I don't think it's a case of losing hope. Simply banning something doesn't always solve the problem. The classic example is the prohibtion of alcohol in America, which only drove it underground and encouraged the growth of gangsters. Khat is illegal today in America and various other states, but it is still easily smuggled and sold for relatively high prices. This means not only are people paying high prices for the drug; they are taking high risks such as the risk of a jail sentences; and it also creates a culture of myth and the factor of the unknown to the youngsters. Thus, I don't think there is a great deal of evidence to show that banning khat would dramatically increase the negative effects it has on the Somali community. The Islamic Courts Union banned khat and it was reported in some towns that women were happy as there husbands started becoming proactive and working for the first time. But in other cases many people became angered as the khat was one of their only means of earning a living. Also some people flocked to other cities in Southern Somalia once certain days to escape the ban of the Islamic Courts. Khat is a multi millin dollar, on which many poor people earn a living, either through the sale or growth of it in Kenya and Ethiopia. Therefore, taking such a harsh measure requires a great deal of resources, planning and intelligence. Perhaps creating more avenues and projects for Somali youth to stay away from chewing would be more effective? or exposing the negative effects of khat through the use of dramatic pictures and videos of it's symptons?

marc, this video was about the Islamic Courts and what type of system you would like for Somalia, right? You would like a democratic, secular Somalia that is still bound by the Islamic ideals and culture of the people? But not one of millitant secularism like we had from the 1960s which attacks the tenants of the Islamic religion? But I didn't catch anything or an explanation about the "threat of Islamisation" in Somalia in your video, maybe I missed something?

Originally posted by umu zakaria: cuduradaas maxaa ka mida? buufis, maseyr, shaqolaan, tb.... bordedom?

I wuld to live to say @ a kfc joint...don't tell me you take aknife fork in your hand bag he he...

It seems like your saying that there is a shortage of "practising Somali men", and there was me thinking that the alien creatures known as surwaalgaabs, seef la boods, ikhwans and gadeerayaal were taking over Somali society?

Eduardo Da Silva: the Robbie Fowler with speed!

wlc to the forum Abdi Jamac i mean Marc..

Originally posted by Geel_jire: , nomads are everywhere. in my time there i met 1 somali guy, who was passing through .. shame i couldn't speak decent somali. WHat kind of geel jire is that? Maybe a change of name wouldn't go amiss, let the rightful geeljire of the forum take his name

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: I guess CNN network made some sense when it used the word "idolized". Subhanalah. These "status-worshipping" Pakistani masaakiins are truely victims of hype and the media. Niman waaweeyn oo dariigyada ku ooyaya dhareerna ka da'ayo. These are the times you truly appreciate being a Somali. None of that jiljileec crap. I am hearing her son was "chosen by his dead mother" to lead the PPP party. loool. What a load of nonsense! I am sure there are many intelligent, capable party members who would do a great job if given the chance to lead. But then again Bhutto was all about Bhutto's interest. This latest move is all the proof you need. Dee saxiib, sum ppl don't understand, she was what we Somalis would call the clan elders of her region. This is all about everyone representing their various district slash tribe. That's why those grown men were shedding tears not for democracy or Pakistan.Only Somalis would never change the name of their son the bear the same surname of his mother. I feel sorry for the young lad though....... But I guess he is the new Garaad of the dynasty, which will lead the democratic nation of Pakistan.

This is a good site if you want a to listen to his lectures. Although I dont agree with many things he says on current issues, i hear that his in depth series on hereafter and the ashaba are clearly good. http://nadeem.lightuponlight.com/indexaudios1.html#Anwar_Al-Awlaki I see that some ppl are trying are trying to abuse the good name of Ulema like Imam Anwar. For example in the link Khalaf provided some person took it upon themselves to write: quote: Salahuddin Ayyubi(rahimahullah) started out by uniting the Muslims around the Holy Land and he decided to do what many of the Ameer`s before him were too afraid to do and that was to start a war with the Crusaders. The Crusaders had occupied the entire coastal land along with Jerusalem and some important areas and al-Shaam And quote: quote They might be in jail, they might be killed, they might be underground or they might not be famous because no television station will broadcast their Khutbah but they are `Ulema. quote:In the video: Sheikh Ahmed Yasin Sheikh Abdullah Azzam Sheikh Nabeel Al Awady Sheikh Abdul Majid Al Zindani Sheikh Musa Al Qarni Sheikh Yousef Al Qaradawi Sheikh Feiz Muhammed Sheikh Ali Al Tamimi Sheikh Abu Hamza Al Masri Sheikh Omar Bakri Sheikh Anwar Al Awlaki Sheikh Khalid Al Rashid Sheikh Abu Bakr Bashir I think it is actually disgraceful that they mentioned ppl like Abu Hamza and the former leader of AlMujahiroun in the same breathe/sentence as the heavyweight of the Ummah sheikh Abdullah Azzam. There is a great difference between the ideology of Abdullah Azzam which never Ever called for the targeting of innoncent civilians and the the fighting of peaceful secular Muslim governments, unlike the modern day ppl that follow Osama Bin Laden and claim the one can target all Western civilians. Indeed, there is a great difference between the methodology of Imam Anwar and some of the people in that list. Imam Anwar was always against and condemned attacks against American civilians, which the current Almujahiroun leader referred to as the act of the "magnicifent 19". Many young muslims are being confused into believing that the manhaj of Alqaeda is the one that Abdullah Azzam followed, which is very far from the case...

