The logic behind it seems to be that since everyone in Somalia has guns the government should be given BIGGER guns to control them all. Allahu al mostacaan.

^^ You got hacked? p.s. Johnson is in the form of his life. He'll easily handle that has been.

^^ :D (I'll let the airplane watcher reply to this).

Guru, Are you free now? I think that phone call is long overdue. Plus, I need to talk some sense into you warya. As for what you say there; well, there really nothing much I could say about your worries and unease (for that's all it is). The bottom line here is that at no stage did SL declare, announce or even hint at a wish to rejoin Somalia. The SL government has been clear that it is engaging in the talks to engineer a civil option of parting the ways with Somalia. However, since these are talks to clarify the relationship and since the "other side" still have hope of bringing SL back to the fold, it should come as no surprise to you that some Somalis will talk about the end of SL as an independent nation. They will talk about working together to fight terror and piracy. They will talk about helping each other in certain areas and they will talk about sharing lessons in democratic processes and what not. But when it comes to Somalia being one nation, the SL delegation will shrug and refer the Somalis to the demand that you, I and every Somalilander had for the past twenty one years. Meesho maqaaxi maaha, saaxib. It's not the Imam's silly tantrums about being Somali one day and wanting to breakaway the next. SL professes to be an independent, democratic and organised nation. It claims to be ahead of Somalia when it comes to political maturity and practice. Therefore, it has to act the part and show that it is willing to do anything and everything when it comes to working together. It needs to openly display its flexibility and wisdom. It needs to appease all observers by proving to them that this quest for independence is not born out of the whim of a few fickle characters and that there is no going back on SL's secession. You really need to stop panicking every time Somalia gets something positive going its way. You also have to remember that this is a nation being brought back from the dead and that only such positive actions will help it sustain itself on the road to recovery. But, none of that has much to do with the TALKS between the two sides nor does it change the SL stance. Only you and I can do that.

^^ And the imaginary airplane with all its passengars.

^^ Got it now. Ileen houthi baad aheed!

Che -Guevara;916185 wrote: I have never seen a Somali called Bandar, there are locations but not a man's name. Nor is it a Sudani name. Bandar, again, is usually a name of a place there too. The guy is Saudi but these Western papers can't believe there are black Saudis.

^^ I didn't understand a thing of what you said! Jump over what, the plane?

AYOUB;915982 wrote: ^ Well, I hesitate. Shall I leave you alone till your perspective is not as one sided like it has been, or risk you digging your heel - as usual - and tell you the problem I have with you calling for the a president to squash the case without establishing the truth? Don't keep dipping your toe in warya, either jump right in or sit back and watch dee. p.s. I understand the case of truth and all that and did take it into consideration when typing my words but I believe squashing the case (regardless of the truth) is for the greater good, in this instance. Wax fahan.

^^ Can he still play?

^^ It's the wrong Maaddeey. Wax fahan.

Xaaji Xunjuf;916008 wrote: Not going to happen , if Siilaanyo and his goverment agree to attend they will lose all credibility with in the SL public, unless the Brits come with alternative for Somaliland and Somalia. The conference doesn't even concern Somaliland because the agenda is 95% about Somalia. And Somaliland and Somalia will not hold their talks in London at the conference. We will shortly know. That's what some people said about the London Conference last year. Yet Somaliland did attend and the conditions for its attendance were put in place to allow it to distance itself from the rest of Somalia. Furthermore, it managed to get a deal on "talks" between it and Somalia. If they do attend this upcoming conference, I expect it to fall into similar lines and the issue about the talks to be clarified further to appease the naysayers in SL.

^^ England? I wouldn't go even if it were free.

Coofle, you had to wait until someone called you adeer to know that you finally came of age? Mine was when I was seventeen or eighteen and I told a group of ten year olds about something only for them to tell one of their mothers and point as me as they said "THAT MAN told us off". I actually had to look behind me to see where they were pointing only to realise that the man was ME! p.s. Norf, you still play both ninyaho. Yet you're beyond coming of age.

First in, A G A I N ! How are we all doing this fine morning?

