Yep, Joesph's adage becomes very relevant at times such as these. I think, was it a day- after the VirginiaTech killings, more than 150 people lost their lives in yet another utterly mindless attack in that city of death, Baghdad. But this has been relegated to a statistic, since we have become used to a thousand a week dead in baghdad.

We need to find a dedicated Somali hacker to sort out this Somaligate.

you keep editing eh to throw me off. Have confidence in what you write saaxib. Because you deleted your reply and edited, I shall mind as well to be fair I simply included another quote of yours to my post.

The whole world functions based on colonial border. If the country that claims to be strongest nation of the world has been colonized, almost every nations experienced some period of colonial dominations. If that was the case the Arab countries have no right to to be seperate entities and the fact that they are seperate thought they share same values is immoral, No? I have not the time to spare to dissect your weak arguments, but i'll reply this paragraph of yours. If you read again my paragraph to which you attempted to dispute i commented that 'It is ethnically amoral for one clan to adopt colonial borders signifying British territory in the North- as their own natural borders. 'The whole world' didnt experience the same level of unreasonability when it came to the drawing up of borders by the appropriate colonial powers- as Africa did, this well known phenomenon continues to fuel contention all over the continent. So you see it is non-sensical for one clan to claim territories inhabited by many other clans, simply because they are the majority. Morever, you made the assertion, 'Hargeysa was never' solely populated by 1 clan. My prove has to be simply because I am from there, lived there from generations to generations, is that good enough for you? No.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Somaliland' was never the sole habitat of 'Somalilanders'. Virtually all tribes were represented significantly in Hargeisa before the civil war; another reason why Somalilanders have no right to permanently secede. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somaliland was always resided by the majority of one tribe. However as a result of '77 war displacement the city of Hargeysa saw many somali migrants from Somali galbeed who settled there. Other than the city had always been a city dominated by one tribe, though even today there are large group of people from all areas of Somaliland who reside there, yet they are with the cause of Somaliland. BTW...never use the term 'never' specially without being sure of being right, you aren't. This doesnt make sense. You have not refuted my claim that 'Somaliland' was never the sole habitat of 'Somalilanders'. In fact you ramble on about how some people have migrated their. So i dont understand where this example of your usual idiosyncratic side comments comes from BTW...never use the term 'never' specially without being sure of being right, you aren't. as you havent succesfully replied to this claim. Hargeisa was never solely populated by the 'dominant' clan. (I will give you another go)Can you prove other wise? However, if Somaliland bashing becomes our favorite subject, without nothing good or postive to say, then by all means that motivates I and other Somalilanders to even wonder why even entertain the idea to consider a unity with such God forsaken beings. So you wish soft words and to be sweet talked into a union- like some coy bride?

The answer to the second one: the man is wearing a black hat. He reasoned that the first man can see both men in front of him. If they were both wearing white hats, that man would've guessed right away that he must be wearing a black hat. Since he doesn't call out right away, the men in front of him must be wearing two black hats or one is wearing a black hat and the other is wearing a white hat. The middle man would also know this. If he can see that the man in front of him is wearing a white hat, he would know that he himself must be wearing a black hat. Since he says nothing, he must be looking at a black hat (and isn't sure which one he's wearing himself). well done Cara , unless i'm very much mistaken you've solved it.

As Farah-Brown said, who's going to stop them to do so? well, no one can. Xiin, dont you understand that in democracy 'power belongs to people.' It was Somalilanders who decided to unite with the rest of Somalia in the 60s. That was not a forced union, remember. Therefore, don't you think they have the moral right to secede from the union for whatever reason. I know those of you who do not shy away from the silly phrase that 'Somaliland people cannot decide to secede' are such those who cannot even agree on what government they want to have in Somalia. It is such kind of attitude that have destroyed the country and silenced many Somalis who could have made Somalia a better place to live in. My advice to you is to forget about Somaliland, and think about the mothers and children of your country, Somalia, who constantly live in fear and hunger. Roobleh, i know those who do not shy away from the silly phrase 'We joined on our own accord, now we can leave'. It isnt that simple. Somalilanders never purposefully seperated themselves from the rest of Somalia in the first instant. It was a consequence of the machinations of the Colonialism which resulted in the formation of 'Somaliland'. And neither was it a sovereign nation during colonisation (before 1960), merely a British protectorate. It was never in any way or form a nation on its own back in the days of British Colonial rule. Now like Xiin said, it is quite ethnically amoral(and in my opinion fantastically presumptious) for one clan to claim borders drawn up by some Lawyer in London to manifest British 'territory' as their natural borders and seek permanent secession. 'Somaliland' was never the sole habitat of 'Somalilanders'. Virtually all tribes were represented significantly in Hargeisa before the civil war; another reason why Somalilanders have no right to permanently secede. In 1960, 'Somalilanders' were amongst the loudest voices calling for the realisation of the dream; Somaliweyn. Somaliland did not join Italian Somaliland reluctantly, in fact the reason why the British protectorate sought Independence was to re unite with the rest of the country, for all clans understood (and i believe continue to understand) the importance of unity. Hopefully sometime i can get around to starting a thread in the Debate section on Somaliland, where we can properly scrutinise the 'justifications' of Somalilanders for an independant sovereign nation.

haha @ Utensils

Culimada Saxiixday: Sh. Shariif C/nuur Shariif Xasan .... He's the first on the list.