Has that beeen a success in places like America and other places were it's banned? I saw Somalis chewing regularly in Denmark, even though it was illegal and some of them come to the U.K over the summer so they can have a big time Murqaan. neway wlc 2 da forum

Originally posted by Caamir: The government says that a flying sunroof lever caused her death after the explosion as confirmed by the subsequent investigation of the cause of her death. The investigation concluded that there was no traceable object of a bullet found in her neck or chest, so there was no mark of injury in her body. Personally, I assume the suicide bomber fired shots to either hit her or disperse the overly crowded public surrounding her armored car and get a quick access to her spatial sunroof where her torso protruded so closely that there is 100% probability that the explosion would consume the suicide bomber and Benazir Bhutto. Surprisingly, neither political analysts nor anyone else has thought over this possible scenario. According to the video footage the suicide bomber and the sniper are different people. The former is supposedly the guy with traditional dress and the latter is the shady guy character in the dark clothing. Apparently, the second guy fired shots and couple of seconds later the other blew himself up. This doesn't make sense one would think that there was a distinct possibly that the suicide bomber could blow apar the assasin. Anyway, the suicide bomber( if there was one) didn't killer her, she died from two hits to the ahead by the sniper, which bares the hallmarks of a profesional assisination....

They said he was apparently training some Danish.converts and smuggling weapons to the Islamic Courts, which was convenient givent that he teaching/studying in Yemen. Of course the whole thing was probably organised by the Yemeni security forces.

Did ne1 read the question of this thread?

Maybe bleach wuld work on them?

An Answer to an Important Question Surrounding Butto’s Death: Ust. Hossam Al-Jabri AA In reference to the article written by Br Ibrahim Ramey on the terrible news of the Killing of Benazir Bhutto http://iamramey.blogspot.com/2007/12/assassination-of-former-prime-minister.html A dear young brother posed the question below salam alikom bro hussam how is butto’s murder a terrible day for islam akhi she is a liberal secularist that called for wester style democracy and could not even speak urdu and did not practice islam and u can ask pakistany brothers if u dont believe me hope all is well with u salam alikom A.h. Salamu aliukum akhi al habib: Jazakah allah khairan for your question. This is a legitimate question that should be asked, and can indeed be confusing to the youth. I would like to share with you some thoughts about this. The killing of B.B. is a terrible tragedy that should be treated as such for multiple reasons. I will mention the following : - Islam flourishes and prospers much more in a democracy as compared to an oppressive regime. The “democracy” that is mentioned in your email is a system where Islam may be able to flourish much more than compared to a oppressive dictatorial military regime. I do not want to get into Pakistani politics, nor is this my intention. But at some basic level, the prophet PBUH asked the Meccas to “khalou bayni wa bayna al-nas” : that is “leave me to take my message to the people”. In a democracy, Muslims would be more capable of taking the message of Allah SWT to the people, and then the people would decide in accepting the message, and maybe even being ruled by Sharia and by Islam. In an oppressive military regime the people have no voice, and Islam will have no voice. The prophet PBUH went to Madina after he was invited and people asked for the prophet to come. Life is not all black or all white. The system in Ethiopia was much better than the system in Mecca, and therefore the prophet asked the people to migrate to Ethiopia. Remember, in the absence of the “ideal” we have to work with what we have. - More importantly, Islam is wholly against such acts as killing innocent people, without any right, irrespective of their religion, or Islamic practice. It is mandatory to make this fact known because of two reasons: - Internally it is a shame that some Muslims believe that they can take the law into their own hands and kill others because they differ with them. There are books that can be written about this, but suffice to say the following : the community of the prophet had KNOWN hypocrites. It had individuals who spread rumors about the honor of the wife of the prophet; it had people who accused the prophet of blasphemous things. Allah told the prophet about these hypocrites. How many hypocrites did the prophet kill? - Externally, the situation is as dangerous because of the following: Islam is being accused (wrongly) of causing these killings or other terror around the world. The people who are spreading this perception hate Islam and Muslims, and use the ignorance of some Muslims, and the media machines in order to promote that Islam is a hateful religion. This is serious since it greatly restricts out ability to take the message of Allah to many people. We have to ensure that people realize he truth about Islam as a peaceful religion. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Islam is “if someone slaps you in the cheek turn the other cheek”, nor am I saying that there is never cause for “Jihad” in Islam. You know me better. But what I am saying is that the killing of BB and tother similar murders are far far away from any thing Islamic. Islam is a peaceful religion, and uses Jihad only as a last resort to ensure Justice on earth. Even then, there are ample guidance on how and when and who engages in Jihad in order to be within the boundaries of Allah. - Furthermore, the fact that BB was “did not practice Islam” does not mean that it is wrong to be sad for her death. I may oppose her positions on many things vehemently, but, because of the points mentioned above, would still be sad and angry for her killing. This has roots in Islam. The simplistic understanding of Islam that tries to capture all actions in simple black and white may be appropriate for elementary school, but not for real life, within the fold of Islam. I will mention something to you. Would you ever imagine that a pious person would be truly sad for the death of an unbelieving Muskrik who worships the pagan idols? What if I told you that one of the saddest time in the life of our prophet was the death of such a person, who, in addition to his pagan beliefs, had supported Islam and Muslims. This is the uncle of the prophet Abou Taleb. Now, who do you think may fare better in the Day of Judgement: Abou Taleb or BB. Please do not answer this question, because it is neither for me nor you, but for Allah SWT to answer. But at least BB prayed a couple of Rakas at some point in her life. The serious point that I am making is that our youth must understand Islam as a package, and not be tempted by the simplistic all black or all white answers. There are many variables that need to be understood before a position is taken. Discussion and dialog about these points is something that is useful, and we should engage in them. I appreciate that you posed the question, and indeed posed it in a most appropriate manner.

