About: Mortgaging Source: Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 45, Number 686: Narrated by: Aisha: "The Prophet bought some foodstuff on credit for a limited period and mortgaged his armor for it."

Brilliant piece! Two thumps up for LIQAYE. That was a keen exposure of what in our nomadic tradition deserves rebuke. BTW, Xalimo Farax was one lucky girl for she was not the wife of a camel herder.

Gediid wrote: "can we quote such people in matters relating to Islam and Islamic theology?" NO. I'm assuming by "quote" you meant using their "fatwa" to prove a point or to validate an argument. Why would we quote them if we know for sure their thinking is not inline with the revealed Truth - Qura'an and Hadyu-al-nabi - as we know it. The intrepretation of the Islamic injunctions can be problematic for lay people who have to rely on the scholars for guidance. That's why it makes sense to stick with one school out of the many Islamic jurisprudence schools. Just a thought...waa sidey ila tahay.

This coming from a senator...! Bush's Failed Mideast Policy Is Creating More Terrorism by Sen. Ernest Hollings May 10, 2004 With 760 dead in Iraq and over 3,000 maimed for life, home folks continue to argue why we are in Iraq – and how to get out. Now everyone knows what was not the cause. Even President Bush acknowledges that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. Listing the 45 countries where al-Qaida was operating on September 11 (70 cells in the U.S.), the State Department did not list Iraq. Richard Clarke, in "Against All Enemies," tells how the United States had not received any threat of terrorism for 10 years from Saddam at the time of our invasion. On Page 231, John McLaughlin of the CIA verifies this to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. In 1993, President Clinton responded to Saddam's attempt on the life of President George H.W. Bush by putting a missile down on Saddam's intelligence headquarters in Baghdad. Not a big kill, but Saddam got the message – monkey around with the United States and a missile lands on his head. Of course there were no weapons of mass destruction. Israel's intelligence, Mossad, knows what's going on in Iraq. They are the best. They have to know. Israel's survival depends on knowing. Israel long since would have taken us to the weapons of mass destruction if there were any or if they had been removed. With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel. Led by Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and Charles Krauthammer, for years there has been a domino school of thought that the way to guarantee Israel's security is to spread democracy in the area. Wolfowitz wrote: "The United States may not be able to lead countries through the door of democracy, but where that door is locked shut by a totalitarian deadbolt, American power may be the only way to open it up." And on another occasion: Iraq as "the first Arab democracy ... would cast a very large shadow, starting with Syria and Iran but across the whole Arab world." Three weeks before the invasion, President Bush stated: "A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example for freedom for other nations in the region." Every president since 1947 has made a futile attempt to help Israel negotiate peace. But no leadership has surfaced amongst the Palestinians that can make a binding agreement. President Bush realized his chances at negotiation were no better. He came to office imbued with one thought – re-election. Bush felt tax cuts would hold his crowd together and spreading democracy in the Mideast to secure Israel would take the Jewish vote from the Democrats. You don't come to town and announce your Israel policy is to invade Iraq. But George W. Bush, as stated by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and others, started laying the groundwork to invade Iraq days after inauguration. And, without any Iraq connection to 9/11, within weeks he had the Pentagon outlining a plan to invade Iraq. He was determined. President Bush thought taking Iraq would be easy. Wolfowitz said it would take only seven days. Vice President Cheney believed we would be greeted as liberators. But Cheney's man, Chalabi, made a mess of the de-Baathification of Iraq by dismissing Republican Guard leadership and Sunni leaders who soon joined with the insurgents. Worst of all, we tried to secure Iraq with too few troops. In 1966 in South Vietnam, with a population of 16,543,000, Gen. William C. Westmoreland, with 535,000 U.S. troops was still asking for more. In Iraq with a population of 24,683,000, Gen. John Abizaid with only 135,000 troops can barely secure the troops much less the country. If the troops are there to fight, they are too few. If there to die, they are too many. To secure Iraq we need more troops – at least 100,000 more. The only way to get the United Nations back in Iraq is to make the country secure. Once back, the French, Germans and others will join with the U.N. to take over. With President Bush's domino policy in the Mideast gone awry, he keeps shouting, "Terrorism War." Terrorism is a method, not a war. We don't call the Crimean War with the Charge of the Light Brigade the Cavalry War. Or World War II the Blitzkrieg War. There is terrorism in Northern Ireland against the Brits. There is terrorism in India and in Pakistan. In the Mideast, terrorism is a separate problem to be defeated by diplomacy and negotiation, not militarily. Here, might does not make right – right makes might. Acting militarily, we have created more terrorism than we have eliminated. Originally published in the Charleston Post and Courier.

