JZK dear sisters, you may find other great lectures by the eloquent Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim here for instance: IslamicInvitationCentre.com Of course, upkeeping Family ties, Forgiveness as well as Truthfulness are essential qualities after Tawhid and regular Salats that we often overlook...

Actually, while life expectancy is declining, "premature" deaths linked to heart diseases is a big concern for the NHS as well as in the USA (Both Young Men and Women are affected), besides the rise of mortality of those aged between 40-50 or beyond: "Recently researchers have become concerned that the increase in obesity might change history by reversing gains in life expectancy that have been accumulating for more than four hundred years (see panel bottom centre left). Olskanksy et al have estimated that by 2050, obesity will reduce average life expectancy in the United States by 5 years and by inference up to 5 years in the UK" (NHS). "It's a common misconception that heart disease is a male problem, yet cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of premature death in women. Heart disease should be a very real issue for all women, and younger generations must take action now to cut down their risk. CHD mortality rates of those younger than 60 are worse for those born in the early 20th century than for those born in the 19th," according to the British Heart Foundation. At the same time, one should not ignore that, alongside sudden death or other serious pathologies, arthritis, asthma and other chronic conditions such as type 2 diabete are serious burdens for societies, that jeopardize quality of life at an even younger age and facilitate other pathologies while keeping health expenditures spiralling out of control, thus creating a vicious cycle. Alzheimer, for instance, has been declared a National Priority in France, where 11% of adults took psychotropic drugs at least once a week and for at least six months in, as found in trough a decade old study by Pr Zarifian, as overconsumption is "actively encouraged" by the pharmaceutical industry and increase each year despite the remarkable results achieved by simple lifestyle changes such as sensible diet, exercice as well as active spirituality and close engagement with the community trough voluntary activities. In that light, yes, our forefathers and many other groups may have witnessed or still deal with relatively high child mortality rates (trial with huge rewards Islamically speaking), but those surviving were far less likely to grow senile and handicaped at 40 or younger (rise in sudden deaths also means less opportunities for Tawbah from an Islamic perspective): "In many developed and developing countries, life expectancy has greatly increased over the last two decades. However, this seemingly favourable change raises new questions concerning the quality of the years of life gained, particularly in the elderly. Do the individuals who escape death accumulate disabilities, sequelae of accidents or consequences of chronic diseases? The concept of disability-free life expectancy, and more widely that of health expectancy, has been developed in order to answer this question", abstract from "Health expectancies and current research" by Jean-Marie Robine, Isabelle Romieu and Emmanuelle Cambois, Equipe INSERM Démographie et Santé, Montpellier, France, available on Cambridge journals. Noteworthy is also the explosion of other sources of violent deaths and injuries to the extent of affecting WHO priorities: "With nearly 1.26 million fatalities and over 35 million injured each year, the road is already death cause number one in the world for young people between 16 and 24 years of age and death cause number two for the category 15 - 44 [...]. According to the figures of the WHO, traffic will become death cause number three in the world within 15 years, while AIDS will drop to the ninth place on the list of death causes. The road safety crisis can be described as one of the biggest global health catastrophes with an enormous negative impact on the social and economical elements of society" (Institute of Traffic Care). In conclusion, for some countries, improved hygiene and sanitation led to a "health revolution" with huge gains, albeit now seriously compromised. Much more insidiously, a host of new, more or less subtle threats have emerged as Western Consumerism tends to be replicated Worldwide, further confusing prevention messages as these are deeply embedded into our socio-economic systems, with wide ranging conflicts of interests keeping an alarming statu quo. For instance, indoor pollution sources which range from carpets and child toys to cosmetics, expose to much more risks to everyone of us than outside pollution, which is already an unmitigated disaster in an increasing number of cities (unbreathable air alongside toxic water and food has decredibilized the Chinese "economic miracle"), perpetuated by a mix of politics, business and corruption. Urgently needed, therefore, is a new paradigm of Health & Healthcare as well as a thorough review of the very concept of "progress" (not least the fundamental yardsticks whereby it is measured), beyond commercial therapies riddled with more or less ignored side-effects and the concomitant selection of resistant pathogens as well as the enduring diversion tactics further compounding irreversible socioenvironmental damage...

From omnipresent hydrogenated fats to homogenized milk and other threats: Real Safety Guides

Beware of Trans Fat Substitutes There is general agreement by now that trans fats increase the risk of heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol and lowering HDL cholesterol. Legislation has been passed in some cities that prohibits restaurants from using trans fats, and such laws may eventually spread nationwide. But first, replacements must be found for these artery-clogging fats. One easy switch is to use canola or soybean oil for frying some foods. But these oils cannot be used in the preparation of baked goods such as piecrusts, cookies, pastries, and pizza crusts. Another tempting approach is to substitute animal fats like butter or lard, but these contain mostly saturated fats, which are almost as bad for us as trans fats. Animal fats raise LDL cholesterol but do not lower HDL cholesterol. So manufacturers are struggling to find healthy substitutes for trans fats while chefs and food chemists are checking the taste of other naturally occurring and chemically modified fats that can replace trans fats in these products. Even when suitable substitutes are found, growing the necessary crops that contain these fats will take some time, as will determining whether the next generation of fats are really safer than animal fats or trans fats. Meanwhile, don't be misled by food packaging that boasts a product is "trans fat-free" — you must read the label to find out which fat has replaced the trans fats. A trans-fat-free margarine, for example, is still going to be composed almost entirely of fat. And if the trans fats have been replaced by saturated fats, such a margarine can hardly be called heart healthy. © 2007 Johns Hopkins University.