During the nine-year period of parliamentary democracy that followed Somali independence, freedom of expression was widely regarded as being derived from the traditional right of every man to be heard. The national ideal professed by Somalis was one of political and legal equality in which historical Somali values and acquired Western practices appeared to coincide. Politics was viewed as a realm not limited to one profession, clan, or class, but open to all male members of society. The role of women, however, was more limited. Women had voted in Italian Somaliland since the municipal elections in 1958. In May 1963, by an assembly margin of 52 to 42, suffrage was extended to women in former British Somaliland as well. Politics was at once the Somalis' most practiced art and favorite sport. During the nine-year period of parliamentary democracy that followed Somali independence, freedom of expression was widely regarded as being derived from the traditional right of every man to be heard. The national ideal professed by Somalis was one of political and legal equality in which historical Somali values and acquired Western practices appeared to coincide. Politics was viewed as a realm not limited to one profession, clan, or class, but open to all male members of society. The role of women, however, was more limited. Women had voted in Italian Somaliland since the municipal elections in 1958. In May 1963, by an assembly margin of 52 to 42, suffrage was extended to women in former British Somaliland as well. Politics was at once the Somalis' most practiced art and favorite sport. The most desired possession of most nomads was a radio, which was used to keep informed on political news. The level of political participation often surpassed that in many Western democracies. The level of political participation often surpassed that in many Western democracies

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2233234,00.html

I dont particularly like to going around in circles, so good day.

quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cageprisoners has confirmed that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has been released from prison in Yemen. “The time I spent in detention was a great blessing from Allah. They were moments of contemplation and study which I was greatly in need of. Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed me during that time of solitude with tranquility and peace to the extent that at most of the time I was preferring detention over freedom. Now that I am free I ask Allah to enable me to thank Him for his blessings. “I am greatly moved to know that many of my brothers and sisters have been asking about my situation and praying for my release. I thank them all. May Allah reward all of you with Paradise.” Mashallah!

But Islam doesn't allow suspicion and guesswork. It doesn't matter if you think someone is a questionable charachter, if you no daleel for it. If you have evidence they are saying something contrary to the principles of Islam, then the burden is on you to prove it! Everytime you see a Sheikh speak are you going to question his earning and analyse where he gets his wages from? Are you going to go to every mosques and ask before you enter, " hey Sheikh where do do get you do from"? As they say attack the message not the messenger! ps. I don't follow the Salafi or wahabi as you would call it manhaj. I don't particularly follow the Sheikhs in that video. But they said thing interesting in 1997, which is of particular importance today, given the circumstances in Somalia. What they earn or were they sought refuge in, isn't paticularly important to that issue.

It's looking like she was assisinated straight out. I have never heard of a suicice bomber pulling out a pistol and then carrying out his mission. Suppose security spots him and aims shots at him staright away? Or was he just making sure. I mean if you have explosives it's more then likely that the bloody thing will go off. Plus the government is shooting itself in the foot saying that she died accidentally by banging her head on the floor. Some are calling for the body to be rexamined....

1997? I think so....

How they earn their income isn't particularly important here, but seeing as you are so interested, perhaps you can research if for us? They are refugees, Sheikhs who are doing a vital job in giving dacwah to their community in the West. If all the Somalis Sheikhs left the West, who would give dacwah in Somali to the masses? As for the Surah concerning Awliyah, they are talking completely different. They are talking about the Islamic Xukum on the people who lead an non Muslim force to invade their county that declared war on Shariah such as Zenawi in this case. Perhaps in your understanding there is a different xukum on such a person?