I see a big hole being dug here. Hope you like the feedback when all is said and done.

Hi Aredendra, Welcome to the site. I’m not sure I understood what your novel is all about. However, the following site might give you a basic idea on the different forms of veil in the Muslim world. It also has a section on how to wear the Hijab. I’m sure the ladies, when they arrive, will be more helpful. But, they’ll probably still need to give some sort of demonstration of how each type of Hijab is worn. So, this website might help you understand the various explanations and terms used. Good luck with your novel. Photos and comments

^^ You never answer my questions!

^^^ He's not called Smith N Western (sic) for nothing, saaxib.

^^^ abaayo, walashisa waa kula kuftama nooh..say waaye adiga, ma carootay? waa ku tuuga nooh ( what exactly does that mean by the way?)

Sorry abaayo huuno malab, ano dad mobile phone jicel lama sheekisan karo :mad:

^^^ afarteenan qof moyaan, cid kale meeshan meyanay joogin? :confused:

Well, don’t say that I didn’t try. It seems that with mobile phone owners, there is no turning back.

Heh. Why not give the boys the home number too? Wax la qaryo qodhan ba ku jira meyanay aheen? I'm glad to you understand my objection to mobile phones. Though I know that most people believe the world will end if they lost theirs.

The issue of Somali single mothers is a very thorny issue. However, in the west, the single mother phenomena is not the preserve of Somali mothers only, everyone suffers from it (some do well out of it). The “problem†if a problem it be called, is strongly linked to the environment and culture we live in. I fiercely dispute the argument that this is due to an inherent failing on the part of the Somali men. I believe it to be more to do with social conditioning (of both men and women) and societal influences. Nonetheless, it’s something that exists and is far from ideal. I’m neither a social scientist nor a psychologist; so don’t expect any statistics or theories. These are my very own opinions on the subject. I believe that many Somali men and women go into marriage without thinking about the way that union encroaches on their freedoms. They get a shock once they find out that they’re responsible for and answerable to their spouses. The thought process goes something like “ I just managed to get away from the grip of mummy and daddy, why is this woman/man trying to control me?†I also believe that the later in life you get married the higher the chances of divorces and misunderstandings. My argument being that the longer you’ve been single, the more protective of your freedom that you become. The whole thing is about responsibility and the ability to concede some ground. Some men, in order to regain some of that lost freedom, will revert to the stereotypical image of a Somali man. “I’m man of the house and what I say goesâ€. Some women, in order to regain some of that lost freedom will copy the chat show message “You’re sexist and I’m going to do what I like and see what you do nextâ€. There is also the romantic image of a single mother for women to see. A woman stuck in a marriage where she feels she’s being controlled by a megalomaniac husband, will look at the various single mothers around her and see how “free†they are and the idea of becoming a single mother herself will not sound that bad. In fact, many married women don’t see a problem with single motherhood. It’s the norm. It’s not big deal and depending on how the married woman feels at the time, she might even think, “I don’t mind being a single motherâ€. Many men on the other hand, hate the idea of a single mother. For a start, they’re there, on their own, proving that women don’t need men in order to function! Then there are the “bad†single mothers who are running around doing everything they like and want! They’re what most married men hate the most. They try to influence wives, make comments and judgments about marriages and blame every man for their own predicament! In the west, it’s a woman’s world. It’s a single mother’s world and we all have to fit in around their ways and norms. PS (This was written in a hurry).

Simply the best, Sorry to change the course of your topic, sister. But, how many sweet text messages can people come up with? Anyway, you shouldn’t read them here; it’ll ruin the surprise for you when you get them sent to your mobile. Now, back to the mobile issue. How essential is your mobile to you? Of all the people that use mobile phones, how many would seriously miss their mobiles if they were banned tomorrow? Mobile phones are anti-social. They substitute good conversation with short words (because your pay as you go is running out) or even shorter words (because it’s done in the form of txt msgs). There does not seem to be an accepted and adhered to rule when using mobile phones. In trains, buses and public places, you get people talking loudly into their mobile phones. You are forced to intrude into people’s private conversations and hear what Suzie is buying Robert for his birthday! Or what sort of underwear Casha bought from Agent Provocateur! (Both genuine conversations heard recently in a train). In addition, parents buy their young children mobile phones as gifts! What would a ten year old need a mobile phone for? Why? I don’t need to mention bullying and muggings because of these unnecessary things! Now, add to that the fact that a mobile phone is usually switched on all the time, you’ll be sitting talking with friends you have not seen for a while and having a chat about times gone by and suddenly, a mobile phone would ring! You’ll spend the next ten minutes listening to a one sided conversation that you can’t get away from! Or, you’ll be in a date whispering sweet nothings into your beloved’s ear when her mobile phone will ring and someone else will whisper into her ears instead! :mad: That was general, now to the specific. Somalis and mobile phones! In general, the Somali history with phones is not a rosy one. We have a habit of screaming into phones. We don’t speak, we shout. A Somali man or woman talking on their mobile phone in the street can be heard from three streets away (H. E. L. L. O!). Most times, the call is all about gossip and what someone did to someone else and how a third someone reacted to the whole thing, but someone is a useless so and so anyway and one should never bother talking about them, etc.. Mobile phones are common and if you’re not using them for anything important, you too are common. Yes, I am a telecom snob. So there.. :rolleyes:

