Assalamu calaykum, MMA, the qeybdid case has finally made me realize that somaliweyn, prosperous, "we are all muslims" is an illusion. I live in Sweden and this week our already bad image (somalis are viewed as losers, primitive, welfare cheaters; dozens of thesis have been written about us !) has been damaged. When I heard the news in the earlier hours of monday morning, I thought somalinimo was about to be reborn. After all my new adopted country sweden has finally dared to do what Great Britain, Kenya , the us could not do. A somali warlord we were told was arrested for crimes against humanity. This warlord was according to the newspaper part of the delegation to a workshop on developing countries arranged by Forum Syd (the southern forum) and SIDA. Liberal newspapers questioned how a warlord could be given a visa and how Swedish taxpayers paid for the trip. The same day many tribal websites disected the news using tribal lenses: To some he was a hero ; to others a vilian. Aftonbladet the daily that broke the news interviewed a somali who said he was second cousin to one the boys seen on the video. This dude said he did not witness Qeybid in action but he has obtained the video. He also claimed that one of the boy's brother lived in sweden and that he was too afraid to press charges. The same day there was a segment on the evening news, from the Riksdag (parliament house) where an MP was questioned on why they invited the warlord. She said there was no official invitation and that the swedish parliament welcomes any delegation- hence the sharif's delegation is welcome to visit. In the somali inhabited ghetos of Rinkeby in Stockholm and Gothenburg tribalism was in full motion. All of a sudden there was no middle way. You either supported the detention of qeybdid because he participated in massacres against your tribe in 1991 or Called for his release because he was a hero who freed your people from bondage! I went to stockholm and witnessed a fist fight between two groups. I was almost certain that these tribalists had brought their sick tribal agenda to the peaceful streets of Stockholm. I could hear them say that were were leaving competing petitions to the government! These tribalists have never studied the basic tennents of swedish civics. They did not know that the detention is a matter for the judicial systems of sweden. On thursday evening viewers of the 6th oclock news were treated to women and men demonstrating infront of the police station in Gothenburg. and just before 7 oclock the hero/murderer (depending on which side you are on) was freed. My analysis: Negative: 1) Tribalism is something that is still the unit of analysis- Despite the talk of reconciliation, we are back to square one. 2) There would be no strong-muslim somalia during my lifetime (we should let our dreams evaporate). How could a good muslim during this month of ramadan embrace tribalism? Positive 1) Warlords are warned. they could be detained if they visit sweden (albeit for four days)

Maskin, Waan gartay saaxib. I hope this warlord is sentenced to 100 years ( he is getting judicial treatment which he did not accord his victims). but my guess is that Qeybib would be freed. Although swedish law calls for the detention and trials of suspected war criminals, it differentiates against 1) Crimes committed against swedish citizens/properties 2) Crimes against third parties In the former the matter is for the legal courts; a prosecuter decides whether or not to prosecute. In the latter, it is the government that decides. I think the swedish government does not want to be seen as one that threatens the peace process in Somalia (As someone called Ibbi said here in sweden yesterday). Sweden has about 3000 rejected asylum seekers it wants to send back to. It has through various somali organizations, regions and warlords set in motion a repatriation project. and it does not want to jeopardize this for the sake of maryooleys.

Maskin, Sharif is not a warlord. He has never killed anyone. I think misunderstanding (his critics are driven by tribalism, so are his supporters), a vicious campaign (read the many websites that condemn him and those that praise him) and the somali power greed (the sharif is not immune) has contributed to sharif becoming a hate figure. The daily newspaper that broke the news yesterday had an article on the somali man who reported the matter to the police. There is an alleged video where two teenage boys (one is Amaan something) are questioned by Qeybdid's forces: Interrogator: what is your tribe? Boy: I am a muslim and the boys are killed. I have seen a similar video with Morgan and one or two other warlords- and I hope that is brought to the attention of the authorities. The only problem is that these warlords would be deterred from coming to Sweden. Many somalis would never experience the humiliation of warlords. Qeybdid, remains in a cell in Gothenburg- he has denied the charges and will never want to talk unless he is told the tribe of the intepreter!

Sky, Abdullahi Yusuf, Hussein Aidid, Suudi, Morgan, barre Hiraale and a few generals and colonels are indicted in Sweden. The arrest of this warlord would make it harder for the warlord president and his warlord cabinet to visit Sweden.

