I find it interesting that my post a few weeks ago about Saudi Arabia taking over religious education in Somalia with their Wahhabi curriculum didn't start conversations like this. LINK So if it's Saudi Arabia using soft power that way it's okay? All I'm asking for is a consistent outcry against anything unSomali like the Wahhabi death cult. Stop the hypocrisy.

Apophis, my Q was more about why has no one even said anything about the corruption or done anything about it. I mean to think that each and everyone there to be corrupt is a bit too much. Btw this smiling fool ( president ) has no chance in getting another term. The guy is the most incompetent leader I've seen. The guy doesn't even know how to act in diplomatic situations. He has no spine and only knows words to entice the West, like transparency, gender equality and democracy. He reminds me of a dictator and wants to do everything himself. He makes Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed look good. If he does get another term, don't expect any progress or even fast growth in GDP these coming years. *rant over I still have hope though.

Why are there no laws against impunity? If one is given money and there's is not even protocols to follow what's the use? And why aren't there people to check others if they are indeed doing what they were supposed to with the money. I don't believe corruption is a problem, because there's corruption in the West as well. There is just a difference between function and dysfunctional corruption.

d/p

Since when has being lighter skinned been equated with being beautiful in Somalia though? I thought being dark skinned has always been beautiful in Somalia. Strange.

We just had a documentary about this in the Netherlands called 'white is better'. Dark skinned people should stop this crap. You are the joke of humanity. Stop this self hating, while the cadaan laughs at us.

You can tell that from her nose?

I hope this is not true!

What is your take on this? Islamic studies curriculum in Somalia’s schools is a radical form of Islam that analysts say is contributing to the growing militancy of the country’s youth. MOGADISHU, Oct 4 2013 (IPS) - Mukhatar Jama has been teaching at a secondary school in Mogadishu for the past decade. Religious education is part and parcel of the curriculum of all schools in Somalia, but he says most parents are unaware of exactly what their children are being taught – a radical form of Islam. “The Islamic studies curriculum you hear is the pure Wahhabism, exported from Saudi Arabia, that teaches children that all those who are not Wahhabi are non-believers, including the children’s parents, and that it is ok to kill non-Muslims ,” Jama told IPS. While there are no statistics on how many schools there are in Somalia, most here follow the Saudi curriculum, which advocates and inculcates Wahhabism. This is a far more radical interpretation of Islam than the moderate Sufi school that older generation of Somalis follows. The radicalisation of Somalia’s youth has already started spilling over the war-torn country’s borders to its neighbours, influencing the region’s fragile security situation. "Al-Shabaab, which means youth in Arabic, has realised the potential of Somalia’s young and are working to capitalise on it in our schools." -- analyst Omar Yusuf It has taken root not only in Somalia and Kenya, but in the whole sub-region, Omar Yusuf, an analyst in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, told IPS. “The event of Westgate is perhaps one of many wake-up calls for governments in the region to tackle the growing radicalisation and the logical next step of deadly militancy in the youth of the region,” Yusuf said. The Sep. 21 attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi by the Somali Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab left more than 70 dead and dozens injured. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab had repeatedly vowed to target Kenya after the country’s troops crossed over the border into Somalia in 2011 and ousted the radical group’s fighters from key areas in southern Somalia, including Kismayo. Al-Shabaab advocates the establishment of an Islamic State not only in Somalia, but in East Africa. It adheres to the fundamentalist Wahhabi school of Islam. The extremist group’s ideology seems to be gaining ground in Somalia due to a number of factors. “Think about it, schools in Somalia provide Al-Shabaab with the radical ideological teaching for the youth and when they graduate what they just need is to give [them] military training and there you have a qualified Al-Shabaab fighter,” Yusuf said. Both teachers and parents seem divided over what is being taught at Somali schools, with some accepting it as part of the children’s religious education, and others expressing concern that their children are being indoctrinated to be Wahhabists without their consent. “I came to know that my son gets indoctrinated with extremist views at school. He had to change schools a number of times but all schools in Mogadishu use the same Wahhabi books that we took from Saudi Arabia. The whole country will covert to Wahhabism in no time, ” one parent, who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals, told IPS. Another parent, Omar Kulmiye, disagreed that his children were being radicalised by this teaching. “I don’t [know] much about religion but I think since they are learning Islam it is ok with me and I have not sensed anything different in my children since they started school five years ago,” he told IPS. Zakia Hussen, a researcher with the Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS), explained “there’s no one root cause but several factors that have led to Somali youth being recruited into militancy.” Hussen said three factors have contributed to radicalisation and militancy among Somali youths. Lack of political participation, and of employment and education opportunities draws youth to militant groups, she said. “The search for a ‘second family’ and a sense of belonging offered by militant groups…has attracted many youths,” Hussen said. “Young recruits are offered a group to belong to, a job with salary as well as marriage – things that are otherwise hard for them to obtain in Somali society.” The unemployment rate for youth aged 14 to 29 is 67 percent — one of the highest in the world. According to the United Nations Development Programme’s “Somalia Human Development Report 2012”, 70 percent of Somalia’s 10.2 million people are under the age of 30. “This was a crisis that has been simmering for years because the radical groups have found not only Somalia but neighbouring countries fertile ground to grow and recruit, with governments in the region seemingly unprepared,” Abdi said. However, the Somali government, along with the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international partners, is currently trying to implement an ambitious initiative to put one million children to school. Through this Go 2 School Initiative the government has also proposed changes to the curriculum in the hope that this will help fight radicalism. According to UNICEF, enrolment rates here are among the lowest in the world with only four out of every 10 children attending school. But the government faces huge resistance from private school administrators and parents who fear the changes would make education devoid of religious moral teaching for the young. Islamist groups have condemned the campaign as an attempt by the government to westernise Somali education and sideline religious studies. Numerous calls by IPS to Somalia’s ministry of education remained unanswered while one official declined to comment on the allegations that schools are used as breeding grounds for militancy in Somalia. But Hussen said the Somali government recognised that youth are the “future of Somalia” and need empowerment. “However, the government has not been very forthcoming in the implementation of this … as youth are still very much marginalised from the political arena,” she explained. Yusuf agreed, but said the approach needs to be far more radical and start with a critical look at the kind of education Somali children receive in school during their formative years. “There is a need for holistic approach to youth problems in Somalia because Al-Shabaab, which means youth in Arabic, has realised the potential of Somalia’s young and are working to capitalise on it in our schools. We need to change that,” Yusuf said. Source

