Alle-u-Baahane, Awoowe xisaabta aad cimaamada iigu laabtay waad ku mahadsantahay. Taasu waa xaal gobeed. Inkastoo aanu rag badan nahay misana shaaha innoogu fillan intan. Gabadheyada Bilan-Haboon la yiraahdaa inkastoo hooyadeed ay ugu yeedho Qorran-Qallanjo luul, asxaabteeda ajnabiga ahna aan ka maqlay carrabi aanan wax badan ka garan sida “Muxtarima†iyo “Muta’adiba†iyo “Mutadayina†heedhe maba karo e, annigu waxaan u aqaan dhuubo, gabadha ceynkaas ah ninyahow la yiraahdaa Alle-u-Baahane gabar la isa siiyo sida xoolihii ma aha ee dee intaa waa iga afeef. Waa inaad addigu iska af-garataa oo jilaafeysayaa iyo dhaanteeysayaa iyo tawjiid akhrisaaba waa hawl ku taala. Awoowe ma ila socotaa. Sideedana reerka Dhagax-wada-heyste hadaanu nahay xeer iyo dhaqan baanu leenahay. Halka aad tiri Dhuubo sida loo xod-xodo iyo sida gabdhaha wax loogu akhriyo ama loo baashaaliyo yaan ragaan la xididi lahaa ka wareysanyaa halkaas awoowe khatif baa ku jira. Bal in aan xaal kuu dhigto iyo inkale yaan isku hayaa. Awoowe waa sidee hadde bal horta inoo sheeg halganka adiga iyo bahdaadu halka iyo qeybta aad ka qaatadeen ama kaga jidheen. Dhuubo innaba afka aan leeyahay kula hadli mayo beey tidhi jeer arrinkaa la iga hubiyo. Awoowe raggu ha kalaamo oo warka bayaan ha isu weydaarsadao. Qosolkana iga ilaali awoowe. ahem!

Dawoco, Waryaa gabadha magaca iiga beddela! Maandeeq something you should know about Somali literature is the fact that it is based on oral tradition and as such it’s very hard to trace it back to its composition history. Nevertheless, there are countless songs that are well known. Even though there are different versions of how they got composed, still the stories are out there. For instance, Magool’s Shimbirayahow heesa song is said to be sarcastic poking fun at how the representatives in the parliament (60’s) were a rubberstamp fellaz for the elites at the time. The song equates them with birds that are assembled to entertain...! Mooge’s deep lyrics are in different scale and speak of human nature in unparalleled way (at least to me). You should listen it too for it has an application in the romantic relationship side too. I don’t how this song came about but I sure do love its lyrics. “Hadba waaga joogaa la tahiin walaaloo, waji lacaga bey dumar, wacadkaba ku iibshaan!†not to mention the lyrics at the start “Dadka ha iska weyneyn, Inaa kali wax garad tahay, Ha iska dhigin walaaleey!. I hope the next generation will use it in the literature classes. Well one of these days! Bagaag/Khadra duo song has good lyrics too. There are many versions (its origin) out there and they are all political in nature but one that persist is Khadra’s part speaks for a man that’s believed to be well versed in foreign languages and politics and Bagaag’s part is for the M. S. Barre who was a president at the time. The crux of the song is the scholar was sacked after he fulfilled schooling the powerful man in foreign affairs. Since the government censored all types of expressions, the composer cleverly disguised the dispute of the two characters with romantic clothes. But the best and most interesting story behind the radio Mogadishu songs is the Khadra’s Sheeka Baraleey by A/Qafar Ciise Cagoole and its response Sayid Khaliifa’s Baroor Diiq, and its conclusion Baxsaneey Hargeysooy. I will tell you all about it after you guys post the lyrics of these songs. In the meantime, I make me one helluva shaah.