Last year the Swedish government passed a law that allows for the capture of suspected warlords in Sweden. Prior to that warlords could come and go and the swedish government's power was limited to refusing entry visa or cancelling it. Anyway, last night at 02:42 a somali man named Abdi Qaybdid , 57 years was arrested at a hotel in Lund, southern Sweden and taken to Gothenburg for questioning. He was a member of the somali delegation to a workshop on somalia. I have been waiting for the big fishes to come to sweden and excercise this right! This move might make them stay away from Sweden! Yusuf, Hirale, Aydid, Sudi, Qanyare and shati would never visit sweden- how sad!!!! Neither would generals, colonels from the Siad Barre era now that anyone could report them to the police station and get them arrested. But, I think somalis being very innovative would come with an innovative idea- change names, ages etc. As to Qaybid I think he would be released. But humiliated.

Assalamu calaykum, Alpha Geeljire, I think Viking gave you an appropiate answer as regards what islam says about clanism. Our great religion should not be misintepreted. Many tribalists cite the surah that Viking quoted to enhance hatred- to make sure that tribalism becomes the only unit of analysis and to make sure tribalism becomes embedded in our socio-cultural lives. The somali tribalism lacks academic nurture (some of the so called linkage could be easily rebuffed by kids as young as 5), it has no support in islam (because according to our faith, the muslim nation is colourless, it is disadvantages outweigh its benefits) and it is against what common sense dictates: How on earth would a person in his own mind become a slave to the notion that he/she shares linkage with someone else- based solely on narrations? I am not imposing my approach on you or anyone. This is how I see it. Denouncing something (specially something like tribalism which has become to colour our way of thinking) is emancipation from a normen culture that spans in all walks of somali life. From my perspective, it was easy. I was born in the NFD where my people (somalis) were persecuted because they were simply somalis. I called everyone somali speaking elder adeer. My parents never told me the tribe I belonged to. I was simply a somali. In the eyes of the kenyan colonial rulers, being a somali entitled punishment. For a somali it related to a common bond-unbreakable. It was first in somalia when I was young that I was told I belonged to X tribe. I was sceptical from the onset. It relayed nothing new to my interaction with somalis. I left somalia before the civil war and came to the west. During all these years my tribe never did anything usefull to my well being: Indeed the swedes did more benefits to my well being than what my somali tribe did for me. I live in an area that is not populated by many somalis. I have studied, did some research (layman), constantly lacked answers to my swedish friends on the logic of tribalism (the usual it is a societal functioning insurance) went out of gas- just the geeljire boasting some of us are guilt of). My only connection to my "Tribe" was when a crazy war mongering dude, a so called elder inept on doing harming against fellow muslims called me and asked me for resources. I have never paid a cent. The irony is that I have never met these people. We have little in common. How can I, a so called somali sijui suddenly become united with one from ethiopia or mogadishu- or mudug? This defies all logics- and rationality. Hitherto, I made a decision to denounce my tribe. I have never felt such a pride in my life. This approach gave me the right to be critical, the right to speak as an independent human being with the power to think- the right to worship ALLAh- the right to say what is on my mind- the right to leave the collective shell of thoughts emboided in the minds of tribalists.

Assalamu calaykum, My catch on this issue is this: whether we come from Arabia, Ethiopia, Srilanka or Australia (I saw one somali claiming to be an Australian aborigin!), we are united by a common bond (language, geography, culture, religion and to some extent neccessity). I don't buy the tribalistic abtiris. I have denounced my so called tribe- I have come to the conclusion that its foundation is the same as that one of St Clause (father christmas). I believe in only one unit of belongness- islam. all other things are based on lies and a distortion of history.

Assalamu calaykum, Too often we are given distorted pictures of what is happening in somalia. It is common that villages become cities, warlords become saints,and before you know it, somalia becomes a breadbasket that contains everything that is promised in heaven. I must say that I rarely follow the news as regards to what is happening in somalia. My last visit a few years back was filled with anger- the somalia that many tribesmen, clan leaders, pseudointellectuals driven by tribalism subjected our eyes to (on websites, fadhi ku dirir areas and various modes of communication) was not the one that I saw. From Beledxaawo, Mogadishu, Berbera, Laasanod, Baydhabo and galkacyo, I found then that development is in the eyes of the beholder. Those tribally minded somalis were quick to point out that there was progress. My own impartial observation was that things have never been this bad. This evening after afur , I watched this video. It is the first (impartial- if there is anything called impartiality) report from Somalia the last few days. I had earlier watched David Chater's bulletin from Mogadishu- where he acquired somali citizenship- the shanty towns in mogadishu, the degree of law and order -etc A statement that caught my ear was when the narrator says "SOMALIS are masters of their own destruction". The picture that emerges is that somalia is again on the brink of another uncivil war. May Allah help our nation. http://www.hiiraan.org/2005/oct/sbs_visit.html Watch the video and make your mind.