Many thanks Positive, postman, and Feynman for the interesting posts. ------------------------------- The Hudaibia Approach 5/9/2004 - Political - Article Ref: IV0404-2291 Number of comments: 3 Opinion Summary: Agree:2 Disagree:0 Neutral:1 By: S. A. Abidi Iviews* - As a Muslim I agreed with my Spiritualist friend who was willing to offer whatever sacrifices were required for defending Islam. But I believe every Muslim must use his intellect and take into account the realities around him or her before taking any action. One must ensure that the ends as well as the means at his disposal meet the moral standards of Islam. For instance, it would be unthinkable for me to rob someone in order to buy a ticket for Hajj, or to attack a whole army with the help of two friends and getting killed without achieving anything. With such perceptions I found it difficult to share with my friend the perceptions of the dangers and the sacrifices that he carries with him. My spiritual friend is well versed in theology, but has no clue of sociology and historiography that was founded by Ibne Khaldun who explained how societies succeed and fail. When he talks of knowledge, he is not referring to Algebra, which takes its name from the Arabic book Kitab aljabr wa al-muqabalah written by Al-Khwarizmi or for that matter Algorithms which is a highly developed mathematical concept worked out by the same Muslim Arab whose corrupted name it still bears. Yet the scholar was a product of a madrassah of 9th. Century Baghdad and this friend of mine graduated from a 21st. Century madrassah in Pakistan. He has not heard of these 1200 years of gems of knowledge that were borrowed by those nations who now rule the world, because the knowledge of religion has since been separated from the knowledge of the world around us, that was never the intention of Islam. Perhaps his compartmentalized knowledge that excludes the realities of the changed world, is the cause of confusion in coping with the world that he hardly understands. No wonder he is frustrated in finding why has his society collapsed over him. A person with such a victimized perspective may buy or steal Klashnikoves in desperation to express his rage but may not be able to repair them when they malfunction. Such a person may aim guns at the enemy but may not know how to calculate the trajectory. In his frustration he is ready to lay down his life to bring back the glory of Muslims but he has no idea how it will come about. Though his intentions of defending Islam are noble but his sacrifice of life may go to waste because the idea of defeating his perceived enemies with the destructive weapons that he borrows from them, is by itself self-defeating. It would have been a different story, had he chosen to borrow the instruments of construction from his adversaries to build his strength, like his adversaries did in the 15th. Century Europe. First of all he must identify his true enemy that has put Islam in danger, which is his IGNORANCE of the technology of progress. That makes him an incomplete entity in the world community that is driven by knowledge. He must pick up the threads where he had left and make a run to join them with the present day realities, whatever it may take. It is not as formidable a task as it may look at first sight. He has sufficient means to educate himself and the sources of information are in plenty and faster than ever. All he needs is the will to overcome the obstacles in his way to recovery. This may however need sacrifices --- but a different kind of sacrifice. He has to prevail upon the rulers who decide his destiny, not to misappropriate billions to keep in their personal accounts, but spend for educating the masses. It may cost them their power and treasures, but will make them more respectable and their nations more powerful. He has to join forces with his compatriots in other lands to bring about solidarity and to ensure cooperation in trade, industry and research that are the true sources of power of a people and only guarantee for peace. These efforts may no doubt put my friend in trouble. He may be put behind the bars, but such sacrifice of personal freedom will deliver freedom to Ummah in the long term. This may cost him even his life, but it will be a worthwhile sacrifice and will deliver what no suicide bomber has been able to achieve. My spiritual friend asked me, how could he survive as a weakling, while the long process of change takes place. He does not have to go far looking for an answer. It is already spelt out in the great wisdom of the treaty of Mecca that can be called the "Hudaibiya Approach". When you do not have the wherewithal to prevail upon your adversary, there is no need to kill innocent people, which is against the teachings of Islam, or get killed yourself in vain. Use diplomacy --- simply make peace and persevere. This approach may be used to enhance the strength of your social and moral values and to re-structure your knowledge base, which will win you more friends and make your economy and defense capability stronger. Those who are trapped in Wana, (Wana is located about 17 miles from the Afghan/Pakistan border on the eastern edge of a valley approximately 4,500 feet in elevation. In March 2004, Pakistan military carried out an operation in the region against suspected al Qaida and Taliban members) are sadly the victims of circumstances and their own miscalculations. Their clever friends made them believe that they were fighting a war against the Godless Communists and defending Islam. In fact they were sacrificing their lives in defense of Capitalism. When the truth was revealed and the friendship turned sour, they became the victims of the same Capitalism --- for Capitalism has no friends but the lust for wealth. Sadly, it is questionable whether these fighters did serve Islam then or are serving it now, despite their pious intentions. Valor may be a commendable quality, but watchfulness comes first. Not only should one know his enemy but should also be able to choose the battleground where he can win. People who want to master their destiny must possess the KNOWLEDGE of how societies progress and grow from strength to strength in the fields of economy, science, technology, diplomacy and solidarity with friends, and how the greedy adventurers can be kept away. A deep faith in the essence of Islam should provide an anchor, which others may learn to emulate. The author is an independent commentator based in Karachi, Pakistan