I totally agree, Xiin. Because Markii ugu horeysa taariikhda casriga ee Soomaaliya ayaa culumaa’udiinka Soomaaliyeed waxa ay mowqif mideysan ka qaateen xaalada dalka Soomaaliya I think one should never underestimate the power of our Muslim clergy. Especially since i expect this message to be relayed (directly or indirectly) by every Somali sheikh within the country and in the Diaspora. They have positioned themselves at the helm of the anti TFG movement, and as a respected and trusted (again the fact that virtually every clan is represented is very signifcant here) it has given real validity , and more importantly religious prerogative to the anti TFG camp. I think it is for the TFG to make the next move. And if it isnt a conciliatory one, may Allah help the innocent yet to be caught in the ensuing crossfire.

theological validity The key word, yaa Xiin. It is hard to predict how comprehensive the repercussions of this message are going to be. But one thing it will definately result in, many Somalis who have previously been sitting on the fence with regards to the validity of the TFG and its actions, will now heed the call of the respected ( additional respect as a direct result of the uniformity of the message with regards to qabiil) religious establishement (amply represented by these prominant sheikhs from both Somalia and the Diaspora) and permanently join the anti TFG camp. E: Of course one has to remember this is not an open attack on the TFG per se, but a stark and damning comdemnation of their inclusion of Ethiopia with Somali affairs. If the TFG can rid itself of the Ethiopians then negotiations may still be possible. As it stands, the TFG are in extremely hot water with the religious leaders of the nation and the majority of Somalis.

lol, i've changed my question to an assertion.

Waxaa kale oo ay culimada Soomaalida ay sheegeen in qofkii dhinta isaga oo ku jira safka ciidanka Itoobiya aysan wax shaki ku jirin inuu naarta galayo sida diinta islaamka ay noo sheegtay. .. isla markaana waxaa ay sheegeen inaan loo baahneen inuu salaad iyo soon isku daaliyo oo muslinimo been ah uu afka ka sheegto qof ka baxay diinta islaamka oo la saf noqdey gaaloj ku kufrisay ilaah S.W. iyo nabigiisii maxamed ahaa N.N.N.K.H.A. These parts of the statement are crucial, like Para said they leave no middle ground for Somali combatants. This has the potential to cause mass mutinies within TFG ranks.

Well Xiin, i saw him two weeks ago, he was attending the Diaspora conference in Leicester, and he never said anything so i'll stay, thank you very much Para, although i am no expert on Culamaa rankings and the sort, i recognise several very significant names (including the senior members of the ICU, as you can see). Another thing is that the list compromises of sheikhs from virtually every clan, this bears additional political importance, and gives this message extra leverage among the populace. How authoritative this missive is can only realistically be measured by the subsequent actions it induces on the ground, but it has all the potential of creating a much, much larger insurgency. All out war? We can but watch, ultimately i doubt two score sheiks can induce a full scale war.

Shid! Mine uncle is on there! This is a very powerful statement made by the Culamaa, making their position in the current mess that is Somali politics quite clear indeed. A symbolic green light for thousands of additional fighters to enter the fray.

Police have named a student who shot dead at least 30 people at a US university as Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year-old from South Korea. .. BBC

At least 31 people have been killed and 10 injured after a gunman went on the rampage at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia, US. Police say there were two separate shooting incidents - at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a student dormitory, and Norris Hall, an engineering building... BBC

Yes Para, i'm very fond of Monty Python Ms D&D (i'll refrain from calling you double D or DD ) Life of Brian was hilarious, although painful to watch at times since it was riddled with blasphemies. Here's a few of the best scenes: Bigguss.. jehovah People's front of Judea

^^lol, i was actually watching that Monty Python clip yesterday.

lol@Violet. Now you have but your 'arch enemy' Mystic left to get rid of..

^^lets hope ppl in Somalia dont discover the latest rage in Afghanistan

wow Cyn, you didnt seem like an ancient history lover . You are correct It is your turn.

Yes, this conference finished hours ago in the Stamford Halls of the University of Leicester. It was well attended, someone i know who was there told me there were around 200 people there. It is indeed a strong message but it remains to be seen whether any attention will be paid to it by those who are controlling the going ons in Somalia. Apparently Caddow was there, although i do not know whom were the representatives from the TFG. At one point there was quite a debate on how big a role religion should have in the governing of the state. But that is an issue which can wait at present, first lets get rid of the invaders.

Thanks Nom who said: A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

'What can my enemies possibly do to me? My paradise is in my heart; wherever I go it goes with me, inseparabble from me. For me, prison is a place of (religious) retreat; execution is my opportunity for martydom; and exile from my town is but a chance to travel.' What an excellent quote! I havent had a chance to learn a lot about Ibn Taymiyyah, but i do know a considerable amount more about the Prophet (saw) and his Companions, and that Nom is a famous quote of Ali's. Ps. next time emboldenyour quote, will you?