Assalamu calaykum, Gentlemen thanks for the reflections. Uchi, LOL. I do tend to agree with you. Blv me bro, I have travelled to many cities on this earth and the picture I see is that tribalism is ripe in the diaspora. General duke, bro, it is disgusting how we are subjected to read what the somalimedia on the Internet writes: Daynile, Garoowe, Midnimo, hobyo, allpuntland etcetc are tribal voices. To be honest with you, I see these websites are prolongers of the sufferings of our people: They are tribally run, their news is the fadhi ku dirir type.- hence my condemnation. You mentioned giving a "holistic" picture. I hate to disagree: they give particularised, tribally inflating, hate mongering news that discards any holistic approach. Before writing this topic, I met my supervisor at the university over lunch. We discussed as always matters pertaining toAfrica,. He is a staunch supporter of africa in every sense. He asked me to give him the names of websites where he could read about somalia/somalis. Naturally, I gave him SOL and a few other websites. He reported that he really enjoyed reading some sections but all in all he found that somali politics is tribal politics. He asserted that "somalis would never get anywhere if there are no people to question the very fabrics (tribalism) that has been the cancer of our society. Viking. As usual you make some good points. Somalis hate to read the truth. Ska du vara i stockholm någon gång i slutet av detta år? I så fall tänker jag bjuda dig på min disputation. Maskiin, macruuf akhyaar. How could we change this silly system? It seems that so called intellectuals, wadaads and waranles nourish this sick classifications? Raqid , 40????? I can only count 12 and blv it or not come 13 I am a biological relative of nabi maxamed (SAW). When I realized this LIE (It is pure fabrication), I confronted some proponents and learned that this was a socio-cultural constructions that carries alot of religious weights: firstly, claiming some kind of biological bond with the prophet ensured security and commanded respect: Second, it was the norm (every somali clan claims some kind of lineage). Xoogsade LOL. The great sayid used the arab card maybe to solicit support against the gaalos.

Assalamu calaykum, It is tiresome, boring and sometimes insulting to our intelligence as people to read copy and paste tribal propaganda posted on websites run by the lowest of the low. I read this article on Hiiranonline by Bahal and wanted to ask whether his analysis could also apply to the political section:http://www.hiiraan.org/2005/sept/op/Nur_Hersi_Bahal270905.htm

Baashi, akhi mahadsanid. Beryahaan meesha waa yara cidlo ee waa sidee? Zeylaci, akhi if you are a student of economics/sociology you may find some interesting perspectives on poverty in Gunnar Myrdal's writings (The american dilema, negro problems, Asian dilemma and the problems of underdeveloped nations). Jamaal, maandeeq mar dhow baay curani hadduu eebe idmo.

Assalamu calaykum, OO moowluucaan yaa soo faagey? I started this thread some time back and exactly as many of you put it my purpose was to ask what constitutes intellectual ala the somali way. Alle-u baahane , akhi nabi maxamed (SAW) wuu ka sareeyaa wax aan maanta ugu yeerno aqoonyahan. Thank you for the replies and may I wish you ramadaan kariim

Assalamu calaykum, Ducada ma xume oo waa wanaag loo baahanyahay. Laakin Malag imaadey maro ma reebtaa?

Zaylici, akhi It is true that poverty does not cause war (even though history is full of wars fought due to scarcity of resources). What I am attempting to say is that an analysis of the root cause of our problems should include the role of urbanisation and the creation of alternative sources of income ; e.g. how our society has been tranformed from farming/pastoralism to urban life; How "power" embedded in "cash" rewards has corrupted the minds of somalis. The roots of the civil war was not the lack of education but it was a process that had cummulative causations: tribalism, nepotism, lack of institutions; corruption

Assalamu calaykum, Zaylici, an interesting perspective. But there is a question that has been pondering my mind: 50 years ago, the number of somalis who were educated was a fraction of what it is today; Yet there were no reported starvations, contagious diseases were limited; there were tribal wars but on a limited scale. I think an issue that is often discarded is the problems of urbanisation- the abandoning of nomadism and farming and leading urban life without the neccessary tools. Somali and somalis should abandon tribalism as a unit of success. It is the root cause of everything. Educated somalis are in the forefront in the promotion of tribalism and hitherto education alone would not solve our problem. In regards to your well researched article, I think its quality would be enhanced if you consider the lever of richness and how it has polluted the somali mind.