Ayaan darro!

Speaking of "DUMB AZZ"es, we definetly got one freaking moron up here^ ...ain't that right Nomad?

^I guess it is reversible. We had a neighbor who had a childbearing problem (her lungs will have some sort of blood...I don't know!). Doctors told her she can't have anymore kids and she had to take a blood thinning medication. Which means she can't have surgery of any sort either. Her options were limited. I was told that her husband decided to have a vasectomy for her sake...and he is just 27 years old. He is Somali by the way. I thought he made the right decision under the circumstance.

Libaax, Sxb No! that is not the "only" thing different as you put it. Think of it this way...400 Somalis in a boat with capacity of 60 sent to sail in high seas knowing it will sink if the high winds strike or if the waves get violent as they do most of the times. When that happens bailing water out of the boat wouldn't fix the leak (if it escapes capsizing at all), if you ask me these greedy men whoever they are know these boats are floating safety hazard and they willfully and knowingly sent these innocent Somalis who know no better to their death! for few bucks. BTW, Puntland gov. officially distant themselves from these smugglers cuz they know the moral implication... I just don't see the analogy you trying to draw from the "tahreeb" and tacabur most Somali refugees had succesfully done through Kenya and Ethiopia...certainly these little boats are no KML and Lufthanza.

I got one for u : queen ARAWEELO! It is well-known fable in Somali folk tales.

Tamina, You will be missed.

Originally posted by Mad Mullah: Some Puntland businessmen are getting rich of the smuggling of non-puntland Somalis and foreigners. Businessmen? Is that what u call them?

loooooooool@Darman...seriously though “ What kind of crack are you on Hashim”??

