Kheyr, Hijab is a dress code. It is a 'wajib'. Men have a dress code too...well u know. Khamiis, mucawis, cimaamad, etc. r not islamic dress code that is wajib but norms that is adopted by most islamic world...Sunnah or hadyu nabi is about 'akhlaaqiyaad'...and as long as u follow the directives u r fine. Women with diric and man with shorts are both in need of wacdi in a nice, gentle way. None of us is perfect as perfection is one of the atributes of Allah...and if bro/sis approached us and try to tell us little wacdi...we should be thankful to the fact that, among the nomads, r pple who care. Ur point, the way some of our culima preach need improvement, is well taken.

That is so true...as if Warlord himself is the poet. Where do u get this? Whoever wrote it...he/she is very talented.

Lili 1. The ratio of women will always be > that of men. It is a simple fact. 2. Natural disasters affect us, the humans, evenly with no discrimation. 3. Man-made disasters, wars, affect men more than women. Army of all nations are men. 4. All conventions of war, rules of engagement, ancient or recent have one thing in comen: DON'T mess with civilians, that is women and children. It follows that if its human nature to have conflicts and wars and men are often the victims of wars then there will be more women than men as long as we are resorting wars to settle our conflicts. Therefore Allah gave women a legal ground, a permission if u will, to have a chance to enjoy this life by always having a man available to them no matter the supply pool. Finally, we are not allowed to question Allah's wisdom or his directives. We are told that its our benefit to follow his directives. This religion is based on faith not reason or rationale. So abstain...the whys. Don't buy the womens' liberation or sexual revolution literature out there that attacks plogymy (spelling not sure)..just in case u read make sure u also have chance to read the other side of the debate...u will see the light. So have faith in Islam and then expand ur knowlege. Ramadan Kariim

It is Ramadan!!!! it is not fitting to make that kinda joke at this time. Take it out for ur own sake. No offence.

True, How one is perceived and the true nature of that person are not always a mirror image! But why would any sista wear Hijab in the west when there is no incentive to do that? Faith is the answer. thnx for ur input.

Thnx bro..very useful article indeed.

Shujui-1, That makes sense. I was expecting to see a nomad who points out that there r women who don't wear the Hijab(as we come to know it) but r decent, law abiding, humble, and everything u expect from true muslima. They wear traditional clothes and their understanding of Islam is consistent with our parents understanding...but when u looked at the directives u begin to see some inconsistencies. The same is true about men especially those of us who play soccer...and summer time..shorts r popular. Ramadan kariim. Charity to ur relatives who r in need or in a refugee camp is desirable...consider it.

I'm all for it...That is the sharia. Now u've asked: What about the man? I haven't read the details of this case but it may be that he is a single man (never married b4) and thus death penalty can not applied to the singles (female or male)who commit adultery. Witnesses must be there and all the directives must be applied in order to carry that sentences. Selective justice is very very very evry dangerous in all judicial systems; secular or religious alike.

Your excellency Mr. Jr., We, the nomads, r very grateful of all those who helped us in trying times. Nomads have clear understanding as who is in power or the power structure in this world. At this age and time, we r not in position of lending hand to those who r in need as we got more problems than any1 out there. But if the point is whether we should be giving a moral support to those who r oppressed, occupied, or threatened by a power that is more sophistacated, resourceful, and advanced than them..then the answer is we should do that as it is the right thing to do. That aside, the Arabs r special case for many reasons. But let's say that there has been and will be a distinction between those who attained power by illigitimate means(aristocracy, monarchy, totalitarian, authoritarian and wat not) and masses whose aspirations r denied and suppressed. Most arab governments r not legitimate authorities that represent their masses and any grievences that we might have wit them should be put in that context. We got alot in common: religion, culture. We r neighbors. We have ties that go back centuries. Our language is a mix of cushitic and semitic (e.g. every letter that starts "kh" is arabic in origin). There are tribes that beleif that they have familial lineage with arabs. Taking all that in consideration, nomads are aware their priorities and they r prudent in their debate on this issue. Mr. Jr it is u who need to seive through the dirt in ur foriegn policy. The arrogance and double standards in ur foreign policy is a clear to the kids let alone veterans. It is ur call who u should invade and why but if u r consulting with nomads then sit back and try to see the way things are and don't let undue influences guide u forever.

Ameenah, U hit it on the head..mansha Allah! And that is what it comes down to: Hollywood and advertisement industry looks at young women as a product and they exploit them..In acedamia there are Marketing classes (Business majors) that encourages the view that young pretty women r asset to tap on for advertisement purposes! thanx Ameenah,

Cushitic_cute, Good topic...I would say both. Everything being equal, parents have, by far, more impact on kids than anything else.

LST, Interesting...France vs. Anglo-American! France has no chance even with its Euro coalition or Franco-German coalition!...at the end of the day they will iron out these minor differences and eventually they will implement the so called the new world order! Get this: WTO, IMF, and World Bank have government officials(West) and former CEO's sitting its board and its jurisdiction is global in nature! china is being stalked on its human rights record as prerequisite of its admission to this exclussive club. Anything they decide is being potrayed as something that international community have deliberated on. Do u know that almost all the plants that have any medicinal value are owned(patented) by the mega-multinational companies...we r talking about plants like "cadey"! Further more they can enforce it all these laws and those who question its legitimacy will be called as rogue nations and they will be simply in violation of international law and the civilized world should deal with them. Sound fimiliar! Phew!..there I vent it out!