Most people ignore the reasons of the dramatic surge of chronic diseases in "developing countries" (such as the diabete epidemy, with a 20 % rate in the UAE) as well as the insidious threats we face on a daily basis in "developed countries", to the point one may legitimately ask to what extent "progress" has really been made. Naively, the health conscious among us thought that food intake precautions coupled with exercice may protect us from cancers and heart diseases, albeit autopsies show that intensive damage has already been done to children organs as young as 10 years. Faced With such an array of more or less subtly hidden threats and uncoherent experts recommendations that are at best diverting, when not doing more harm than good, it urgently becomes worth asking wether a much more traditional lifestyle, devoid of any chemical or processed food, is the only alternative. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MSBN, CHICAGO - Autopsies of adults who died young of unnatural causes show many already had clogged arteries, U.S. and Canadian researchers said on Monday in a study that suggests heart disease may be on the upswing. The researchers said their findings suggest a four-decade-long trend of declines in heart disease may be about to come to a screeching halt. They studied autopsy reports from younger people in one Minnesota county who died from accidents, suicide and murder and found most had clogged arteries and more than 8 percent had significant disease. "What they observed was a bit shocking," said S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois at Chicago, who wrote an editorial on the research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "It is the most definitive evidence I've seen suggesting that today's younger and middle-aged generations may be heading for an increase in their risks of heart disease," he said. The researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver looked at autopsy data from residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who died between 1981 and 2004 from unnatural causes. During that time, 8.2 percent of 425 people aged 16 to 64 had high-grade disease and 83 percent had the beginnings of coronary artery disease. Mayo's Cynthia Leibson and colleagues found declines in the grade of coronary artery disease ended after 1995 and began to climb after 2000. "Declines in coronary artery disease appear to have ended and there is some suggestion that they might be increasing," Leibson said in a telephone interview. She said it is not yet clear to what extent obesity and diabetes contributed to this, but the researchers plan to study this in the same group of patients. Olshansky, in a telephone interview, said rates of heart disease in the United States climbed steadily in the 20th century until the 1960s, and then began falling, helped by changes in lifestyle and declines in smoking. But then, a confluence of changes occurred. "It was more or less a perfect storm," he said, citing the introduction of computers and a more sedentary lifestyle, the growth of fast-food chains and larger portion sizes, reduced physical education in schools and increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup. "It led to this explosion of obesity," Olshansky said. A second study in the same journal confirms the trends. Dr. Philip Mellen of the Hattiesburg Clinic in Mississippi analyzed national diet and nutrition data from a large federal study to see if patients with high blood pressure were adhering to a diet known to help control high blood pressure, a known cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Asc Akhi, it has been a while... I've actually managed to set up Mandrake alongside Windows on my last pc and a Linux OS has been chosen for the so-called "100 $US laptop" made available in some countries. It seems linux is ok for web browsing and office applications which are anyway the most essential ones for companies and the public sector. However, issues of compatibility with Windows files and apllications need to be adressed before convincing most of the general public, technologically naive, particularly when it comes to multimedia (without implying that this really matters). Now, Linux would be just as good for creating and managing Websites (after all both popular Apache and Drupal are open source too). Of course, we need to be aware of all the latest trends for our numeric Da'wah to operate even more proactively.

Press Conference (translated from French): The President addressing the national press Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Haramous. It is almost 4 pm when representatives of the national press took place in the spacious living room overlooking the sea and where the Head of State is accustomed to receive his guests. The press conference began 20 minutes later when the head of state joined us. It starts with a social component. How to fight against speculation that keeps food prices rising? The problem of sudden price has not surprised us because we are one of the few countries in the world that import everything and therefore are vulnerable. We lived like that because of the scarcity of water and arable land, the dry and desertic climate. And we are traditionally a nation of nomads ignoring agriculture. All this has meant that the Republic of Djibouti has always been importing. And dependent on the outside. This has not escaped me since the beginning of my mandate. We've worked a lot and we continue to do so because food security is a key element of national independence. We asked some friendly countries which, unlike us, have arable land so that we can cultivate our fields there. Our strategy is first to assure our people have access to a minimum of food. We are pleased to have been anticipating this crisis and our first harvest of Doura will happen in a few days. A harvest that will come from Sudan and more specifically from Gedaref. We initiated a major project of palm trees. There is also a laboratory to produce the first 20,000 seedlings in 1 or 2 months. We have invested heavily in the search for water with the purchase of hydraulic equipment for public works and we have also introduced an array of devices used to retain water from our wadis which pours almost entirely into the sea. We also wanted to introduce people to greehouse culture. We started the PK12 and Arta with our Moroccan brothers who sent us a professor. He toured the country and realized we could do something if we dare. We must meet this challenge and its recommendations, we'll install greenhouses pilot projects in the districts of the interior and show our people that it is possible first of all not to import vegetables. I do know there is someone who has cultivated rice in greenhouses in Ambouli. Even if it is not profitable, it has shown that it is feasible. That is the summary about the measures we have taken. For the price surge, what we need to do is not to increase the burden on the population, to be in tune with our importers. And it is to identify the vulnerable people to help them. You should know that we are in a particularly difficult period. The cancellation of the TIC (Tax on Internal Consumption) decided at the last Council of Ministers represents a shortfall of 500 million Francs for the State. How to replace this money? We will make the necessary adjustment, but you must know that we could not afford to tax food necessary to people's lives. It was the least thing we could do. The Somali File Given the belligerent climate prevailing in the region, are you not afraid that there are no solutions to the Somali problem? (Moumin) I Do not think so. The Somali process initiated by the General Secretariat of the United Nations is on track. Because the first step, the most difficult, which is the presentation of lists of delegates of both parties, is well on track. The opposition has sent its lists and the TFG will do so shortly. I was just on the phone with the Prime Minister of Somalia who did not seem worried nevertheless. We seek to ensure that dialogue prevails. We have heard that parts of the warring groups seek to prevent the participation of the concerned parties in the dialogue? It is apparent that the first obstacle that arises now is the non-compliance with the number of people who are on the lists. And it takes 7 per party. The opposition has provided us a list of 11 persons. One must also know that being able to get the lists done is very difficult. There will be difficulties until the end but I am still optimistic. Economy What are the projections for the future? What are the major economic projects that will support this dynamism and how do you evaluate the role of Arab countries in this dynamism? (Moumin) This is a difficult issue. The growth is there but it has been affected by rising oil prices and the resulting inflation. This growth would have been more useful for our country had it not been for the record rise in oil prices. But we created jobs and according to my figures, 6000 new jobs were created. Now the project on which we base all our hopes, is the salt from the Lac Assal (Assal Lake). It is the most important for me because it is a national wealth that will last a long time, it will generate jobs and income and it is a project worth 75 million dollars. Work has also well started for the new wharf for the export of industrial raw salt that would be up to 6 million tons per year. For the 1st year, we will start with 1 million and a half but we need to reach 6 million over the next 3 years. In addition, we will develop a number of industries derived from salt, first refining salt then detergents and other salt derivatives. This is a first project which will employ hundreds if not thousands of people. There is also the Doraleh terminal which will generate other activities such as storage of chemicals, industries which will move to the Free Zone. There will also be an oil refinery. Noteworthy is also that the cement industry will expand. We believe we can set up several cement plants. We have invested in the field of geothermal energy and we intend to exploit this resource in late 2011. There is also a wind energy potential to be exploited in the Goubet. Likewise for solar energy. Today it is possible to feed our infrastructure with solar energy. In the form of solar energy, we have a potential 60,000 times greater than our current needs. The interconnection with Ethiopia is on track. It will be implemented in 2011. This requires training for human resources and we are working on it. There are many projects in view but you have repeatedly stressed your dissatisfaction about the effects of growth that does not create many jobs. This is not due to the inequality between training and labour market? There is a change needed at the fundamental level. We were trapped into a training system that resulted in young people emerging with the CAP (certificate of vocational competence). Then we said no, we should aim for a high school. It was created with the LEP (high school for vocational education). Then we turned to the LIC (industrial and commercial high school). Now we have young people with ISEP and BAC Pro (high school and diploma level vocational qualifications), who never had hands on experience. They do not weigh heavy comparing with foreigners who have had practical experience. 5 colleges that will open their doors next year will provide real workers. At the university level, we will be forced from this year to introduce programs tailored on our vocational needs. Do you think that energy is the only obstacle to the installation of industrial units? Absolutely. Our project of geothermal energy exploitation is a project of national interest that concerns us at the highest level, we are working on it and ask you to be patient until 2012. Without energy available at a lower cost, it is not possible to set up industrial facilities. Many companies have settled in the Free Zone and left because of this problem. So it is our hope to resolve once and for all this problem. Likewise for water. www.lanation.dj

