CidanSultan, if Somalia is under occupation then so is Djibouti since they have foreign Americans and French forces protecting their government. And there are many other countries whose entire stability relies on a foreign military power being stationed in their country. So are those countries not "real" countries either? Why are you imposing a double-standard on Somalia? The AU does not do the bulk of the fighting in Somalia anymore. A large part of their forces are just stationed in barracks while the Somali troops do the real dirty work of fighting Al Shabab and trying to extend control across all of Somalia. It'll take time, but be optimistic. I mean, look at your country Somaliland. Somaliland has issues as well I mean, 23 years of "independence" for Somaliland, and they STILL don't fully control all of their borders. Just recently a contingent of Somalilander troops arrived in Taleex, and it was big news. Do you really think the "Somaliland" government in the early 1990's had the same capabilities as they have today? Rome wasn't built in a day. You have this peculiar belief that Somalis are going to stabilize their country overnight.

As I said before, if the young woman is physically mature, mentally mature, and consents to a marriage with another person, as long as she's not harmed by this marriage, and she's fully capable of handling the responsibilities of marriage and she's mature enough, then yeah I see nothing wrong with it. And neither should you. And you have no moral justification for saying otherwise. The age of marriage in Mexico is like 13. And it varies from culture to culture. But I'd much prefer that the young woman marries a man close to her own age, with a small age gap. But if she wants to marry a man twice or thrice her own age, then that's up to her. Who are you to say she can't do it? The legal age here in America is 18, but if this 18 year old woman decides to marry a 60 year old man, who are you to complain about it? And would you complain the same way, if it was an 18 year old young man marrying a 70 year old woman? You're full of emotion and lack rationality. You're very dishonest here, as the way you phrased the question was more trolling and playing into the hands of the atheists on this thread such as Xabad.

But Tallaabo, they can be engaged or betrothed to be married through her father. But once she reaches the age of puberty, it becomes her decision to marry the fiance whether she likes him or not. The Quran in Surah 4:19 prohibits forced marriages, and there are several Hadiths which outline the fact that it's forbidden in Islam for a woman to married to someone she doesn't like. She can be engaged sure, but when it comes to actually signing the marriage contract and consummating the marriage, she has to be 1. Mentally and Physically Mature 2. Consenting to the actual marriage, with no coercion involved.

<cite> @Tallaabo said:</cite> Brother Kenny, isn't marriage a very important and valid topic to be discussed by Muslims? Yes marriage in Islam is a valid topic to be discussed. But there are appropriate times and places to discuss such things. Discussing this thing here, on SomaliaOnline, when this topic has already been recycled millions of times on the internet, and in books, isn't going to accomplish anything. And furthermore, discussing this amongst atheists who are only interested in trolling is very questionable as well. This thread you created is insulting and malicious. And you are malicious

Of course Xabad supports Israel. What do we expect from him? Xabad, what ethnicity are you BTW? Are you Japanese or Jewish Israeli or Peruvian or White German? Are you Indian or Hausa or Filipino?

Holac, he's definitely similar to those other trolls who try and bring out an attack against Islam at every opportunity. Not worth your time having a discussion with him. And it doesn't matter what the argument says, Xabad/others just copy and paste these arguments into this forum and then expect us to defend it. Never mind the fact that all of these arguments have already been addressed in years past on this forum, in other forums, and in other books and lectures and articles as well. He's an intellectual light-weight. And I'm saying this as a 22 year old. He knows he won't survive in a debate or a discussion in an Islamic forum so he brings his arguments to this SomaliaOnline forum. It's best to just dismiss him

There was nothing in the article that I haven't read before, and that hasn't been refuted before by NUMEROUS Muslim authors and professors. But go ahead. Have fun copying/pasting arguments and then expecting us to defend ourselves against your disapproving opinion. I have no desire to defend myself or explain anything to the likes of you.

<cite> @Miyir said:</cite> lol all talk no action losers in action, what happened attacking your enemy in surprise move? why give them warning unless you want them to escape? Al Shabab typically can't fight so even if they do confront the Somali National Army face-to-face, they'd definitely turn down the fight and prefer to blend in with the local population and conduct hit-and-run attacks. The National Army doesn't hide, if they want to make a push into Shabab-controlled territory, then they will do so. Remember, Al Shabab is the organization where many of it's leaders are hiding and on the run, not the Government. The ball is in the government's court, and they should continue this push and cut the head off the snake.

<cite> @Khayr said:</cite> You have already manipulated things with that wildly provactive title. It is like saying your carpet stinks, now let us discuss why it could smell good. For any outsider, the image of a stinky carpet becomes embedded. With that image, all logical arguments immediately cease and the logical fallacy of appeal to association and appeal to emotion wins. I mean Tallabo and Xabad are just two sides to the same crooked coin. A bunch of con artists posing as sincere nomads. I completely agree with you. Tallaabo has some very questionable logic when he posted this thread. He bought into their narrative and actually went along with it, without even questioning it himself. I actually expected better of him. Xabad isn't even Somali, he admitted it before on this forum. And his arguments/behavior/blatant lies shows that he's not worth having a discussion with either.