^^^ That was yesterday, dear. I'm great today. Yes, I don't own a mobile phone. My wife does though (it was needed during her pregnancy just in case anything happened and she needed to get in touch with me). However, I still insist on the pointlessness of mobile phones to the majority of people.

^^^ I didn’t interpret it as an attack, saaxib. Yours sounded more like a distrustful defence (this is what I meant). My query was an innocent one (honest).

Typical Somali ministers and parliamentarians! I will deal with all the dissenters shortly. First, I’ll have to see what my real life role models are going to do with their own “rebelsâ€. PS Did any of you listen to the BBC “debate†the other day? Those two women were more vicious than any male politician!

^^^ Discussions become meaningless when your opponent is unsure or what their argument is. Wind talker has set his stall to be anti-Arab and that’s how he’s going to carry on with his argument in spite of all available evidence and overwhelming proof. This Arab hatred is worth a thread of it’s own. We need to know the roots and causes of such hatred.

Heh. Saying that it wasn't meant as an attack seems to have been wasted I suppose I'll have to take Smith's explanation.

This is not an attack on Puntland, so don’t jump the gun and treat it as such, saaxib. However, if Puntland is part of Somalia why does it need to have a “president� Wouldn’t the winner of this election be a mere governor? :confused:

I just stumbled on this thread by mistake. Been avoiding it all week long. I’ve been elected PM? I thought and thought but I fail to see the “dig†so this must be due to my great charisma and amazing persona. I hereby accept this poison chalice Mr President. MY country, MY cabinet, MY government is going to WORK! I do not condone dissension in my government. So, with this brief introduction and without further ado, here is a list of my cabinet (like it or lump it ye parliamentarians): Foreign Minster: Rudi (nobody understands what he says anyway) Chancellor (if such a thing exists) Admin (a man, or rather a baby, of not too many words so he’ll be prudent with your money) Home affairs Minster: Salafi Dacwa (we need an unreasonable man to keep people in line) Education Minster: Garab Tujiye (war war & wareer shall be our motto) Minster of Justice (Fame Fatal – the emphasis is on the second part of her name here) Minster of Stray dogs and lost cats (Nationalists – he loves nature) Minster of Women and family affairs (The one and only world renowned expert, Brigadier-Sir-High Admiral Ogi Moti) Minster of Camel well being (Sue – don’t panic, dear! The Camels don’t speak Somali) Minster of Propaganda & Trivialities (Mutakalim – He’ll make sure all our calacil makes absolute sense) Minster of Internet Cafés (Orgi) One Pound shop Minster (Bisbaaso) Minster of Defence (Wind-talker – there goes the neighbourhood) Minster of constitutional affairs (Jumatato) Minster without portfolio (Totti) Minster of information (Alle Ubahane) The rest of the ministries will be given to all the Arabic speakers in this parliament. As Prime Minster, I refuse to be dictated to. There shall be no 4.5 formula! The Arabic and Somali speakers get the lion share of the ministries, the Sujui’s have two representatives in my government and the English speakers have one. No Dutch speakers are to be admitted to this parliament (so put that dacas down Dawaco). EDIT: It’s also worth mentioning that our ambassador to Ethiopia will be non other than that great patriot, OG Girl

As a famous and bigoted British journalist (Richard Littlejohn) always says, YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP! Heh.

More like good news for United.