Baashi is a sincere and coherent brother in the sense that he is not opposing Shariah unlike some seculars "Muslims", avowed atheists or Brainwashed "converts", deluded enough to post islamophob trash even Fox news or the State Department would shun. To his credit, he deliberately made clear that Ethiopians atrocities and interferences could not be justified under any circumstance and expressed his solidarity with our Somali & Somali Galbeed Brothers. After considering such clear stance, we could now discuss his arguments: 1- Ethiopia is an opportunist Historical Arch-enemy preying ruthlessly on a diseased body, just like pathologies thrive on immuno-deficient patients; hence the Absolute Prerequisite of Somalis Reconciliation and Unity. 2- The courts had deep flaws, epitomized by characters such as Indhacade and its Military Expansion in regions outside Banadir. Having said that, how could have the Courts fostered Unity and Reconciliation with Ethiopia closely monitoring its Warlord clients while invading an ever increasing part of the country? Is this not akin to hoping for inter-Afghans "reconciliation" or Palestinian "unity", while still under ocuupation, the very reason why sectarian rifts are exacerbated? Could have the ICU done without the powerful militias of Indhacade, its military backbone, while affording to wait for the increasingly threatening invaders to attack the only really independent part of Somali Lands at that time? Did not the US dominated Security Council chose that precise moment to lift Arms Embargo while authorizing "Peacekeepers", possibly disembarking from Kismayo Port, precisely to sabotage any chance of inter-Somali peace? Did not the ICU clearly spelt out its determination to return looted properties? Most crucially, was it possible at that time to make arresting and judging former criminals The priority, in detriment to the really relevant challenge of establishing Shariah while saving what remained of Somalia from another round of Acculturation by the Secularists, after the genocidal failure of the last atheist regime? Who would have delivered Da'wah, if the Courts further waited while Scholars were flown to Torture centers, focusing instead on judging a particular clan leaders, who at least defended Shariah and thus technically still Muslims, while ignoring all the other not less criminal Secular Warlords who transformed Somalia into a Heaven for Radioactive Waste, Deliberately Desertified?

Somali refugees speak of horrific war crimes, The Guardian. [*] a Mutilation, gang rape and civilians 'killed like goats' [*] All parties to blame, says new Amnesty report Soldiers, insurgents and bandits are routinely attacking Somalian civilians, carrying out murder, rape, and robbery on villagers, and destroying entire districts, Amnesty International said yesterday. Gang rape and throat cutting - referred to locally as "killing like goats" - is prevalent. Incidents of gouging out eyes, beheadings and castration have also been reported. Amnesty's report is based on interviews with scores of traumatised refugees who fled the war-ravaged country, where 6,500 civilians have been killed in the past year. Unarmed civilians are reported to be caught up in the battle between Ethiopian soldiers and Somalian government troops fighting the remnants of the Islamic Courts Union, which was ousted by Ethiopian forces in 2006. Amnesty said the blame for civilian deaths was shared by all parties but it highlighted an "increasing incidence" of gruesome methods employed by Ethiopian forces following incidents in which the bodies of several Ethiopian soldiers were dragged through the streets of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, by Islamist insurgents. Ethiopia's government dismissed Amnesty's report as unbalanced and "categorically wrong". A spokesman said hundreds of Ethiopian troops had died fighting the Islamist insurgency. Guled, a 32-year-old refugee, described seeing neighbours with their throats slit, and their corpses left in the street. "Some had their testicles cut off," Guled said, adding that a newly married woman who lived next door to him was raped by more than 20 Ethiopians. Another interviewee told Amnesty of a report that Ethiopian soldiers had cut the throat of a young child in front of the mother. "Even schools are being used as cemeteries, because people cannot take bodies outside the city," Galad, a 60-year-old journalist, was quoted as saying. Michelle Kagari, the deputy director of Amnesty's Africa Programme, said: "The people of Somalia are being killed, raped, tortured; looting is widespread and entire neighbourhoods are being destroyed. The testimony we received strongly suggests that war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity have been committed by all parties to the conflict in Somalia and no one is being held accountable." The Amnesty report said: "Among the most common violations reported were an increased incidence of gang rape, and scores of reports of a type of killing locally referred to as ... 'killing like goats'." It quotes Butaaco, a 30-year-old refugee from Mogadishu, as saying: "I saw girls get raped in my neighbourhood and on the streets. I saw people get slaughtered. I saw people killed in their houses, their bodies rotting for days." Somalia has been in a state of chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre after 21 years in power and then turned on each other. Last year, Islamist militants took control of most of southern Somalia, including Mogadishu. Ethiopia sent in troops in December 2006 and ejected them. Since then, Mogadishu has been caught up in a guerrilla war between the government and its Ethiopian allies and the Islamist insurgents. Up to 1 million Somalians are internally displaced. Amnesty urged the UN Political Office for Somalia to be strengthened, and that the African Union's Mission to Somalia - and any succeeding UN peacekeeping mission - be mandated to protect civilians and include a strong human rights component with the ability to investigate violations.