Awoowe qof kala xiran oo kaaba ah aa laguu hayaa. Qoftaan ka sheekaanaayo waa qof “rag yaqaan†ah waliba waxaa la wariyey in awoowgeed uu laba talyaani kabaweyna ah uu daqray. Qoftaan qof ku banaan firkii reer Dagaxtuur waaye. Waxaan ku iri nin qatar ah oo Alle u Baahane la yiraahdo oo xurmo badan u haya giddi waxii fir ku leh reer Dhagaxtuur oo baadi doonkii ku habaabey keynta la yiraahdo SOL yaan arkay ee maxaan u sheegaa. Waxay tiri ninka iga hubi oo jeer aad iga ogaato ha i soo tilmaamin. See baan u hubiyaa baan iri. Waxay tiri sideedaba ninku haday ka dhab tahay oo uu doonayo gabar noocaas ah waa inuu addiga ku hagaajiyaa oo ku soo dhaweeyaa oo uusan hadal xun iyo gunuunuc hoose uu ka madhan yahay. Mida xigta ninku waa inuu san ka soo jeedin kuwii awoowgey shookiga ku xidhay oo “fajiistaha†“camiilka†u ahaa qowleysatadii gumeysiga nagu heysey waa inaanu ahayn. Kuwaas isma cuno bey tiri! Doonis, sooryo, yarad, galbin, aqal geyn iyo wanaajin yaa loogu fadhiyaa oo sideedaba hadaan nahay reer Dhagaxtuur xurmada gacanta madhan aflagaada yaanu u qaadanaa. Awoowe dhuubo maxaan u sheegaa intaasey I soo fartay oo ay tiri iga gaarsi wiilka la yiri magacaagu meelaha la wareegayey issaga oo baadi doon ah.

Good question BN, I don’t know the answer! LARIBA can help you if you reside or want to buy a home in US and Egypt. AJ, if you have a job, are creditworthy (they use your credit report to determine that), and are able to put down 5% (at minimum) of the total price of the property you want to own or the business you wanna buy, then you have a deal. How does that sound buddy?

Abdalla Hirad is right on target. What civil, polite, but devastating critique he penned there. He exposed the old Lewis’s inconsistent and at times contradictory premise. Lewis is from Toynbee’s era. That was an era when Orientalists and Chatham House employees wielded unparalleled influence, an era when policies of national interest, national borders, and self-determination of the exploited and colonized nations were shaped by professionals in the colonial office. That era is over! He can say all he wants but his exhortations have no bearing on our national interest. Having read both Elie Kedourie’s book titled the “Chatham House version†(a devastating critique on Arnold Toynbee and Britain’s Royal Institute of International Affairs) and Edward Said’s Orientalism (the other end of the spectrum), I see the whole question of the secession through different lenses. If I were him (Hirad) I wouldn’t bothered answering to a foreigner that has little influence on the question of the secession. What caught my eye is the word “gade bursi†and the Hirad’s take on it. I could be way off but “gade bursi†is much like “sad bursi†and they both signify the actions or the intent to win something that one is not entitled to have. “Gade†is judgment and "Sad" is portion of asset or other material things. It seems to me he gave the term different meaning. Even though it serves the purpose, he nevertheless got me thinking for a moment on the definition of the term. Overall the piece is a good read. There it is Farah, my taano.

What do u mean juma?

^Does "selective justice" ring a bell

Good news I say! Hold your horses folks Yes it's farce, yes it is a show to vindicate Bush on the much repeated premise that Iraqis will welcome democracy and come out for this opportunity despite the risks if given the chance(which they did), and yes Americans didn't go in to democratize middle east nor did they go to liberate Iraq from Saddam (it was about WMD). Yet all of that, what has to happen had happened the question is what now. Having Iraq on its feet again is good thing and part of getting to that goal is to have the elections and to write the constitution and get over it and then ask Americans to leave. Sistani is a loose cannon and I for one think he is on to something.

A_Ladiif and AJ, I get u question folks. If one is using this: form , can one have negative value in [36] field on the second page?

