.'" Yet consider: While 241 Marines died in the suicide truck bombing at the Beirut barracks in 1983, more died in the 1988 massacre over Lockerbie, approved and funded by Ghadafi. If Bush can agree to Ghadafi's rejoining the international community, upon what moral ground do we and he stand to deny recognition to Sheik Nasrallah, who was only 24 when the Marines were killed and had no hand in it? Nasrallah did not take over Hezbollah until Israel's military killed the former leader, Sheik Musawi, his wife, and his 3-year-old daughter by helicopter-fired Hellfire missiles in February of 1992. Nasrallah was asked to lead by Iran's ayatollah. With his enthusiasm for mass demonstrations, free elections, and majority rule, President Bush has unleashed a whirlwind from which Hamas and Hezbollah may be the beneficiaries. Nor does the president seem to realize that his embrace of a political cause in the region has the effect of an endorsement by Ariel Sharon. "Why don't they realize that once America makes a case for something, the Middle East will go in the opposite direction?" an Arab diplomat told Weisman. "Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, but now its hand is strengthened by American opposition." Political causes define themselves and advance themselves by choosing the right enemies. In the 1940s, America defined herself as the implacable foe of Hitler. In the Cold War, America's enemy was communism and the "Evil Empire." That was moral clarity. Unfortunately, in the Middle East, the way to advance oneself today is to have as your enemy Israel or the United States of George W. Bush. And thus does Hezbollah advance toward power in Lebanon.

Originally posted by Shyhem: You should never explain anything to any woman. I'm not abig fan of "the whole second wife thing" since i barely can take care of the first one.However, i must say if and when i decide to marry a second wife, i won't discuss anything with my first wife. I will let her hear the rumours from the relatives and neighbours. Shyhem, Explaining I did, but not to my wife! She is rare bread and fully adheres to the norms of our near extinct culture. She understands my mission of reviving that old tradition of ours! Hibo, Oh what an invitation for dual! But it’s a virtual dual though and as such it sure limits my performance! The issue, good sister, is not about me not fulfilling my responsibilities its rather Somali girls in the west who consider polygamy dead cultural practice. That, in essence, is what I am lamenting for. To me it’s the jewel of our much-cherished culture! In a more serious note, I have to agree that there’s no stand-alone culture as such. But there’re core values that need preserved.Those are the values that are either derived, prescribed, or approved by our Religion ofcourse.

I don’t think so because if we still have our culture intact it wouldn’t be difficult for a man like me to find second wife! In my father and grandfather’s days and when our culture was well and thriving finding second, or third wife was fairly easy. My grandfather was known for that. He had his way with women and was very productive man. But it was our noble culture that provided conducive environment for his polygamy practices. You see, I have been shopping around in the Midwestern states for the last two years or so and I couldn’t find a date for a second wife, except for desperate single moms of course. Even I had hard time explaining to the westernized mind the permissibility of marrying a second, third, or fourth for that matter. So it’s a sad reality that Somali culture has lost its mainstay values and time has not been nice for it! Oh what a lamentable heritage that we have indeed lost.

Originally posted by BOB: People have various definitions regarding success but in my humble opinion I believe people regard success by achieving what they set out to achieve in life whatever that maybe......... The day I help restore my land & people’s battered & bruised pride & dignity is the day I will feel a true WINNER IN LIFE. Sxb, I think you have set out to achieve a noble goal. It’s a realistic goal as well. But more importantly, this definition of yours restores the equilibrium of these two words where individual’s success translates in to communal victory and triumph, and where the word wining looses its selfish connotation and instead symbolizes the far-reaching and positive impact that one’s efforts could make. You seem to understand the power of positive thinking and the profound difference you could affect. But the reasons for which I have (temporarily) hijacked this lovely topic of yours still remain. More often than not the words success and winning get subverted to mean superficial and phony worldly achievements that have no tangible meaning to a decent human being. It was a genuine desire from my part to bring your attention (to mine as well) to what I believe to be an obvious reality: that you can’t live meaningful life if you can’t define your mission in life and set realistic and attainable goals; that our mission has to reflect the purpose of our creation and our goals have to please our Creator; and our yardstick by which we measure our success ought to be how well we pleased our Allah. It goes without saying that every Muslim is well conversant with these basic tenets of our religion. But reminding each other is beneficial, I think. Some people may get a bit philosophical and complicate this topic by introducing the relativity of success. Let’s see if that comes up! PS. Emboldened by the valuable wisdom extracted from your genius mind, I am off to download some of those deep and un-reached treasures(wisdom) of yours.

BOB thanks for posting. If you allow me, I would like to contaminate your generous and well-written advice and ask some basic questions that tend to elude us all. What does being a winner in life mean? How do you measure success in life? PS: This is a genuine effort to extract wisdom from your genius mind.

Originally posted by Duke_Valantino: Xiinfaniin , I am referring to the whole people of Mogadishu. Let me reiterate that in my opinion Mogadishu is the national capital of Somalia and belongs to all Somali’s. It was built by the effort of multitude of clans. Fair enough, sxb. I happen to harbor unpopular thoughts that are contrary to the prevailing perceptions of the city! The city, Mogadishu that is, though temporarily dented by the indiscriminate fleecing and vandalizing, is the center of Somali heritage. No clan can claim it as his own for it represents the true identity of Somalia.