Editorial Islam cannot be separated from the politics of Somalia 27 Apr 27, 2008 - 4:35:06 PM SUNDAY EDITORIAL | While extremist groups of all forms must be shunned, sensible groups with strong Islamic foundations and values must be welcomed. Much of today's world is transfixed on the ideology of political Islam, as if this is a new phenomenon and not a feat with a centuries-old track record of just governance, tolerance, human and economic development. The one-sided news and views spewed across Western media, and incorporated into the media outlets of cultures subservient to Western interests and hegemony, wrongly portray Islam and the Muslims as a people intent on overthrowing every government on earth and forcefully installing militant regimes. Somalia is a classic example; in December 2006, the U.S. government backed Ethiopia's ill-thought military invasion that aimed to topple Mogadishu's rulers: the Islamic Courts Union. No diplomat in Washington, D.C., or London, Paris or Addis Ababa, seemed to care that Somalia's first-ever Islamist rulers succeeded in a few months where tens of thousands of Ethiopian troops and their Somali government allies continue to fail to date: secure Mogadishu! While the Islamists' methodology remains a topic of heated debate, they were nonetheless credited for bringing stability to one of the world's most unstable regions. Mogadishu has a history of gangsterdom, where the weak are cheaper than soap and the strong use bullets as pillows. To put it in perspective: the Islamic Courts' ragtag militia showed a new generation of Somalis that peace is a possibility, and reminded older Somalis that Somalia is not a lost cause. Of course, the Islamist leaders' mistakes were many. After securing Mogadishu, they ran around southern and central Somalia atop armored jeeps, ordering everyone including the country's UN-endorsed Transitional Federal Government to surrender or risk being overrun. To put it mildly, the Islamic Courts leadership lacked the universal vision of viewing the globe's geopolitical landscape outside the Somali context. Instead of focusing on restoring the dignity of Mogadishu, the Islamist leadership was hijacked by hardliners intent on overthrowing warlord-turned-President Abdullahi Yusuf and decapitating his transitional government before it ever set foot in the Somali capital. Well, Mr. Yusuf invited his Ethiopian army friends and the rest is history. Could the situation have taken a different route? Could the Islamist leadership show the governments of Ethiopia and the West that they were not, in fact, a part of an international agenda with questionable means and motives? Further, could the Islamic Courts have done a better job convincing the Somali public that they were not a bunch of power-hungry clerics? It was always an open secret that the Islamists kept among their top elite some of the most ruthless warlords ever known in Somalia. Despite their shortcomings, the Islamic Courts made their mark as contemporary Africa's most successful Islamist movement. However, even more successful, albeit less-known, Islamist movements have operated in Somalia for decades, with their activities burgeoning in the post-1991 era. Islamists play pivotal roles in the country's economic and educational sectors, help resolve societal issues and promote good morals. Last week, for example, Islamic clerics in the country's northern enclave of Puntland succeeded where the regional authority failed miserably: stopping the minting of false Somali Shillings, an illegal practice that has adversely affected the local economy and sparked riots in Puntland towns. Almost overnight, the exchange rate for $100 U.S. dollars in Puntland went from 3,200,000 Shillings to 2,500,000 Shillings! Locals welcomed the Islamic clerics and their selfless efforts in convincing the profiteers of the illegal operation to stop their venture, because it was an immoral practice that led to peoples' misery. Although the group of clerics did not have any "official" political role, their effort nonetheless was successful beyond measure. Further, the clerics' unofficial effort underscored Somalia's Muslim society and its reliance on Islam as the only savior from tyranny and failure. While extremist groups of all forms must be shunned, sensible groups with strong Islamic foundations and values must be welcomed into Somalia's political arena, as both a matter of practicality and a venue to marginalize extremists hiding behind a cloak of Islam. It is neither right nor reasonable to limit a Muslim country's politics to a few warlords who have sold their souls long ago and who have shown Somalia that their true intention is to hold on to the reigns of power until the last Somali dies of thirst. Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com

funny thing is that France demands the release of the French "aid workers"..who were caught trying kidnap Africa babies, yet when an African commits a crime off Somalia, they wanna take them to Paris for some sightseeing! Cajiib....... That is not an issue for our own "president". Well, at least not until one of his clan relative is the one accused of "terrorism"...

EXCLUSIVE - Ponant : 4 pirates members of the Somali president's family, Le point (French). As unbelievable as it may seems, four of the six Ponant pirates, arrested by the French army and flown to Paris on board a military aircraft on April 16 last, belong to the family of the Somali President, Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed. The latter will be officially received at the Elysée by Nicolas Sarkozy, this Monday, at late afternoon. Admittedly, this presidential "family" form rather a clan of several hundreds people, the *****-Majteen. And the President, former head of the pseudo-state of Puntland, from where the pirates also hail, can not be held personally liable for the actions of all its members. Nevertheless ... This information was confirmed by several sources within the state apparatus. One of the lawyers of the six pirates, Ruth Roman, however, refuses to confirm any element on the personality of his client, or even his identity. Questioned specifically on wether the latter belonged to the family of Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed, he responded to "Le point" by a rather unexplicit: "Hmmm ... I do not provide any information covered by the secrecy of the investigation. The only thing I can tell you is that my colleagues and myself will soon file a motion for nullity against the procedure for our customers. " All pirates lawyers are secretaries of the 2008 conference, or fresh graduates in other words. They have been assigned and appointed by the Lawyers Dean of Paris, Christian Charrière-Bournazel. The identities of the hijackers are as follows: Mohamed Said Hote, and Ismael Abdurahman Ali Samatar (two brothers), Youssouf Hersi-Abdullah, Said Abdulqader and Said Guled Daher (two brothers). They are currently detained in jails in Paris and its suburbs. Several more days of negotiations According to a military source closely involved in the case of Ponant hostages, some pirates membership of he presidential clan has only emerged belatedly. Precisely when the French diplomats have asked the president of Somalia to allow extradition of its compatriots to France. The latter, whose government had initially "applauded" the action of the French army, was much less enthusiastic after their arrest. Especially when came the issue of allowing their extradition. Arrested on April 11, the pirates have immediately been the subject of an extradition request. On 14 April, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had then declared: "We are not yet very sure of the agreement of Somalia (Editor's Note, for the extradition). The Somali President said he would answer and that he was consulting on his side. " In reality, presidential cooperation "was suddenly interrupted when Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed has taken note of the names and dates of birth of four of the six pirates." It will take several more days of negotiations, under conditions still unknown, for the Presidential agreement to reach Paris. Under what conditions? They were presented to the judge Gachon April 18 and placed under investigation for "participation in criminal association for the preparation of an offence punishable by 10 years." However, from a judicial source, a similar case would logically lead to a formal investigation for "criminal association to a terrorist enterprise" which carries a penalty of more than 10 years. According to their lawyers, the six Somalis have neither been the subject of an interrogation nor a confrontation since their arrest.