AJ,cynic aren’t u! Ok let’s understand this thing together. Some of us want to be smart and rent to own (instead of rent to lose). After all, we are going to pay our rent anyway! We might as well turn the whole thing around and make it these rent payments as payment of a house we are going to own. We happen to embrace a belief system that makes interest and predatory lending unacceptable. The western economic system and our belief system are incompatible. What do we do? There’re no short cuts here. This is black and white. Now there are well-off folks who happen to share with us the same belief system. They scratched their brilliant heads and said there must be a way. They first look to Gulf Arab businessmen for capital to invest this untapped market. It didn’t work out. I remember when I came here there was al-amal banking but they didn’t last that long. That is the background. Moving on to the heart of the matter which is how do they sustain the fiscal balance if they don’t charge an interest. Surely, somehow someone has to lose money on this otherwise they are gonna get bankrupt in no time. Agreed! This is how they pulled off: they get a group of investors who want to remove the obstacles Muslim face in the housing market or for that matter other business that need to borrow money without being charged interest. They come up the money and everyone in that group who contributed money in the pool becomes an investor and shareowner. Let say, for instance, they got $29 millions for a start. If they buy 100 houses in a year, they will be broke in the first year right? Here is where Fannie Mae comes in. At this stage, you need to look this organization up and understand how Fannie Mae works and how they help first-time homeowners and their pledge to expand its so-called “American Dream Commitment†and all of that crap. We’ll also be better off if you could have the definition of these two terms (liquidity, mortgage) handy. What Fannie Mae does is they purchase “mortgages†from lenders. If you are a lender that serves for a minority group, the FM will give an extra break. Couple that yours is a minority owned lender, that’s even better. Now LARIBA is minority oriented finance company and it serves a minority community. What this group are doing is they use their own money to purchase a house for the customer. Remember they don’t borrow the money (they had their $29 million) from Bank thus there are no interest crap going in the transaction to begin with. Since LARIBA is Fannie Mae approved finance company, Fannie will purchase the house LARIBA had just bought for the customer from the LARIBA in a week. LARIBA pledged unlike Banks for not charging interest on its money in that week. Are you with me here AJ! LARIBA gets its money back and ready to buy a house for more Musloms. Fannie Mae fulfilled its mission to provide the lenders with a more liquid assets by giving cash back to the lenders. The Muslim consumer got a house without paying any interest on the transaction. Had he opt to go to the bank, he would have paid interest (on the mortgage) to the bank. The only catch I can think of is the administrative fees. It is “khidmo†you pay the janitor don’t you? Same here you pay the folks who are handling the process. They are selling their services to do this work for you. I don’t pretend to know everything here but this is the best I can do. You decide. Now Nina Brown, I’m sure you mean good but before you confuse yourself do what I do. Ask urself this I know that Riba is haraam maqdac ah ok? right! and I am smart enough to understand the definition of riba and what it entails right? Now I buy a shirt from the mall every now and then. The price is $35 plus 8% tax and that’s what I pay without worrying about riba. Same is here bro. The price of the house is $200K and that’s what I’m going to pay period. If I pay more than that then I know something fishy is in the air. You got the contract before you signed it, you read or you got your auditor take look at it and if it’s true you go for it. I know it’s too good to be tree but it’s true. Sigh! hope i helped u there.

Originally posted by Bari_Nomad: Baashi, So the title would be in the Islamic bank's name then until it was paid off? And what if you wanted to take equity out, would that be possible? How would that affect your repayment schedule? And do you have any similar Islamic financing organizations north of the border? Ur name appears on the title along with the LARIBA's name. You are a co-owner. Your portion of ownership is equal with the amount of down payment you made at the inception of the contract. For instance if you paid 20% down then you own 20% of the property. I don't think you can take an equity on it. This is not a mortgage per se. As to whether they operate north of the border I don't know but will find that out for u buddy.

Originally posted by MsWord: Akhas Calyk! He should be shot! Instead, he was celebrated and paid handsomely. This song topped the charts back in the days. It has its audience. After all this side of the globe affairs with married man is common. Woman is always a woman innocent, caring, naïve, and prone for manipulation. Wait a minute that’s not it! There is another side more like Billy Joel’s “She’s always a woman to meâ€. Somebody post the lyrics of that song plz.

Chauvinist, u gotta point there kid. How could she missed the playboy mansion and the biggest pimp in the block! Xoogsade, Of all the things you could ask why her kabo awoowe! No wonder her highness was not giving u an inch, but then again that’s their game: start with the wrong foot and you get played. Well what I know things have changed! In my days when I was wiil khatar ah, I used to fumble and make all sorts of mistakes but the ladies were very forgiving back then. In any event, what’s up with this hal dhagax with two shimbiro and you doing this in public? Waa kaftan dee Mr. X as GP put it.

What are the chances our resident playa wannabe Rudy’s had been playing this Xalimo’s emotions like a blackjack deck? Hommie, I’m gonna post the song you’ve been listening. Here it is...Luther Ingram’s song: (If Loving You Is Wrong) I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT. Don't thank me buddy...it's my pleasure If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If being right means being without you I'd rather live a wrong doing life Your mama and daddy say it's a shame It's a downright disgrace Long as I got you by my side I don't care what your people say Your friends tell you there's no future in loving a married man If I can't see you when I want to I'll see you when I can If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right Am I wrong to fall so deeply in love with you knowing I got a wife and two little children depending on me too And am I wrong to hunger for the gentleness of your touch knowing I got somebody else at home who needs me just as much And are you wrong to fall in love with a married man And am I wrong trying to hold on to the best thing I ever had If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right Are you wrong to give your love to a married man And am I wrong trying to hold on to the best thing I ever had If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right I don't wanna be right if it means sleeping alone at night I don't wanna be right if it means coming home at night I don't wanna, I don't wanna I don't wanna never, never, never be right

