David Shinn is a US diplomat...he had unsuccessfully lobbied Somaliland's secession from Somalia. He has tried and failed to secure some sort of adhoc presence of US diplomatic mission in Hargeisa. David allegedly adviced Somaliland leadership to campaign African countries (South Africa and Senegal) for recognition. Once one African country recognizes Somaliland, he reasoned, West and Ethiopia's acceptance of Somaliland will be justified. That effort didn't materialized. With that record I would take anything he says about Somalia with grain of salt for he is a passionate activist bend to divide us.

NO. Puntland should not declare, will not declare independence from Somalia under any circumstances. It does not make any sense. If anarchy continues, they still have the regional autonomy to function as a 'autonomous' state with little constraint. No matter who leads this regions, the constitution they had agreed dictates that the 'territorial integrity' of Somalia is not negotiable. The 'building block' approach is concieved in a way that lets the peaceful and stable regions to move on without seceding. Puntland is one block of Somalia waiting other Somalis so they can form a just, inclusive, united Somalia.

Mansha'alah, Rahiima's conclusion that in Islam anything is Hallal unless there is clear directive from Qura'an and Sunnah that says otherwise is right on target. In light of that I would not say it is haraam but I would strongly agree that it is undesirable act that brings down elavated human status to animal level. Libaax has presented informative article and I trust anyone who read that article will conclude that this act is very questionable practice and hence KARAAHIYA. Allah knows the best.

^^Why don't u get us started...I think it will shed some light on this whole issue of "Greater Somalia" by putting the historical inquiries that we may have about this in prespective. Pal it is all urs...enlighten us.

Libaax, right on boss...now I know u r a nerd! u had it coming sxb...why u expose me like that:) On a serious note though it is both challenging and rewarding profession...it is fun. Sumarai_Warior, No despair...I heard ur positive outlook. As African Americans say 'Keep ya head up bro and keep hope alive'. Mujaahid_lixle, Thanks for the correction. The "Act of Union" was signed on June 1960 but never ratified.

Gaashaamo, Let me recap your premises for the benefit of the nomads who wish to follow this…please correct me if I misread your post. Here they are: 1. The intellectual raison d'être “to which the concept of Greater Somalia should be based-on, is irreversibly dead and buried”. 2. As a “myopic self-fantasist”, I and my likes are engaged in a futile quest for lost union. 3. Your attempt to link these two premises to “The case as to why people of Somaliland chose to "Moved-On" with their destiny”. That’s the crux of your post as I understood it. First one: That long article of yours is supposed to refute this concept known by some as “Greater Somalia” and other as “Pan-Somalism”: 1. The new republic promotes by legal and peaceful means, the union of the territories. 2. All ethnic Somalis, no matter where they reside, are citizens of the republic. 3. The republic does not claim sovereignty over adjacent territories, but rather demands that Somalis living in them be granted the right of self-determination. 4. The republic would be satisfied only when their fellow Somalis outside the republic had the opportunity to decide for themselves what their status would be. These four points are very noble points to me and many other nomads. I’m well aware that conditions that we are in today is not conducive in realizing that noble cause any time soon. The goodness of this concept is not in question. It is not dead and buried but it surely had suffered a considerable blow. The priorities have changed; the task has now become how to stand up on our own feet once again – not how we could help other Somalis in need. Second one: Implicit in your argument is that I and others are engaged in a futile quest for lost union. In other words, anyone who embraces the “Greater Somalia” concept is a “myopic self-fantasist” beating a dead horse. Well not really. I happen to be disappointed Muslim for I see that Islamic World is being dominated and led by the nose by the West. Yet I have a hope that this domination and aggression will not stand. If we put our hands together we can make some progress however small that is. Likewise, as realist, I see the facts on the ground are antithesis to the progressive culture and mentality that are needed to bring about what that concept envisions. Netherless these facts do not absolve us the responsibilities of setting high standards and prioritizing - first being how to get out this deep hole that we are fallen to. We need to change these undesirable facts. Rejecting unity on the basis of grievances that we have with a leadership that no longer exist, as you seem to be suggesting, surely represents a total loss of perspective and sense of proportion, from your part. Third one: You seem to conclude that you had made the case as to why Somaliland chose to secede. I commend the nomads in that region that they find a way to sort out their differences without disturbing the peace. It’s my firm opinion, however, that the secession is counter-productive to the stability of the region. It tends to balkanize the horn. Brother you and other pro-secessionist have an interesting dilemma to deal with; on the one hand you want to unilaterally disregard the legitimate “Act of Union” in 1960. On the other hand you want to deny Puntlanders the same right, namely unilateral secession which you yourself consider sacred. Remember "what is good for the goose is good for the gander" proverb. At the end it boils down that if Somalia is divisible so is Somaliland. That hasty declaration of independence was a mistake. It led pro-secessionist to declare tribal Bantustan State - that is what it is and it will remain so unless we reach reasonable resolution on this subject very soon. This balkanization serves no purpose. Gaashaamo, you are on an evitable collision course with reality. Time will tell. Humilty is a good virtue, Baashi.