It is one thing to talk about our failures, our lack of a sense of duty, civil wars, etc. It is another thing all together to absolve the culprits the role they play in our predicament. BTW, the whole idea of contraceptives is to prevent impregnation. FYI family planning has nothing to do with preventing HIV and STD. Don’t breed if you can’t feed them...in a nutshell that is what it preaches. Is it me or you are underestimating the immense power the west has over others? Many leaders wanted nothing but the best for their constituents but couldn’t effect a change! persuing what is right for you sometimes means denying the dominant power the monoply it has over that particular thing you are after...they get you one way or another and thatb is the sad part of it all.

NGONG, It is not conspiracy nor is it victim culture but it is what I called airing grievences! Whether you agree or not or whether west invented “it” or not, one thing is certain and that is the west is driving the family planning programs and they are not doing it out of compassion as they would like you to think! One thing to blame is poverty. It is poverty through and through! Some would like us to think family planning and abortion are the cures that will put to an end to our problems namely infant mortality. The argument and its justification is familiar. We need help and those who can help have agenda of their own. In every handout, there is some sort of string attached to it. As many other global policies, family planning has a purpose to serve and goals to achieve. Too often, the host indigenous countries reap no benefit in adopting these programs because they are ineffective. The resources spent on its implementation can be used to cure or prevent the very deceases that cause infant mortality. With the exception of China, family planning programs in Africa, Asia, and Americas is funded by the West all the while it endorses and advocates policies (at national level) that would address population decline in their polities. West is very much to blame in throwing its immense weight in the affairs of others. I am in the opinion that west has no business in shaping the individual choice (women’s choice to have offspring or for that matter couple’s choice). If they are so moved in seeing how poor, sick, and helpless others are and want to be helpful, they should lend in helping hand with no strings attached.

fey, How on earth can I fail this test....NO WAY ------------------------------------------- You scored a 40% on the "How Somalian are you?" Quizie! 3 people had a score lower than yours 68 people had a score higher than yours 4 people had a score the same as yours --------------------------------------

Fariid, Many books mentioned here are woth more than their weight. Sirrus selection, for instance, is right on the mark for they address pressing issues of the day such as Darwinism. Darwinism and its offshoot Neodarwinism are very dangerous conceptual framework that have pitted brother against brother in the "struggle of existence". This theory and its variation renders religion irrelevent in the realm of politics. It denies creation as a process and the Creator as the supreme Divine designer thus rendering this life as one without purpose. It does all of these under the pretext of science. Yet there is nothing scientific about this dogmatic teaching. I don't see anything wrong reading what others have to say about anything...do you? We must read figh, hadith, Quran, as well as popular literature that is widely disseminated through the media including books. After all that's what our kids are reading and if we are not up to date we won't be able to relate to them. There are authors, scientist, and philosophers who challenged this dogmatic teaching. They have refuted this dogma scientifically. In this age and time one has to read to see why people think and act the way they do. Reading gives you a bird eye view with multiple prespectives and angles. My advice to you is read what others had to say about us and about themselves. You can do this without compromising your convictions and I would argue it will bloster your faith. Dale Carneigie and Philip Johnson are two "kufar" authors that has alot of wisdon in their field and their thinking are somewhat inline with the divine Truth. Creative thinking, constructive thinking, critical thinking belongs to us as well as to them. Let's apply it. hope it makes sense!

Buchanan is qouting Kipling's Brutal Epitaph to make a point. He might be an ultra-conservative but by God I like his essays when he is on Bush. He exposes the pack from within... Here is the epitaph: Now, it is not good for the Christian's health to hustle the Aryan brown, For the Christian riles, and the Aryan smiles, and he weareth the Christian down; And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, with the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear: 'A fool lies here who tried to hustle the East.' Here is the column

Diric YES but macawis BIG NO. I have yet to understand its use not withstanding that incident in Minneapolis, Uptown to be specific...when the poor nomad made heads turn in admiration ... How about, bud ama bakooro, saandalis, two pieces of white garments, afro, and big bad belt with tooreey (so intimidating and menacing )...for men. For qallanjooyinka...gareys the melindi style ( dib, dhex, kub ...just asking for one prolonged, sustained stare ), sandles, timahoo tidcan...with their usual innocent inviting smile! Aah! I can smell the uunsi..