Salafi, Many thanks bro for posting Ibna Taymiyah take on this. CM, This post was an effort to have nomads discuss the issue and warn them the pitfalls of speculative philosophy. For Muslims (those who made up their minds and find Islam to be the right religion), the path is clear and they are less likely to mix up their standards for truth with the ones speculated by wise men. Contemplation is good and we are encouraged, as you rightly noted, to make use of our instinctive faculty and rationalize and reason. But we are also warned to be wary of the whispers of the devil lest we caught in circular reasoning in a bid to understand questions that are beyond our human understanding. For instance, who created Allah and how He came to being in the first place. No amount of contemplation, reasoning, and rationalizing will get you answers for this one. Couple that with the fact that human instinctive faculty vary from person to person. The only knowledge that can grant you inner peace on this sort of inquiry is faith itself. Therefore one has to distinguish religious knowledge from the knowledge gleaned from speculative philosophy. Sophist, I think what you are asking is whether reason is universal noh? Reason is universal but the Truth attained through human reasoning is not universal since human instinctive faculty varies from person to person. There are moral standards that are universal and there are truths like the math 2 + 2 = 4 that is eternal. In any event, I’m not an expert on this and if I’m erred my Allah forgive me. All I wanted to say is beware philosophy for it takes you to non-chattered waters.

Jamaal let's disagree on this one saaxiib cuz I for one just don't see how imposing "qabiil" on nomads is possible. "Danteed-Garad" is not a new group saaxiib . Before reinventing the wheel you gotta ask around and that way save needed energy and effort bro . Danteed Garad are everywhere nowadays.

^So you reserve the right to offend me some other time in the future in some other occasion huh . Well, if and when it comes to that I’ll let you have a field day in the mudslinging and snide remarks exchanges you have in mind. I’ll rise above these sorts of petty name-callings and tongue-in-cheek discussions . Seriously though, I didn’t take any offence of what’s said in this exchange. It was just a simple remainder of the fine points of civil discussion. You seemed to be too sure of yourself and brushed aside other opinions as ones held by half-wits.

Despite Ahmed Gashan’s well-written rebuttal, the Samatar’s main contention stands unscathed. It seems to me that Ahmed Gashan and Samatars are referring to two different “Social Contractâ€. Theirs is not the political philosophy advanced by the likes of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke. My reading is that they are merely recommending five main conditions that must be met for the TFG to be successful. They just gave their recommendation the fancy name of “worthy†Social Contract. Moreover, they are not necessarily against the federal arrangement per se - at least in this essay - but the way the conference was managed. They are clearly against one group of politicians and Abdi Samatar is known for his unwise and ill-thought outburst against PL leadership. Nevertheless, the charges against Inna Yussuf have its merits. Farah Dheere, Suldaan Hurre, and Jamac A. Jamac were his political foes and they were neutralized under his rein. The strong man commanded respect not because of his benevolent rule but his unforgiving heavy handedness. In any event, the piece is a good read. Here is the piece the Samatar's wrote.

Yes three of them and I can get you in touch with them if you want. PM me and I will find their digits right away. *EDITED* I know someone in Minneapolis who bought a house through this program. I know two other fellaz at San Joze, CA who live in a house bought by lariba. Why don't you read the FAQ and ask me what is it that you don't understand, may be I can help you there. Now Abwaan and others, Look at it as investment that yields profit as time goes by. How about $200K increase of the property value in just 4 years sound (CA @ Bay area). Tempting! right on then.

Many many thanks FF, QL, Wiilo, and Muad. These links are awesome.

I don't know! Could u elaborate lil bit on that question.

Viking bro, I’m not familiar with the Chinese philosophy so I won’t say much about it except that the concept of reincarnation and their understanding of the nature of deity doesn’t sit well with the revealed Truth. Sophist bro, Sure! Sometimes reason can get you there but not always. Reason led many philosophers to different directions. Hek! it led Aristotle to defend Slavery and caste system. Or was it Socrates; one of the two (I can be bothered to double check it). Marx used reason to lay the foundation for Communism. Hobbes, Lock, Marx, Rawls, Plato, Kant, Hegel, and many others sought the Truth by employing reason but it led them to different conclusions.