HonAfrique, That is very nice of u bro...thanks. Nah I wouldn't be a politician. I've already chosen a career and I'm gonna stick to it for now. Btw, for the unlikely event of becoming the president of the Land of anarchy, I would nominate you the minister of resettlement - the job description would be to convince the nomads to.....

Interesting! I have to emphasize that there is a major difference between a "nice guy" and "wimpy guy". Wimpy guys are very dependent! They are not this fancy tiger that women like to tame. Wimpy guys lack the self-confidence...they don't initiate things or can't face the risk of being rejected...and as the result they act as if they are interested in her but can't say so...and thus guur iyo gaabsi wax alla waxey rabaan lama yaqaan. That's not being nice that's being wimpy. Nice guys, on other hand, are considerate men who have class and don't see themselves as being skirt-chasers and womenizers. To be one, if u need a tip , then don't follow the above mentioned tips...be urself and adopt an attitude that is accepting and open, and show that u are interested in her. There will always be women who continually choose jerks! It might be that they are emotionally twisted and not capable of being a partner in a solid, stable relationship. The truth of the matter is the jerk's self-involvement will make it more likely that he will cheat on the woman or dump her when someone more exciting comes along or when the novelty wears off. If you got rejected by being nice...it is not because you have a good manners, or you are pious, or you are considerate but probably she is not interested in u or variety of other reasons.

Originally posted by Angel-Dust: BAAAASHI: my brother what is this obsessivness with Somaliland....you need help walahi! Your hate is so transparent and it shows how consumed you are by it all....let go becuase "wanu gosanay". And nothing you say will change that. To put it mildly "you know Somaliland but Somaliland does not know you ". Now what does that tell you! I hope you can read between the lines. All most all your threads are regarding Somaliland. You know how to talk, we (Somalilanders) take action! I rest my case. Dusty. That's quite a charge. Now I want u to be nice and elaborate on this. Walaalo why don't u name one post in which I showed or even hinted a hate toward the good pple of Somaliland? I've never started a threat about that subject and this one is not about Somaliland. Why on earth would u go out of ur way to lie? Sis u need to learn the fact that we are not clones...we differ on subjects, we reason and at times rationalize events differently. If I had questioned the wisdom and rationale behind the secession...that does not amount hate! does it? Let me dream! That is not too much to ask?

I couldn’t help but notice that majority of nomads, who posted their pieces on this thread, presuppose prior conceptions of ‘educated lady’ that are often taken for granted but never spelt out explicitly. I for one have my own view of what the profile of ‘educated lady’ looks like. To me ‘educated lady’ is skilled, Allah-fearing, law-abiding Muslimah whose character is endowed with relatively elusive qualities such as an awareness of the uncertainty and fallibility of knowledge, openness of mind, willingness and ability to doubt and question, personal involvement in knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and the joy of learning. Two/four year degree from college is good thing to have and certainly will equip one with the knowledge and abilities that are needed for domain-specific purposes in one’s future professions. It is not, however, a license to libel. Our ladies have absolute choice to court with whoever they find worthy of their trust. That’s not the issue here, if I’m not mistaken, it is about the very idea that presupposes ‘educated lady’ and then associates with a disdainfully self-importance profile that is inaccessible to most of the nomads. Some of you got out of your way to justify an exclusionary attitude in which you spelt out ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ a humble nomad be denied the chance to court with such a lady. The irony in all of this is that the premise of the question (topic) is wrong. We, most of us, don’t run away from ‘educated sister’. In fact, we value their intelligence, humility, and understanding and when I see one I can’t help but say Mansha’Allah.

Khayr, Somalia adopted Latin alphapet in 1972. before that learned people had used Arabic, Osmaniya, and Latin alphapet for correspondence and other uses. Here is a Osmaniya alphapet and its history.