Btw Christiane Amanpour is a lunatic! Haven't you seen her talking about how the US is the most moral country in the world? Video

Wow. A lot of misogynists here. Can't take it that Somali women are much better educated than men in the diaspora? Causes divisions I see. My take on this is that she is either not the right woman for the job or that she has used wrong wording. But a prominent journalist was unfollowed by her soon after he shared what she said in a tweet. See here

The latest renders announced for the Aden Adde International airport. I think this is the final one. Source

Really Haatu? How many women work at Dahabshiil for instance? How many women are district officers in Mogadishu? How come the quota of women in the government wasn't reached? How come women are more illiterate than men in Somalia? Etc. etc. There are more women in Somalia than men. Women are held back there. The poorest and most backward of nations are always those that keep their women from reaching their potential. With this said, Somalia is making great strides in giving women a fair chance. Much more is to be done and this will make the recovery of Somalia even faster.

Hi Garoodi, I don't have much time these days, but I will try to respond to this when I can. Also, I don't want to respond with something short.

Why does 1 report say $2.4 billion and the other $2.7 billion? Confusing. VOA also says $2.7 billion, but the BBC $2.4 billion.

What was asked by this woman and what was his response? Please share. The president talks about inclusivity and working with regional states the whole time, but I feel it's all rhetoric.

Donors pledge 1.8 billion euros for Somalia 8 minutes ago by Thomson Reuters BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - International donors pledged 1.8 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for Somalia on Monday to back a three-year reconstruction plan aimed at building on fragile security gains, the European Union said. "I am glad to note that pledges today reached 1.8 billion euros, backing with financial means these new priorities and framework," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the closing session of a conference on Somalia. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Luke Baker) Source

This is separate from the other pledges that were made today. Sweden, UK, Denmark, Gulf states etc. have also made other pledges.

Where can we watch this live? I hear it's broadcasted live. EDIT: Never mind. I found it. http://eeas.europa.eu/somalia/new-deal-conference_en.htm" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

In my opinion islam goes against many human rights and common laws we have today in the western world. And we take them for granted. Why don't we talk about this instead of a romanticized version of islam? Sure there are some good things, but go into detail and you'll be shocked. Go to the islamic sources and you'll see that being a minority (religion), slave or a woman is one of the worst things to be in a country based on islamic law. I wish people would refute my claims with examples. I'll do the same later. Sure it makes me sad when people say islam is perfect and Muslims aren't. In general we lack critical thinking. We're stagnant, we're stuck.

I wish I had such nice people around me. lol.

. Planned investments include building clinics and hospitals, developing the infrastructure of some existing hospitals and setting up field hospitals, as well as rebuilding as schools, medical and educational centres. In his speech, Ambassador Mahash Saeed Alhameli, the director of the International Security Cooperation Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will outline how the UAE has pledged $50 million so far this year to the Somali government and has given much more for schools, health and disaster relief to stop another generation of Somalis from taking up piracy. However, he will also outline the UAE’s major investments in patrols in the Indian Ocean to stop pirates, including donating five patrol ships to the Seychelles to prevent the islands being used as a shelter by Somali gangs. The third International Piracy Conference, which takes place in Dubai on Wednesday and Thursday, will bring together global experts to figure out how best to beat piracy, especially off the coast of Somalia. It follows hundreds of incidents of piracy in recent years, although the numbers of attacks are decreasing as heavily armed patrols escort cargo ships through the Indian Ocean. Ambassador Alhameli will tell the conference that, over the past year, the UAE has used many techniques, including “piracy prosecutions, directing humanitarian assistance to address the root causes of piracy”, adding that there was evidence to suggest that this “comprehensive approach” is paying off. On the military and security front, the UAE has already given $1 million to the United Nations international piracy trust fund, the ambassador will tell the conference. The UAE has also joined the “Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia” to patrol the coastal Indian Ocean.

When were those pictures taken? We need context.

Anwar, what do you mean with 'love this'? Because it sounds very insensitive, especially with the attack in Mogadishu today that killed at least 18 people.