I’m not sure if you deliberately set out to miss the point that I’m making, saaxib. The injustice does not MATTER here. It’s mere chewing gum for you and me (and all these websites that are not accessed, read or seen by Somaliland officials or any world organisations). The story is kept alive but only, it seems, for immigrant Somali heads! That’s an opinion, your opinion sxb. You see it that way, I don’t. No, I don’t deliberately set out to miss the point (if I missed the point at all). Your reasoning didn’t make sense to me, that’s all buddy. I beg to differ if that’s not too much for you to understand. We differ on several points here. I think injustice does matter HERE. I think it matters more than the wailings and other “emotional†protest. These reactions convey a message; a one that says this sort of politiking is unacceptable. I think the coverage is critical as it puts the administration on the hot seat. They can administer a gross injustice as much as they want but that will not pass unnoticed. They can cook up all sorts of accusations but they won’t get away with it. Someone is following the proceedings and that’s good thing in my humble opinion. These websites might look trashy in your estimation but they broke the news long before the BBC did. They have many readers (listeners) via the radio programs that rely on these sites for news content. Because of them, BBC has no monopoly on information anymore. BBC picked up the story reluctantly after incessant accusation of bias (ignoring the reports of the case) by the “wailersâ€. The “wailers†to their credit lobbied successfully for Amnesty International to look at this case. Yes, they are not perfect or impartial in their reporting but in this case they did a good job by keeping an eye on this one. The idea that it is better to leave this for the “natives†and their government is very naïve proposition to me. The natives (majority) are prone to the government’s propaganda. There are the likes of “qudhac’†that sees every thing through the prism of political conspiracies against his beloved neck of the wood. Many denied the fact that this ever happened for a quite sometimes but the “wailers†pressed on. The case remained in the news. Government and its partial sympathizers put spin after spin on the case. People wondered, some even protested against the posting of Zamzam’s picture. The coverage continued. The effort of the few that didn’t buy the government’s line is commendable. But they pale in comparison. Opinions differ, reasonable people disagree, and one has to realize even though everyone is entitled to one’s opinion no one is entitled to one’s own facts. You might try to persuade others but If and when they disagree with your take on the subject, it is impolite to use snide remarks against them.

AJ, Don't be hasty bro. Look at it this way: the house is $200K and you put 20% upfront. You got $160K left to pay. Now if you are in doubt, a simple check would be to ask if there is a possibility of ever paying more than the remaining 160K. Simple answer yes or no will do. No need of explanation. If the answer is "no" you got a deal. I don't know about the one you talked to but there is this interest-free Islamic banking that will get you the house of your dreams provided that you are employed (making decent salary) and you are credit worthy person. Take it from me bro...it is true. Here is their website so check it out and let me know if the one you were talking about and this one are same. Good for you AJ for thinking big and go for it by any means. Good luck.

Ngonge, Let’s see, your point is the coverage of this particular story by the Somali “news†sites has been partial, biased, and one-sided. And that is if they can be called news at all (only half-wits would want to read such thing!). The second point is calls for justice (unrealistic expectations you thought) from the “government†demanded by many including foreign institutions are “laughableâ€. Third point is that you wanted all along to steer the discussion from the fruitless wailing to “its rightful place of cold reason and fair analysisâ€. Very well let’s do some cold reasoning and fair analysis. Let’s first do recap (repetition I know) of the story. What you have is unarmed young girl locked in Hargiesa dungeon by a government that prides itself loudly as an “oasis of peace†and emerging “democracy†(and actually uses these two as political card for recognition). The charge is that she was spy for Puntland. The evidence presented was that she hails from Puntland clans, she knocked the door of the VP, and she gave contradicting statement when questioned. She alleged that contradiction stemmed from the title mix-up (Madaxweyne ku xigeen instead of Wasiir ku xigeen her uncle). These are the facts (any corrections are welcomed). Now, can this story be construed as a political event since espionage is a political act, the alleged target is a political target (sitting vice-president), and the prosecutors represent a political entity (the government)? Should the Somali “news†sites cover the story? Should individuals who are moved by the injustice (even in Somali standards) done to the accused lobby on her behave? What made Amnesty International take this case (and not countless others) in the first place? Granted that many sites sensationalized the story (even the big media organizations commit the same mistake) and I can see why as this is certainly an irresistible drama. This obsession is arguably what kept her plight in the public eye. She can use any kind of attention at this stage. After all, she is in dungeon. The last thing she wishes is her case to fade away and be forgotten. The “pointless chest beating†on SOL forums are just words on the screen and as such they are of no concern to her. But advocates that want to put pressure on the government means the world to her and they should not be scoffed. Zamzam has no other choice but demand justice. Why is that unrealistic expectation from a government that prides itself to be democratic? I don’t see anything wrong if this demand is amplified loud enough and long enough until she is released. Asking a government that talks the talk to walk the walk is actually the right thing to do instead of assuming that they are incompetent of delivering the justice. I’m still bewildered as to why would anyone be bothered by the “sensationalized†calls for justice that actually serve their purpose (keeping the story alive). Sometimes it seems as if some folks are more bothered by the “wailings†than the injustice. Let’s pray for her for she is up against forces that have government resources at their disposal.