S_Warrior, I've read that article with interest and I have many reservations of what he wrote there. Idil, Military regime were very sensitive about any dissent and the fate of those who dissented were not pleasant; So I wouldn't blame the masses as they were subject under tyrannical regime with little tolerance. Gaashaamo, As for the other usual crowd who congregate in here in-order to vent their spleen against the somaliland's people, as well as trying to give an intelectual veneer and credence with their never-ending obsession with the grater somalia Dreamland such as sumurai warior, baashi, hornafrik, and others too numurous to list them all in here; my soul-bearing suggestion to you malcontented lot, is to find different hobby-horse to ride; for the assure reality is that somaliland had "Moved-On", and will not be in thousand years looking backward towards those yesteryears dreamy concept that "We-proadly-Once-Held-Them-Vigorously-But-Sadly-Found-It-To-Be-An Empty Vassel" or anything that smack of as a greater somalia "Hallucinations"; and the sooner the "Somaliland-Haters" crowd in here who never get tired to preach their self-evident mendacity to unsuspecting on-line naive scripplers realised that "Destiny-Tranforming Decisions" that the people of somaliland chosed for better or for worse to undertake for all of their tomorrows is here to stay for good, the better maybe you lot will be in a position to come-up with verifiable plan to rescue what is left of your honour and dignity as a southern somalia people, as apposed to being helpless and wretched lot that are so happy for others such as kenyans and ethiopians to tell them, what their destiny as a nation ought to be about. Greater Somalia is a dream, a vision if u will, conceived by well-intended Somalis who had witnessed one of the greatest betrayal of the century. These helpless nomads accepted the fact that they were colonized, divided and in the end forced to settle with less than what they bargained for. But they vowed that they would be satisfied only when their fellow Somalis outside the republic had the opportunity to decide for themselves what their status would be. That is, it seems to me, a noble cause and sound policy. What went wrong as well as the question of secession vs. unity…these questions remain fair terrain of exploration for the nomads who congregate in here but also, quite often predictably subjective. If you have something to say about that noble policy, you certainly could…as some passions are hard to control your fulminations against nomads who you named were uncalled for. Why do u distort, extrapolate, slander, and indeed cry ‘foul’ against what we had to say about Somalia’s problems? Is your ‘Somaliland’ off-limits to our inquiries and dialogues? What if we are from there and share this dream with our comrades of the South? Treason! Is that the charge? You sound as somebody who got infuriated by “malcontented lot...Somaliland-Haters”, as you characterized us. In this passionate tone of yours, you obviously don’t see the point of discussing Greater Somalia…and understandably so! Not only that you are even angered that other “helpless and wretched Somalis” have the nerve to write this great forum about unified Somalia before we solve all the problems of the civil war and anarchy. Of all the hyperboles that I have encountered in the nomadic discussions or in the world of criticism in general, none has been so gratuitous, so arrogant and self-preening as your proposition, quoted above, which amounts to humbug fulmination.

Siman, that's very thoughtful of u. They kicked behind in their days...Thanks to Allah, they were brave nomads. SNL and USP our brothers up North were kicking some butt too. FYI, Cali Xasan Maxamed (Verduro) is alive and well. After what had happened (misguided nomads looted his house in Qoryoleey and had beated the shit out of him) he is very sad fella now, one can imagine.

ExDane, hopes and dreams that is good thing to have. Hang in there sis. Che and Matkay, I heard u and u are both right. As things stand now, we have long way to go. The odds to attain that noble policy are monumental in proportion. If we are to get there we have to be realists. We have real grievences, we were betrayed, bullied, and ignored. We should blame no one but ourselves for the anarchy we are in. There is light at the end of the tunnel...region by region, we are on the recovery process. As the doubters of the essence of that policy I say to them what our poet whose poems personified the Somali cause used to say: Gardaduub hadii loo xidhoo gaadhna ka ahaato, Gacantii nin lihi goynayaa waa gumudantaaye, Nin walaakii geed uga jidhaa, geesi noqon waa. Abdullahi Suldan Timacade.

maajo, internet is one efficient communication tool among many and meeting a mate through the internet is not unheard of. It takes more than email, discussion board, chat, and swapping pictures to fell in love with a potential mate. That's a long way to say 'Yes'...it can happen. http://youvegotmail.warnerbros.com/cmp/4frameset.html Click 'stories' in the 2nd paragraph. There are dozen stories. Now! single nomads on SOL start taking the time to read the profiles of other nomads and send messages "I read urs..plz read mine...if interested write back" Don't forgot to invite us in ur wedding ceremony Isku akhriya...dee weydin kaa

The drunk wipes his eyes and catches his breath and says to the preacher, "Are you sure this is where he fell in? "

Underdog u got my vote too pal. I am swing voter and I wanna look real hard ur record but guess what Gediid did the trick speaach writer position will go to..????