Xabad, there is no onus on me, as I'm not obligated to address something that has no business being discussed on this forum, and which has already been refuted on numerous occasions all over the internet, on TV, and in books. You made a blatant lie again, here on this forum. As you don't even know what the purpose of the "Iddah" waiting period is. Surah 65:4 is dealing with the "Iddah", which is the waiting period a woman must go through once she gets a divorce, in order to ensure she's not pregnant. So traditionally, the Iddah period, is roughly 2 to 3 months. And if she's not pregnant, then she can go ahead and remarry someone else after the waiting period. But if she IS pregnant, then the Iddah period goes on until after she delivers the baby. Usually it's 2 menstrual cycles, but if her cycles are irregular or they're not consistent (as is pretty common with a lot of women in this world), then she has to wait 3 months to ensure she isn't pregnant. Or else, there could be the possibility that her new husband would believe that the child she gave birth to was biologically his, although technically the child was conceived by her old husband, so in order to protect lineage and to prevent against false paternity, this rule is observed. It gives a roughly 3 month buffer timing in order to prevent this. That's the whole point of Iddah. It's all very detailed and elaborate, and I don't have the time to go into further detail, but the point is that in Islam, the age of marriage starts after the man/woman reaches mental and physical maturity (sometime after puberty, maybe a few years after).

Let's hope this works out in Somalia's favor. However, once this is completed, there remains the much more difficult task of cleaning out the Al Shabab elements from all of Somalia's major cities, including the capital. That's gonna require a competent and trained Police Force and a Somali Intelligence Agency.

I'm not going to address your argument at all Xabad. Because you've proven yourself as being someone not worth having a discussion with This argument's been dealt with on numerous occasions, on this forum and in other forums, books and lectures. I'm not gonna re-invent the wheel and address you again.

The Alawites simply don't have the manpower to sustain such heavy military losses indefinitely. I think sooner or later, Assad will have no choice but to consolidate his forces, and withdraw to the Western Coast of Syria, and then declare an independent Alawite State. And then defend that Alawite State from the attacks of outsiders.

MashaAllah, keep up the good work. We need more Somali firms to boost employment and accelerate the reconstruction of our country

<cite> @Alpha Blondy said:</cite> ^ my own political ambitions have stalled. it's only fair to hate on those doing bigger and better things, dee. this is the way, here. :D

CidanSultan, there are numerous accounts by Christians AND Muslims who live in the region, about the persecution inflicted upon them by ISIS. Entire villages of Christians flee the brutality of ISIS, and this is well-documented and irrefutable. They don't impose a Jizyah on them, they don't give Christians religious freedom, and they don't leave them alone. The Prophet even said, anyone who harms a Non-Muslim living under Islamic rule, becomes my enemy. This is what he said. It's outright forbidden to treat them in this manner. And anyone who harms a Christian or Jew or Hindu or Buddhist becomes my enemy as well. These ISIS folks lack knowledge and wisdom, and they don't understand the concept of "live and let live". If they treated the Christians fairly and let them do whatever they want in their own communities, in exchange for a small Jizyah, then I wouldn't complain. But Christians are being persecuted left right and center in the Middle East, and ISIS is a big culprit. And what exactly are they hoping to accomplish when they approach Shia villages or they capture large groups of Shia men? What are they accomplishing when they kill 2000 men in a row, most of them who are obviously civilian? Some of the ISIS folk even reiterated that it is their wish to "cleanse the Middle East" of all Shias. Do they even think realistically? ISIS--like Al Shabab-- are simple-minded people who can't think 2 steps ahead. They only think of RIGHT NOW. They don't have the concept of a "future". If you go around like a madman, slaughtering literally everyone who crosses your path whether they're the Free Syrian Army, the Shias, or the Christians....what do you accomplish by doing that? These groups are filled with over-zealous 20 year old kids who don't know any better. And a hallmark of the Khawaarij is that they are disavowed by the people of knowledge. ALL of the major scholars and teachers in the world completely denounce this group and their tactics, and they are led by suspicious no-name men with no knowledge and absolutely zero credentials. It's just a bunch of opportunistic older men who take advantage of young 20 year old Muslims who don't know anything. If they're so legitimate, then why are their leaders always shady individuals who are in hiding? Why aren't they public? And why are they so focused on dividing the Syrian opposition and AIDING that Dictator Assad, instead of just staying out of the way and not wrecking havoc in Syria? They destroyed the grave of Prophet Yunus alayhi salam. They bombed his grave. This is how SICK and PERVERTED they are, that they've resorted to bombing the graves of Prophets.

<cite> @Elmuhammadi said:</cite> that extra 200 if added to security budget and the security forces are given their full rights including financial stability it can solve the security issues...but i guess the MPs are stooges just like the cabinet.. never expect a stability while the security officer at ur gate begs for few bucks.. this country is failed by the MPigs +1 These MP's are incredibly short-sighted. They should focus on paying the security forces first, increase their salaries and actually pay them on time.