I don't know if u have seen 60 minutes (A CBS 1-hour long news magazines) last Sunday, I've watched it with interest... The second segment of the program Morley interviewed Jacques Verges, the man who will defend Saddam Hussein. What makes very interesting is he intends to call to the stand and cross-examine Rumsfield, Cheney, and other US top officials. Check it out.

I find this piece very interesting if not important. Even though he is right on the futility of federalism and its long-term side effects, he has somewhat sidelined the dilemma posed by Somaliland and Puntland. How you go from separation to unitary state with center-periphery power scheme? Despite the ills of federalism, the existence of the separatist regions such as the Republic of Somaliland and disguised and unpredictable regional autonomy of Puntland is what necessitates federalism. I am very much opposed to the federalism scheme but the reality on the ground forces me to swallow my ideal principles and embrace reluctantly this new cure concocted by the likes Abdullahi Yusuf. It would have been great if the folks on the table have the wisdom to see what is ahead beyond the self-perpetuating, power-grabbing business they are engaged in.

Presidential hopefull Kerry was asked whether Isreal can count on his support right after speech given to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE)...The reporter also asked him about the Bush/Sharon's new understanding on the question of settlement and the right of return. His answer: Yes they can count on his support. Yes he agrees Bush on these 2 points. Not only he will support them, he said, he supports the wall barrier Isreal is building. Damn! them all. Lander, C_M, Liqaye have a point but I'm still going to vote this election for Kerry. Bush is no no for me. @King

Sue, Not long ago Riyale and his minister were threatening to indict Siilaanyo for the death of two SNM warriors. They didn’t follow through their threat. Why? They didn’t have to cuz they made the point that no one is safe from suspicion of some sort. They did that without even invoking the Boorame massacre. Yes Riyale was part of the former regime. Yes, he was high-ranking officer of the notorious NSS Gestapo. And yes today he is the head of the Northwestern separatist camp aka Somaliland. Big deal! The irony of all ironies is the fact that a struggle against dictatorial regime, a one so costly and bloody to the point where major cities of the region are reduced to rubble because the regime there was so intolerant that it justified the price...that struggle would yield its fruits to the very characters they had fought against! Riyale is not guilty of any crime Silanyo/Egal are not guilty of. The reason being the transgressions committed in that region particularly in Boorame and Burco way after Barre is ousted is very much on the table. That is why elders wanted to dismiss all and everything past that grand meeting in Boorame/Burco as a gesture of reconciliation. Mobb, Here is simple logic: SNM as well as other rebel groups had no other avenue to air their grievences other than to fight. For one, Barre wouldn't allow any dissident to say anything aginst his despotic military junta. For this reason I don't question the merits of these movements. What I very much question, however, is the conduct of their struggle, the tactics, the clannish pride tha very much colored each and every one of them. To say SNM were "mujahidiin" who wouldn't hurt a fly unless it deserve it is frankly an indication....u fill the gab

Mistrial The word has it that jurors and some of the expectators have been chasing their shades in utter confusion. Having been presented the "SOL trial", BIG BROTHER agency is considering a sweeping investigation on the matter. The investigation, as the acclaimed MACNE MA LEH newpaper had reported, is looking into whether the undercover agent Darman had a warrant to dig deep into the Nomad's transgrassions, the accused Nomad's alleged crimes, and self-appointed judge Lucky's credentials. Who has jurisdiction over the internet? Are the chit-chats posted on the SOL have a copy-right protection? Some of the nomads were asking questions along those lines.

Greaaaaaaaaaaaaat! just what I've been looking for; a bottle of sand from my beloved country Let me start the bidding: a bottle of Somalia for a $2.00! In it, the mixiture should have all the varieties SL, PL, XL, etc.