The topic of discussion today is RAGIIDA! In the tube the other day, I was sat silently reading my paper in a half full carriage when a familiar sound began sneaking to my ears. It was high, slightly screechy and parts of it were not even in English. I looked up from my paper to see that it was coming from the direction of two twenty-something Somali girls. They were talking about boys. Well, if I am being factual here I should really say that they were talking about Somali men (or what is colloquially known as Faraxs). The two girls were really deep into their conversation and didn’t notice me looking at them. And, OH, did I look! It wasn’t their beauty, attractiveness or the eloquence of their delivery that caught my eye. It were their crazed facial expressions and dramatic body language that made me stare like a man in a park that just spotted a big and angry Alsatian heading his way. The body language of conversing Somalis is an amazing spectacle. If you block out the sound and simply observe the animation on its own, I would wager that nine out of ten people would conclude that they’re watching two mentally disturbed persons having a conversation. This was the same. Though, unfortunately (or maybe it was fortunate) I couldn’t block the sound out. The gist of their discussion was that all Somali men were Faraxs that never grow up. Now, it wasn’t for me to agree or disagree with such sentiment for I were merely an innocent voyeur and had no say in the matter. However, I did allow my mind to drift and follow one strand of the argument whilst adding my own questions to it. The tall girl with the slightly bent back and massive hoop earrings protruding from under her hijab was saying “He’s twenty-five and still acts like my fifteen year old brother. It’s like he never grew up”. Her long nosed, red lipped and altogether uncoordinated friend added “It’s not just him, wallahi; it’s all his mates and most Somali guys his age. I blame their mothers”. Their voices drop and they themselves began to fade away (save for that bent back, hoops and those red lips) and I found myself thinking of coming of age customs and bar mitzvahs. Are there any rites of passage rituals in Somalia, I wonder! In the Houthi strongholds of Yemen, the coming of age ceremony takes place when boys are eighteen years of age and are ready for marriage. Before reaching that age or stage of life (i.e. marriage), they are treated as children. Now this might sound silly but there is some understandable logic related to this choice. Houthis are a tribal society where revenge and retaliation killings are rife amongst clans. However, the rules of warfare amongst them are that no children or women are to be harmed despite any historical grudges. So, if a man kills your brother, you get your revenge by killing that man, his son or his brother. Nevertheless, if the son happens to be under the age of eighteen, you must hold your fire until he comes of age. Now proving that a person is eighteen or over is a hard thing to do, especially when you consider that this is an ancient custom and that no birth certificates existed at the time (and probably not even now). A boy’s only means of proving that he’s not of age is his genitals; these also play a major role in the rite of passage ceremony. Often the case was that a young boy was ready for marriage which in turn necessitated the putting in motion the act of declaring him an adult (with all the responsibilities adulthood entails). The ceremony was simple yet gruesome and very brave. It consisted of the boy surrounded by his whole family, members of his clan and even his wife to be. He would stand up in front of them and declare that he is ready and call the barber (for they often moonlighted as circumcisers) to cut off his foreskin! He would be stripped from the waist down and his symbol of manliness would be butchered in full view of the entire assembly (including the wretched wife to be). The young groom/man must not show any outward signs of pain, wince or cry lest he shame himself, his clan and the wife he’s about to marry. Once the deed is done, he is declared a man free to carry arms, marry and assume all the responsibilities that adults have. When my train of thought reached this point, I looked up at the girls with the mad and impulsive idea (though not the intention) of sharing this story with them only to realise that they left the train in one of the previous stops. This in turn reminded me of the time I met a friend while shopping for shirts and underwear. He teased about it at the time you see and suggested that I should probably buy Y-fronts. I didn’t of course, however, a few days later when I was walking down some high street, he phoned me and we shared our usual banter. When I told him I was walking down the high street, he asked if I were buying more Y-fronts. “Bax warya, you jinxed the boxer shorts I bought last time” said I at the top of my voice “they gave me a wedgie” (all of this was said in Somali) when this jilbaab wearing Somali woman happened to walk past and gave me the most disgusted look ever at my use of the word “bottom” in Somali. This teenage-like action brings me back to the topic of this thread; coming of age and rites of passage for Somali men, does such a thing exist? When did you realise you were a grown up? p.s. Haatu need not reply just yet.

^^ Not the UAE again. It's a good article with somewhat obvious analysis.

Heh. It's obvious that this man studied the habits of Somali women in great detail. Check out the hands free phone there! :D

^^ You're making the HAG..err..SAG!

^^ What's the problem, Ayoub? It wasn't that long a thread for you help latecomers with this quick summary of yours.

Maaddeey, Dee the comments of this guy did. I was pulling your leg warya. Wax fahan. suleeymaan;914978 wrote: Comon' Maadeey, this was posted multiple times. We need fresh news and it will be helpful if you tell us what your hero Madoobe and his militias are doing in Kismyaayo . The news coming from there does not look good. Rape, killing and bililiqo is rampant in Kismaayo since this militia and their Kenyan masters moved in. You need to come out of the closet soon sxb.

Looks like Mr M Society is back. Finally the so called "HAG" have a voice on SOL. p.s. Haatu, it's a demo adeer. Their aim is to protest, not to be accurate. Wax fahan.

^^ He said someone NOT in Hargeisa, AB Al Alpha.

^^ After Sheikh Sharif's switch, I expect ANYTHING saaxib (did you not see Gabbal supporting Hassan Sheikh?) I know they didn't shut their mouths. I am saying the gesture is pointless unless they clean up their act and report seriously and with honesty. Wax fahan.

^^ Jb waa xaasid dee. He knows I'm craving that strong summertime tea yet he's not inviting me outright and opening the door for others to take my place. Kut-taa, as CL would have said.