No one here claims to be a fan of the Saudi Regime. But 2 wrongs don't make a right. And ISIS's actions include persecuting and killing Shia civilians, killing and expelling Christian Iraqis, and killing all Sunnis who oppose them. It shows their very ugly face. They've even resorted to attacking mosques. And they're attacking the Free Syrian Army, cooperating with Assad in fighting the FSA. ISIS's existence has split the rebel movement in Syria and actually aided Assad. And there are numerous videos online showing their many atrocities. ISIS is rotten to the core. They're trash. And they should be wiped out. They don't know how to build, they only know how to destroy P.S. Just they're terrible treatment of Christians should open your eyes to the reality of these extremist groups. They're a so-called "Caliphate" but historically, the Caliphate treated the Christians very well, and they prospered and were safe from harm. Read up on Umar bin Khattab's treatment of the Christians and Jews. Doesn't this one fact alone show you what kind of sick people ISIS and these extremists are?

Cidan....Please look up what the term Khawaarij is. These people may look pious, they may SAY things that appear to be pleasant, but you have to judge them by their actions. And their actions speak for themselves. That doesn't mean I support Israel, or Iran, or Egypt, or the Saudi Royal Family! It means I don't like a single one of these groups. If there is a single Muslim Leader today who I come close to supporting, it's Mohamed Morsi. He wasn't perfect, his rule was cut short, but I really admired him and thought of him as a sincere leader. I think it's pretty well-established on this forum, that most members here have absolutely NO love for Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Assad, or Israel. That doesn't mean these extremist groups are right. Really, please watch the video I just posted. It's very entertaining and very informative.

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<cite> @Khayr said:</cite> You sound like Bush and Bama. Their solution being preemptive slaughtering of muslims. Btw, F.A.W. talks way too much. He is not a wise politician at all. Actually, I don't agree. Most countries have intelligence units and special forces (police and military) designed to root out terrorist cells locally. It's not a "Bush" thing. It's a national security thing. In fact, if Somalia had a more effective National Security Apparatus, then we wouldn't be having all these politicians being killed and all these bombs going off in the capital city. A lot of these Khawaarij-like units congregate in secret locations and then carry out an attack on their local population. Just last month, Karachi airport was attacked by these thugs. These people need to be rooted out. There is no benefit in their actions

Listen to this very informative, entertaining, and eye-opening lecture by Yasir Qadhi regarding this issue. It's fairly obvious to most people that these extremist groups are nothing but a bunch of thugs. They have no knowledge, and their actions are despicable

<cite> @Libaax-Sankataabte said:</cite> Somalia would probably get better if folks such as Ahmed Diiriye were sidelined. Odaynimo should only be earned through wisdom, good judgement, fairness and a good character. We have a lot of odays in Somalia who have the wisdom of a 15 year old. It seems like to be an oday in Somalia, you just have to reach a certain age and that's it. You made it, you're not dead, so as a reward for managing to stay alive for 60+ years, we're gonna make you an Oday for our community.

<cite> @Holac said:</cite> I am not drinking the "ISIS is a caliphate" cool aid. This is a terrorist group hyped up by the western media, period. This is a fact. ISIS isn't even all that powerful. They only had a couple thousand fighters, backed up by thousands more Sunni Arab Tribal fighters who were only allied with ISIS because of their common hatred for Nouri Al Maliki. ISIS will wither away and disappear, they're nothing but a bunch of thugs waving around the black flag and claiming to be a new Caliphate

<cite> @HawdMan said:</cite> ^ I can only agree with you . Somalida waxey u ooyan ajinebi bees lkn qof kale somali kama naxaan for what ever reason .Somalidu inta badan ma faham complex situation uu yahy Middle eastga sida suasha ? Waayo Masr uu didden iney xadha u foraan falastiin oo cawiyaan walalhood . You have SUCH a colonial mindset. The only Arabs who are careless about the plight of their brothers are the ones who are Secularists, such as General Sisi and his supporters. A Muslim feels the pain of all his Muslim brothers, regardless of where they're located. That's why I see Islamic fundraisers and demonstrations regarding the oppression of Muslims in Burma, in Central Africa, in Syria, in China, in Chechnya and several other countries. And I'm not even talking about fighting or anything like that. I'm talking about real charities which benefit the downtrodden people. Islamic charities are some of the ONLY charities that are operating on the ground in Somalia. These charities are run by well-meaning Muslim brothers who are from all nationalities, but are generally African Muslims, Indian/Pakistani Muslims or Arab Muslims. Even British-based Muslim charities, such as "Ummah Welfare Trust", are doing a lot of ground work in Somalia. And with your last statement, if Egypt wants to deny helping their Palestinian brothers, then shame on them. But why are you imitating their behavior? Since when did 2 wrongs make a right?