December 13, 2004 This whole sorry business . . . Cherry Potter Saying it is hard to do, but an honest, hearfelt public apology can transform us THE MEDIA are growing restless about “this apology disease that’s sweeping the countryâ€. What with Boris being told to apologise to the people of Liverpool and the Queen having to say sorry to the Germans for the bombing of Dresden; to the Maoris, the Aborigines and the Irish Catholics for all the bad things we did to them in colonial times — except the potato famine, for which Tony Blair has already apologised. And now, to cap it all, she’s told to say sorry for what Britain did in the slave trade. What is the point saying sorry for events that happened ages ago? Isn’t all this apologising getting mawkish and, worse still, phoney? What’s so interesting about this niggardly response to these big public apologies is how the media reaction almost exactly mirrors the uncomfortable feelings many of us have as individuals when we know we are expected to apologise. Irrespective of whether or not the apology is justified, obstinacy grabs hold of us. We just don’t want to say those three little words. What is it about apologising that has such an emotional power? I hated being told to say I was sorry when I was a child. I would do anything — sulk in my room, refuse to eat, run away from home — rather than apologise. But finally, fed-up with self-imposed exile and the effort of hating everybody, I would creep downstairs, my face burning with humiliation and spit out “I’m sorryâ€. Suddenly everyone was smiling. They felt better, I felt better and home didn’t feel such a bad place after all. For adults, the whole sorry business of saying sorry often makes us even more obstinate. Many of us can cite a relationship in our private or work life when someone did us wrong and never said they were sorry. Without an apology there can be no reconciliation, no forgiveness and no healing. Yet surely there are some wrongs that are so heinous nothing can make amends? The problem with this is the corrosive effect on all concerned. We secretly despise people who make us feel guilty and we long for vengeance against those who have wronged us. In no time we become locked into an endless cycle of vendettas. To see what a bloody mess we get into, just look at Shakespeare’s revenge tragedies, or the behaviour of the Mafia in The Godfather, or the horrific family honour killing that occurs in some parts of the Muslim world. Darwin observed that the rules about responsibility and blame were not the same across cultures. He suggested that there were “conscience cultures†and “shame culturesâ€. Western “conscience cultures†place greater emphasis on the primacy of the individual’s conscience, while Eastern “shame cultures†have a more collectivist ethos, placing paramount importance on the honour of the group and the imperative to avoid being shamed in others’ eyes. A Japanese apology must display meekness, submissiveness and humility. For the British and Americans an apology must communicate sincerity. This is why, when President Clinton apologised for his affair with Monica Lewinski, we were all glued to the TV scrutinising every nose scratch for signs that he didn’t really mean it. Some years ago I had dinner with the director of the Beijing Film Academy and his colleague, the head of film history. They told me that during the Chinese Cultural Revolution the director of the academy, a zealous young Red Guard, had forced the film historian at gunpoint to work as a slave labourer in the fields. So how come they were now working happily together? They both burst out laughing. When the Cultural Revolution ended, the Red Guards and their victims were told to forgive each other, preventing the vendettas that would otherwise tear the country apart. These two genial men made it all seem so simple. According to Professor Aaron Lazare, the author of On Apology: “All true apologies are a kind of offering intended to restore the dignity and self-respect of the offended party.†It’s not financial compensation that the victims of disasters such as the Ladbrooke Grove rail crash want, it’s an apology, which also serves as an admission of responsibility. Only this can provide the closure to enable them to move on. A model public apology was the address to the Native American People made by Kevin Gover, the US Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs: “And so today I stand before you as the leader of an institution that in the past has committed acts so terrible that they infect, diminish, and destroy the lives of Indian people decades later, generations later . . . When we think of these misdeeds and their tragic consequences, our hearts break . . . We desperately wish that we could change this history, but of course we cannot. On behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, I extend this formal apology to Indian people for the historical conduct of this agency.†Not only is this apology almost unbearably moving, it is also remarkable in its acknowledgement that “terrible acts†continue to diminish lives even many generations later. Finally, although sincerity and empathy are wonderful attributes, I wonder if they really are the crucial elements that enable an apology to transform a situation. I am thinking of myself as that reluctant child who apologised with such bad grace. There wasn’t much sincerity in my apology. I was too suffused with the shame and humiliation of having to say I was sorry to empathise with my victims. It was the transformative effect of the apology that was so magical. Like removing a blockage, which allows stagnant water to run clear again, it’s the apology itself that enables us to feel empathy and compassion and things such as liking other people and even liking ourselves. Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions . Please read our Privacy Policy . To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website . I read this article on my way to work this morning and it got me to think about the word “Sorry†and the different way it applies to different cultures. How would it apply to us Somalis? Would a “sorry†by our heroic warlords do the trick for example? Do we ever take notice of apologies? Times On Line

^^^ ma hubta?

^^^ get over yourself, saaxib. IT WAS A JOKE! arr ma shaah bila sonkor bad maanta ku qoraacatay, saaxib? Sorry, sorry. I'll leave you to it.

Heh. Nothing to do with being a luaddite! It’s more a case of disliking mobile phones, any time and any place. What do you use your mobile phone for? Do you really think the vast majority of people who own mobile phones really need them? Why? :confused:

Just playing it by ear, dear