There is a growing awareness as well as a wide consensus among experts, that the IMF, WTO, World Bank and other Western controlled organizations's policies have been an unmitigated disaster both for the World Most Vulnerable groups and Economic Stability & Development (not mentioning the deliberately engineered failure of agricultural markets and worldwide, record inflation). Somalia Economy already Revolves around Livestock and other Exports towards the Gulf, a region of exceptional population growth (high fertility rates coupled with low mortality). Yet, their booming market means our agricultural potential will be at an even higher premium, since oil is a finite resource hardly adequate for Desert Farming through sea water desalination (Saudi Arabia just abandoned wheat farming through that medium)!

Have so-called third world countries finally found a clear alternative to economic neo-colonialism, characterized by investments limited to sectors with quick returns, given the ever rising strenght of Arab Capital concomitant with soaring oil prices and their unprejudicied commitment for the long term (so crucial, for instance in the light of degrading Food Security witnessed worldwide)? If they are eager to invest in expensive greenhouse technology in desertic Djibouti, could we not convince them to develop the Juba-Shabelle region with its Potential to Easily Feed the whole Sub-Saharan Africa, provided of course an independent Somalia (which already secured food self-sufficiency in the 80s, signing a reciprocal agreement with algeria in that field)? Here is a relevant "France 24" video in English: Djibouti's Boom fuelled by Arab Capital.

One of the fading former imperial powers with a decadent secular culture, France has always been characterized by Arrogance an Racism (as confirmed by the latest outrage caused by Sarkozy Speech in Dakar), investing very little in its former African territories, despite its direct influence and military interventions in favor of genocidal regimes that squandered their vast resources, while financing French Politicians as well as Parties when not invested in somptuous French estates(Rwanda, Congo etc). French worries against a "Supranational Arab Superpower" through Close Economic Integration may seems a bit premature; yet, there is a growing awareness of the much more real intercompatibility between Muslim nations, thus explaining why Arab Capital is Welcome as Underscored by the Djiboutian President ("They are the closest to us; we belong to the Same Family"). Is it not ironical therefore that France shrinking economy continue to be burdened through Anachronistic Megalomania as more and more Frenchs are noticing? .......................................................................Does military support benefit business?, France 24 A sixth of England is the size of Djibouti, one of the smallest countries in Africa. The strength of Djibouti? Its strategic position. Located at the crossroads between East and West, positioned on the maritime routes in Europe, the Far East, the Arabo-Persian Gulf and of course in Africa. This country is in itself a hub. With such advantages, Djibouti is coveted by Americans, Frenchs and Arabs. Take the USA. For them, Djibouti is a major point of support. As a result, the Americans have established a military base in 2002 to control terrorist activities in the Gulf. For other countries, the opportunities are primarily economic. The partners of Djibouti are the Arab countries. Member of the League of Arab States and the African Union, Djibouti is now worth double its membership. "We must not forget that the Arab nation, we are members of one family," said the President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismael Omar Guelleh. Strengthening economic cooperation with the Arab world. This is the new strategy of this small African enclave. Thus the multinational Dubai, DPW, won the concession and construction of the new port. Equipped with the latest infrastructure, a deep-water port will be able to accommodate at the end of the year the sixth generation vessels capable of shipping 14 000 containers! And that's not all, this multinational generates various projects that benefit many Arab entrepreneurs, bankers for example. "It is true that Arab banks have invested heavily in Djibouti and it seems obvious that many other financial institutions should, in the future, penetrate," admits Steve Gentilli, guest of our report and president of the bank BRED Banque Populaire. Fine sand beaches, turquoise water… The wealth of Djibouti resides also in tourism. The sector is also expanding. Many facilities are built, as this 7 stars palace, unique in Africa, that we visited…. And, again, it is the Arab investors who have managed to capture the market! And France in all this? "It looks like we are waiting for them" has hinted at us, with irony, the President. However, the French State is there. With a workforce of nearly 3 000 men, the French Forces Stationed in Djibouti Force (FFDJ) is the most important of French military bases. This is expensive: more than 150 million euros per year to the state budget french. But without the military support, there would be no political stability and consequently no economic growth. But today France is not taking advantage of the economic development of this country. Priority to Arab partners! For Steve Gentilli, "there is a significant business community in Djibouti." But in Djibouti, the reality seems quite different. In the free zone of Djibouti, where we went, its 40 hectares are hosting a hundred companies, none of which is French! An annual growth exceeding 5%, a GDP close to 470 million euros, Djibouti is in full boom and offers many perspectives. An Historical partner of this country, France is not taking advantage of economic development. In other words, in the economic war, the army does not much, at least not for the French.