Bari_nomad, I just checked the company whose website u posted. I called them...they only have a voice mail. Which basically tells callers that they are recieving too many phone calls...tells the caller to check their website www.globalnationbuilding.com It didn't sound right so I checked it with Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org it said that there is no such company. I filled a complaint against them and in due time they will email me back the result of their investigation. They may be a legitimate organization but I have my doubts especially when a company asks me $300.00 up front to apply a position which they have no control over. Check this link and read it carefully http://sites.browsermanaged.com/folder10630/index.cfm?id=666&fuseaction=browse&pageid=35. Look this: Our client is very stringent in their requirements. They expect to review the applicant's resume; review the result of the security clearance and review a written translation sample [Translators], and then invite interview - before we can hire any individual. My $300.00 is gone before they check my credentials or they check my resume along with security clearance result...Before they hire me. There is wild world out there...be careful nomads.

Inaa lilaahi wa inaa ileyhi raajicuun. My condolences to his family and friends. May Almighty Allah garnt him Janatul Fardowza. Amin.

Lefty got it right. I bet that is the right answer. Anbahaa seedigiis = Abtigaa Abtigaa Aabihii = Awoowgaa Hooyo Awoowgaa Hooyo gabar uu dhaley = Hooyadaa (if he had only one daughter) Hooyadaa wiil ay dhashay = Addiga(if ur mom has only one son). If we reconstruct this 'xujo' : Abahaa seedigiis, aabihii, gabadha qudha ee uu dhaley, wiilkeeda madiga (kaligii) ah maxuu kuu yahay?

JazakAllah sis-muslima and lateafa for educating us. Much respect to u both.

Ex_Dane well said. I share your dreams sis and I have no objection Hargeisa being next capital of Somalia. In fact If I have the power I would have made Hargeisa the capital. HonAfrik, good to know that we are in agreement on this one. You are very right in saying the leadership betrayed us on this noble cause of ours. I like to point out that our priority should be putting our house in order first. My intention was to separate the Pan-Somalism policy from leadership failure and to defend that policy.

Though_Control, ur lil sermon is on to the point. Democracy is not a bad ideology if one considers Communism, Authorotarianism, Fascism, Socialism, and other secular 'ism's. What scares the shit out of me is the idea that these white-controled, rich, powerful states go out of their way to proclaim themselves as the 'civilized' world and see others as savages that are in need of their 'values'. Their hypocracy is self-evident and to see that just take Iraq as an example. What do we do??? they say! Give them democracy and you will have Islamic state! Now democracy is not in their favor so the fix is on the works and media is cooking a delicious stories that revolves around women and their role. I gave them 10/10 cuz they outsmart us, and in defeat we were reduced to a whinning punch of backward and useful idiots who kept turning the other cheek for yet an other slap. I feel defeated wallahi.

Abdinuur, one practical advice is don't try to please her for it will be a vain endeavor...and never try to rationalize her whinnings, or changing moods but accept her as she is and live with it if it is worth it. Barwaaqo touched on few points. From men's prespective: Make earnest effort to make a sincere compliments of how good looking she is (women take the time to perfect their looks)...whatever good she does...and so on...no limit there. Acknowledge her contribution to the relationship/marriage. Be patient with her, be consistent, and be good listner. Let her win in all small, unnecessary disputes. Choose her over your friends when marking the calender but make sure she is aware of that...you missed basketball game with your best friends because of her whatever that seemed so important to her. By doing that^^ u got nothing to loose and she is quite happy...works!

Assuming this is a genuine appeal and your intention is noble I would say just tell him how you feel. If that is difficult for you why don't you get his email from the family members or mutual friends and email him as anonymous person with subject line "ur secret admirer". In ur email ask him if he is in a relatioship with someone. Add that you are very fond of him and willing to take a risk and find out if there is a chance for a successful relatioship between you. Since there are men out there who like to play with emotions of their admirers, please careful. I would add one more sentence that makes clear that your very strong lady by saying that I don't like to be reckless with other people's heart and likewise I don't put up people who are reckless with mine. If he is not available then thank him for being honest and move on. Good luck sis...I'm sure other nomads will be kind enough to post their advice.