Scorpion_sis, Good points..and it makes sense to me and it is good to know how nomads rationalize this..thanx for sharing ur thoughts wit us.

True... Education is not the driving force for those who embrace the hijab but faith is..

Ms.Naheed Mustafa "My body is my own business" Here is her take on this

HIJAB: Suppression or Liberation? If it's a Liberation how come many Somali women r not veiled? What is their reasoning? If it is Suppression what is the case for it? When ppl (influenced by the media) ask u: is it like (Afghanistan): r women oppressed like that how do u respond? I would appreciate if Nomad ladies participate and enlighten us the problem they face when they put their hijab on...in schools or at work? Feminism: does it inhibit or promote hijab? Interestingly enough, I find an article that rationalizes and sheds a positive light on hijab on the grounds that real feminist r for hijab!!!! I will share wit u..after ur input. The Islamic point of view of the subject is here

Wadani, You could be sincere and still be wrong. Yes Tribalism, or more to the point negative tribalism, is wrong but the author of that piece that u agreed to is bringing facts that r irrelevent to to the underlying causes these sisters r trying to be champion of. 'Communitarian concept' comes a wide varieties and special interest groups that lobbies ethnic interest are bound whether that be Irish, Italian, or Jewish. In this case it is Black Women that wanna make difference in their communities. By the way the author is a conservative that wants to attack liberal ideas in both academia and activist groups. The guy is just overlooking the positive aspect of the group's real cause.

Hmm! Haaruun (under arm) ishaa ka riday...ma ka naxdaa wan they don't have clue...Areebo dheh! Turn off's 1- Wannabees (all types) 2- Bad breath (plz grab a gum on ur way atleast) Note: they can do something about it..in need of more brain cells! 3. Humongous hip bones (looks like Big bird in the sesame street) that dress like as hotties!.. (nothing can be done) I like feminist though..there is "karti" in them and u can reason with them at the end of the day..I'm not talking about talkative, stubborn, deaf ones. I don't get challenged or threatened by them. But those who mess around..wannabees and dumb chicks come handy when the Jiffy lube change is due..I guess some turn offs take the back seat!

Curly_sue, I wonder if u realy realy agree with Darwin...it seems simple isn't if u look at it as: Evolution as a theory that all species developed from earlier forms..or the Natural Selection when is defined as a evolutionary process by wich the most adaptable species survive. It flies in the face of our belief in that this universe is designed, directed, and maintained by a super power called God...I smell irrecconciable difference in all of this crap! How about the idea that we are close relative of chimpenzes and Africans are the bottom of the Evolutionary ladder. I can go on but i rather would not. by the way the Implication of this theory is huge in monumental proportion. As the black moths case..I prefer the term..'Struggle for existence'..as that is the real explanation of these events.

Heheeeeeeeeeehehe ooh! lol! I will share this one with my co-workers! thanx najmah

heheheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee looooooooooooooooool that is a gooooooooooood one Thanks, it made laugh..for real

Scorpion..this is good one, U mentioned Natural Selection...Darwinism is in the defensive..as the creationism packers are mounting a come back...but the whole system (from educational institutions to Wall Street) is instilled that very idea so there is no turning back. Cloning: Is absolutely and unequivacolly good for the humanity- if it is utilized for medicinal purposes. But cloning in the sense of instituting better race is definetly bad idea..Hitler's Third Reich is remembered as social darwinist who tried to identify 'gifted' aryans and replicate them..get rid of gays, handicaped germans...so pure aryan nation will lead the humanity as it led before. Only affluent can afford it now..upper class that is...who? whites!..the fittest of all - as they said - Social stratification! Have u ever read that book: The Bell Curve..hmm! it has an answer for what causes unwed mothers, welfare dependancy, even unemployed...the answer: Intelligence! Where are we (blacks) placed that Gaussian graph..@ the tail of it. Other implications: Frankenstein scenario - the agency itself may slip from the control of the moralistic acedamic figures into hands of politicians and ultimately may resort social engineering..and u know what is the next step! Bush is against cloning so was Clinton..go figure!

When u see a negative comment about us, Somalis,.. Plz write to the editor to complain about one-sided reporting of that particular paper and if u got ignored (which will often be the case)..write as a petition kinda style with punch of nomads' names and send it with note that u gonna stop buying the paper. And if the details of the report is true but embarrassing..well in that case keep hope alive we shall overcome.. Out here it is a whole different ball game..try to play it their way....vocal minority ever heard that one!

And all the brave poets who took the role of media and brought tears of all Somalis. They were real catalyst of the struggle for our independence. bless their soul,

Here is my 2 fav. 1. Deafening silence 2. Mournful optimist For those who don't know what oxymoron is..it is the combination of contradictory terms that somehow found their way into mainstream diction.