Geel_Jire: The most astonishing thing to me is some SOLers are doing their work for them .. I don't mean supporting the TFG because truth be told there a few TFG supporters who oppose the resistance on political grounds not religious but I have been noticing something for a while now. some people act as if Islam or Islamist or even aspiring to Muslim principles is a something to be ashamed about ... a right wing .. hate filled bible toting ignorant hillbilly making these kind of comments i would not be surprised but somali muslim ah ? comments such as: - 'they are attempting to establish an Islamic state in the horn of Africa' - 'They are Islamists ' is this what people have been reduced to, calling someone Islamist as if it were an accusation or something dirty ... was there ever a time such a person would be proud to be called an Islamist ??? I am an Islamist and damn proud of it ... establishing an Islamic state in the Horn of Africa is an honorable goal. There are unfortunately quite a few of ours who have been thorougly brainwashed and riddled with inferiority complex by the neo-colonialists, and who busy themselve with public statements & interviews on how to contain "radicalization". Taking profit of our naivety and skillfully manipulating clans as their tool of trade, they are hell bent on "converting" as many Somalis as possible into Agnostism & Atheism, or at the very least turn them into Secular "Muslims", "bulwark against extremism" (Shariah & Da'wah in far right & evangelist terminology). What should we then expect from people who consider Ethiopians as fellow Christians and their saviour against "Islam(ism)", alongside US evangelists or other Western neo-colonialists? Albeit largely unknown to our forefathers who resisted acculturation throughout centuries, with the only difference been the then "superpower" as Muqdisho used to be bombed by the Portuguese Navy in the name of the Christ at the time of Imam Ahmed Gure, the diagnosis of this imported cancer is straightforward as they focuse exclusively on exploiting the slightest opportunity to create or aggravate inter-clan mistruts while denying the countless crimes and inhumanity of their fellw crusaders on every turn. What better treatment, therefore, than to leave no stone unturned to foster exactely the opposite atmosphere of Brotherhood and Solidarity those Unbound by Any Value are visibly So Keen to Destroy (to the point of getting creative when there is not "enough" inter-clan animosities for their taste)?

Let's stop reading into people's minds: our Arab brothers are just as varied as others. So far, their investments have proved extremely invaluable while their level of Aid is infinitely more generous, without ulterior political motives or typical clauses a la Western, when even arms purchased from national companies are counted as "aid". For instance, both the privatised Port and Airport in Djibouti have witnessed a surge in productivity owing to Khat ban and more transparency, while Kuweiti and other charities are busy with managing a super-orphanage with school, clinic etc. Of course, one can not aim for exhaustivity on a forum, but suffice to mention that from the very moment of our independence, Iraq, Lybia, Saudi Arabia etc have been funding our vital national arteries such as the king Fahd Road, Hospitals, Islamic Centres & Education, Housing, while still providing many with no string attached scholarships as well as constant humanitarian relief (not in the form of typical agricultural dumping designed to sustain dependency once the crisis is almost over!)...

Arab Aid An Introduction Shortly after World War II, the United States initiated a new approach to international diplomacy: through the Marshall Plan, the U.S. provided massive economic aid to the war-devastated countries of Europe in an effort to insure political stability and to promote world peace. Later, with its Point Four programs, the United States, in an expansion of the concept, also began to extend aid to underdeveloped countries not affected by the war. At once practical and generous, such aid programs became an outstanding feature of American foreign policy and, when Europe revived, of most European countries' foreign policy as well. Recently, however, there has been a significant change in the source of aid flowing to emerging countries. Although the industrialized nations continue to provide aid, the Arab oil-producing states have quietly launched aid programs of their own that already total no less than $20 billion. Because headlines from the Arab world almost invariably focus on hefty hikes in petroleum prices, or on the Arab world's massive spending programs, few in the West realize that a large proportion of the soaring oil revenues is being lent or given to the Third World - in the same spirit as the Marshall Plan - or that today, as Harry B. Ellis wrote in the Christian Science Monitor, "the most generous donors of foreign aid are Arab states of the Gulf, whose largesse outstrips that of the United States and European powers." The scale of Arab aid, in fact, is almost unprecedented. It far exceeds the minimum levels recommended by the United Nations and, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it outstrips, in percentage terms, the aid granted by the industrialized world. Industrialized nations, said an OECD report, give an average of only 0.39 percent of their gross national product (GNP) in foreign aid - far less than the 0.70 percent recommended by the United Nations - while three Arab states, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, give more than five percent of their GNP, and a fourth, Kuwait, gives more than three percent. By comparison, the United States today gives about one quarter of one percent - about a third the level of the Kennedy years. And even the most generous countries of Europe - Sweden and The Netherlands - gave no more than 0.82 percent of their GNP in 1977 - and fractionally more in 1978. Arab aid, furthermore, does not consist of sharing the income of developed, well-to-do economies. Because they are themselves still developing, Arab countries, in giving aid, are dipping into their capital: the proceeds of their one, exhaustible and unrenewable natural resource - oil. Taking note of this fact, World Bank President Robert McNamara suggested in 1974 that in calculating the GNP of the major oil exporting countries a "depletion factor" of 30 percent should be included. If that were done, the ratio of aid to GNP in the United Arab Emirates would rise from 10 percent to 13 percent and that of Qatar from 7.4 percent to 9.6 percent - unprecedented ratios in the history of economic assistance by the richer countries to the poorer ones. On a dollar-for-dollar basis, to be sure, the United States is the world's largest contributor of foreign aid, with Saudi Arabia second. But in terms of GNP, Saudi Arabia's aid far exceeds that of the United States; in those terms Saudi Arabia - even without McNamara's "depletion factor" - gives 23 times more aid than America. According to the OECD, Saudi Arabia disbursed no less than $3.6 billion in 1976, which worked out to be 5.8 percent of the kingdom's GNP, compared with about 0.25 percent for the United States. Put another way, every Saudi man, woman and child contributed between $500 and $800 in aid that year. Kuwait is another generous contributor to foreign aid projects, and has been since long before the oil price increases of the mid-1970s permitted the Arabs to launch or expand their now massive programs of assistance. According to the Ministry of Finance, Kuwait's total aid to developing countries for the period 1962-77 was $5 billion. In addition, Kuwait contributed $1.6 billion in subscribed capital to international development organizations. The United Arab Emirates' aid record is equally impressive. Its foreign aid budget for 1977 was $1 billion - nearly 10 percent of the oil income of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the seven emirates - with 75 percent of the total in the form of outright grants. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are the giants among Arab aid donors but, in fact, all the Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sponsor significant foreign aid programs, particularly Libya, Algeria, Iraq and Qatar. "Aid from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to the poorer developing countries has been quick and substantial, several times bigger in percentage of GNP than that from the industrialized countries," says Robert Stephens in The Arabs' New Frontier. Oil exporting countries, moreover, continue to expand their aid. World Bank figures show that while aid contributions by developed countries increased in real terms - that is, adjusted for inflation - by only four percent in 1977, to $14.6 billion, aid contributions from OPEC nations jumped over 10 percent to $9 billion. Besides increasing the magnitude of their aid, the Arab countries have also changed their initial approach. Whereas, two or three years ago, almost all Arab aid went to needy sister Arab states, more than half now goes to non -Arab countries. According to a study by a subsidiary of Chase Manhattan Bank, less than half of Arab aid is disbursed within the Arab world: in 1977 nearly 60 percent of Arab aid went to non-Arab nations, with 34 percent granted to Africa, 16.7 percent to Asia, 7.1 percent to Latin America and 1.8 percent to southern Europe. Arab donors channel their aid in a variety of ways: bilaterally through such state institutions as the Saudi, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi funds; via regional organizations such as the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Special Fund; and through such international institutions as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Some aid consists of outright grants - particularly in emergency situations - and some, depending on conditions in the recipient country, of "soft" loans - that is, with interest rates as low as a half percent, grace periods of up to 10 years before repayment starts, and up to 50 years to repay. In a few special cases donor countries have responded to what they felt to be unusual circumstances by providing, often on a government-to-government basis, extremely generous assistance in a remarkable combination of ways: under varying terms, through a number of different agencies and from several different countries acting both individually and in concert. Egypt is the prime example of such a beneficiary: her deep-rooted economic difficulties reflect overpopulation as well as underdevelopment exacerbated by a long-term burden of heavy defense commitments. It would be difficult to calculate exactly the total aid extended to Egypt by her sister Arab countries in recent years. According to the Paris-based Arabic magazine Al-Mustaqbal, from late 1973 through 1978 Egypt received as much as $17 billion from Arab oil-producing states, including $5.5 billion from Kuwait alone. The authoritative newspaper Al-Riyadh reported in May this year that Saudi Arabia's contributions to Egypt during this same period had totaled more than $7 billion. This figure included cash, bank credits and long-term loans made either directly by the government or through regional funds and organizations, the paper said. It excluded military cooperation and Saudi private investment in Egyptian industry. Arab countries strive to make their aid-giving efforts more effective by meeting regularly to coordinate loans and grants. The increasing emphasis on cooperation between Arab aid donors is evident in such projects as the $142-million Selingue Dam in Mali, which is being financed in part by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. Altogether, those countries and the bank have committed a total of $60 million to the dam. The Selingue Dam also illustrates what is a basic goal in most Arab aid projects: an improvement in local living standards. In Arab aid projects the emphasis is on infrastructural projects such as transportation networks, power and irrigation projects and welfare programs - never on prestige projects. Between 1975 and 1978, for example, total aid disbursed by the Saudi Development Fund - one of the kingdom's agencies for tunneling aid to the world - more than 35 percent was spent on transport, over 22 percent on water, sewer and electrical projects, over 16 percent on agriculture, more than 7 percent on health and education, and nearly 19 percent on other projects, most aimed at building infrastructural industries. Unlike the West's early approach to aid - which usually disbursed money to governments - Arab aid, as a general rule, is more strictly controlled and thus may be more efficiently distributed. Arab development funds are paid by the donors directly and in installments to contractors and suppliers as the work progresses - an effort to insure that the funds go where they are supposed to go and to pay for work that has actually been carried out. Officials in charge of Arab development funds, moreover, normally monitor each stage of implementation to insure its success. Fund officials, for example, assist in planning, review specifications, help select firms to carry out the work, check the progress and the quality of construction closely and in some cases even help manage the completed project. "At one stage, this was resented by some aid recipients as interference in local affairs," says an Arab official, "but governments are getting to like and appreciate it. Some are already fully convinced that it is a wonderful service that they get free of charge." Such, in fact, is the increasing professionalism of Arab aid programs that it has become something of a seal of approval: if a project qualifies for a loan from an Arab fund, its chances of attracting additional international financing are enhanced. This aspect is especially important today because Arab donors now rarely agree to finance a major project singlehandedly; they much prefer to share the burden and the risk with others in "consortium" lending. Arab aid differs in other ways too, officials say. They suggest that the goals of Arab aid are primarily humanitarian. Abu Dhabi, for example, frequently gives away large grants that are never even reported in the local press. "The fact that nobody is trying to coordinate the PR effect is a good indication that the basic impulse is humanitarian," says an Abu Dhabi-based diplomat. Skeptics, of course, might question that, but Abu Dhabi officials quietly insist that its true and are willing to say why. "You have to have been here 10 years ago to know how we feel," says Nasser al-Nowais, who is now general manager of the Abu Dhabi Fund, but who has not forgotten his origins. The son of a pearling boat captain, he was born in a mud house where conditions resembled those still common in the Third World. "Then," he goes on, "we did not have any streets, any schools, any kind of infrastructure at all. People walked around barefooted. Life was very poor. All this is still very fresh in our minds, so we feel it is our duty to help other people now that we are in a position to do so." To be sure, countries like Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar win a measure of respect in the world because of their generosity. But, in fact, their aid programs, by their very nature, buy little political influence or power outside their own borders. As Abdlatif Al Hamad, director general of the Kuwait Fund, says, "If you look at our record you will find we put greater emphasis on poorer, smaller countries ... countries that don't really matter politically. It is not politically important that the Comoros or Papua-New Guinea support us in international forums." Unlike the Marshall Plan and other American aid programs - which specified that a high proportion of the funds be spent in the United States, and on American exports - Arab aid-granting funds cannot promote Arab exports because most Gulf states have nothing to sell except oil - and that hardly needs pushing. Arab aid, therefore, is never tied to buying products that the Arab countries produce. To the contrary, aid officials say, Arab aid actually benefits the industrial nations by generating orders for American, European or Japanese products, which most developing countries could not buy without Arab-loaned money. In fact, says Roger F. Azar, a leading Arab investment banker, "it could be argued that the indirect benefit to industrialized countries of Arab aid to LDCs [less developed countries] exceeds the industrialized countries' own aid to the LDCs." "The Kuwait Fund," adds Al Hamad, "is giving aid to countries with whom we have no direct relations, trade or otherwise. Take, for example, the Maldives; I never even knew they existed. I remember looking at a map to find out where they were. Yet we went there and tried to help them. So it is not materialistic. There is no feedback for us from it." Arab officials, in sum, see their aid as a way of strengthening solidarity in the Third World, but also - an important element in the Muslim world - as a concrete manifestation of a religious duty called zakat: the obligation to give to those less fortunate. "Zakat" says an Arab official, "seems to have little to do with international politics and it is not, admittedly, the primary impulse behind Arab aid. But it is important, nevertheless. It's part of our whole psychology. It's what makes us tick." This article appeared on pages 2-3 of the November/December 1979 print edition of Saudi Aramco World.

Paranoid as we tend to be, it would help if ONLF insisted on its multiclanic vision as well as their willingness to let all clans have their say equally as Somalis have long been accustomed to corrupt, secular politicians, riddled with inferiority complexes vis-a-vis foreign cultures, values and priorities, resulting in genocidal legacies in addition to environmental disasters. Given our context, the only available framework to do so is obviously through a close collaboration with our Islamic Ulamas and leaders, the only coherent as well as credible alternative against all form of neo-colonialism, with unshakable moral foundations. In practical terms, every concerned Galbeed Somali, just like any other Muslim, should never lose an opportunity to denounce and expose the acculturation scheme perpetrated by agnostic, atheist, Christian or secular "Somalis" through their criminal manipulation of clanishness, out of awe for their Western questionable "models" coupled with their addiction for short-term gains...

Those Ulamas are an altogether different class than "Meles Ulamas" who were very vocal just prior the invasion, with little if any Islamic Knowledge, much less credentials. Hence, wether they are Somali, Saudi or from Surinam hardly matters as long as they are well known scholars, respected for their piety. More precisely, those Ulamas were Salafi, Sunni Ulamas (Islam based on Qur'aan and prophetic Sunnah which explain it further, ie the manner the prophet purified himself, how and when to pray etc) unlike Shia or Sufis, mainly following respectively Persian nationalism after the Islamic conquest of Persia or raw emotions with self-gratifying mysticism. Little wonder, therefore, westerners prefers these "mild Islamists"; likewise for the acculturated fifth columnist with their manipulation of the, alas all too numerous, Somali Sufi pseudo-scholars (many of the slf-styled "scholars" can not even differentiate between ahaadith according to their grading or collect many invented ones). As for the "Ikhwaans" or "Muslim Broterhood", it is more like a politico-social organization with disparate creeds and associated priorities; I remember having read critics about how Qutb overemphasized materialism while compromising on Islamic Aqeedah & Shariah (Islamic creed and law), as economic and scientific "progress" are quite subjective concepts in the light of recent studies about permanent health & environmental damage in so called "rapidly developing" countries (air and heavy metals pollution in China concomitant with social breakdown condamning both the aged and general pollution, for instance, or Indian caste system coupled with usury pushing thousands farmers to suicide while corruption & political populism compromise even basic wealth redistribution as well as public health policies)...

Semitic Langages share many similarities and evolved from local Semitic dialects: "Shalom, ani Daniel" could be equivalent to "Salam calaykum, anaa Daa'uud" or Hi, I am David/Daa'uud; likewise Wadi means valley in both langages etc. However, Hindi-Urdu is a very recent newcomer, as a local dialect of New Delhi, developed by Arab, Turkish and Persian muslims, and which progressively became one of India's leading langage. Hence, much of their vocabularies comes from Arabic, Turkish and Persian (many Arabs words were adopted by both these langages too). Hadi kale, iska ilaaliya kalmadaha aad moodaysiin Urdu ama Hindi, maadaama labaduba ay ku dhismeen Carabi, Farsi ama se Turkish.

I think Duke requested more precision regarding Jihad in Somalia; hence why I repost this declaration from Ulamas recognized universally for their top learning. Their declaration seem to confirm what already hinted at by respected Somali clerics such as Sheikhs Cumar Faaruq (Sheikh Axmed Daahir Aweys too, but some will automatically accuse him as X. D. Aweys's brother, despite his unequaled credentials which include a PHD in Quranic Studies at Madinah University etc). At any rate, this will Inshallah bring a halt to all the uneducated polemics and confusion we are addicted to as average Somalis, particularly those in the Western world...

Somalia: Saudi clerics strongly criticising the United States DJIBOUTI (ADI) - Dec. 29, 2006 - Fourteen Saudi clerics denounce violently the United States, accusing it of practising including international terrorism, for his alliance with "the aggressor Ethiopian" in its "invasion" of Somalia, in a communiqué issued Thursday. "The aggression on the part of Ethiopia is just one episode in the ongoing story of the global campaign against the Muslim world, under the leadership of the Crusading alliance, headed by America," according to a release of which AFP obtained a copy. The clerics denounced the silence of the country members of international organizations to "international terrorism and the violation of the sovereignty of a member country of the United Nations, as they claim (themselves) combating terrorism", referring in the United States. "The Muslim peoples must fly to the aid of their brothers in Somalia," the clerics continued, stressing that "the Crusading alliance and America, with the assailant Ethiopia, is only a continuation of their previous alliances with the Jewish Zionists and rafidhas (derogatory term referring to the Shiites) against Muslims ". "This shows the need to continue the defensive jihad against this extremist American government and to derail its plans," added fourteen signatories. Among the dignitaries, all Sunnis, included Sheikh Safar al-Hawali, a former professor of theology at the University of Umm Al-Qoura (Mecca) and Sheikh Nasser bin Suleiman Al-Omer, former head in the faculty of theology at 'Islamic University of Imam Muhammad bin Saud (Ryad). The Somali government troops, backed by the Ethiopian army, entered Thursday in the capital Mogadishu, deserted by the Islamist militias who controlled since June. The United States gave their support to the Ethiopian attack while calling on the government to Addis Ababa to show a "maximum restraint" in his speech.

The Ugandan "Peacekeepers" are a core, integral part of the "Crusade Against Islam(ism)", the reason why Western Churches and Conservatives reward so generously Museveni's Dictatorship. How Could a Failed State, entangled with an Unending Genocidal Civil War, alongside VIH, Keep "Peace" in another, unreconciled country, which obviously lacks any peace to begin with? Having said that, Al Shabaab would be well advised not to squander all our natural sympathy and their dignity by summarily executing unconvicted civilians and other un-islamic acts. Instead, a more pragmatic and much more productive approach would be to continue to focuse on winning "Hearts & Minds" for our project of Shariah implementation and resistance to acculturation to succeed. Consequently, our only hope is to abide by the Quranic Obligation of Muslim Unity to Salvate somalia From the Coalition of Westernized Secularists and their neo-colomialist masters, ie by obeying scrupulously our Ulamas.