For those of you who don't know Wagalla: Wagalla lies a few Km west of wajir in the NFD (the somali territory colonized by the madax korankor). In the late eighties thousands of somalis were massacred by kenyan armed forces and still no one has been brought to justice. Maxamed is Somali-NFD poet, playwright, song-writer and fictionist and has authored the following books: 1)The Beaming Blood, 2) The Narrow Nook, Silver Out of My Reach and 3) The Featherless Pheasant. He is the editor-in-chief of Haldoor, Khartoum based Somali language monthly magazine,and the foreign relation secretary for the Khartoum based Somali Culture andLiterature Association. Juba University, faculty of Arts and Humanity Studies. THE WOUNDS OF THE WAGALLA.[POEM].By: Mohamed Abdikadir Daud [stanza] I am a fair thinker with fresh mind, I am a fictionist and film-maker, The first film-maker from Northeastern province; I am a deep-rooted novelist from a deprived province; It is so long that I suffered at the hands of a dictator, The dictator that maimed me for life, The wounds of Wagalla are unhealed, Unhealed, unforgettable and uncured; Oh my fellows! Ah the forgotten Northeasterners! Let us all cry at once for the lost innocent lives! Cry at once at the top of our voice, Let us say farewell to the ages violation; Are we real Kenyans? I double-doubt my dears! Georaphically claimed, Economically marginalised; No reliabe roads! No rational rules! Sense with me what I have said, Then, oppose me with an evidence; Bear in mind that I am the voice, The voice for the unheard voices, The solid sense for the senseless, The clincher for the collapsed siblings; I am the epitome of the epochless; My words are the epees, The epees at the neck of the corrupt con-men, Let us dream please, dream and dream of development; I am a free-will-founder, A freedom-fighter; I fight with wit-words, Not with weapons; Who am I fighting for? I am fighting for the coming generation, Calling for NEP-wide cooperation, And cohesion with income-generation; Hi patriots of Northeastern province! Hi the patrons of Northeastern province! Let us wake up please for stability, Wake up, wake up and wake up for solidarity; Let us say NO! Say NO to tribalism! Say NO to plagiarism! Say NO to nepotism! Gone are the errors of Moi government! Gone are the steps of our right-theft arrangement! Let us clap aloud with keen emotion, Clap aloud with united hands for promotion; Let us yearn for justice and human rights respect, Let us fight corruption with zero patience, Let us hear the yipee of our heroes and heroines, Let us put not the cart before the horse; Be it my foe or my friend, I fear of the Fearless alone, I am a born hero, A born hero for my people; I was born to die one day, And born to die with dignity, I am an abyssmal Ocean, An abyssmal Ocean with human skin; Call me a criminal, Or a crass, But I am the gallant, The gallant for the nation; I am a pan-Africanist, A pan-Africanist with an affluent sight, I am proud of my colour, And proud of my culture; I am a diplomat by mission; Democrat by ideology; Director by development; And durable by say and solution; Sense not a polemical script! But a poetic powerful spirit, Depict it as you wish, Digress not from the theme.

Mzee Juma, ok nimefahamu, but as a shifta I always feel like somebody is watching me (the GSU, Madax korankor, AP, police )

The root cause of the somali conflict, just like other other conflicts is POVERTY. Poverty leads to corruption, nepotism, power struggle, wars and alot more evils. Juma, mzee, you signature makes me uncomfortable! It has my IP number and the name of my little village in sweden! How did you do that?

ASC, Some of the above names are nicknames while others are common somali names (like Gutaale,Soraansoor, seerar). But, you do indeed have a point- some of these names are repulsing and indicate "********* ". Could any of you please tell me the name of the somali who reports from Garissa (NFD) for the BBC. Now that dude has the best somali name!

http://www.ssup.org/Carin_ssup.htm

The resistance movement, yes, I live in sweden and I am very familiar with swedish politics, culture economy etc. The party is based in a town called Katerina Holm- not far from the birthplace of the swedish prime minister. Check this http://www.ssup.org/Carin_ssup.htm

Assalamu calaykum, Do you mean "the party" that "operates" from Sweden? If that is the case, it is one of the so-called "förening" (association)established to benefit from the generous handouts of sweden. It is "based" in a relatively small town which is also home to a refugee camp and where many somalis have settled. I saw on somaliweyn once a picture of "the leaders" who posed with the swedish prime minister and a junior minister of the foreign office. To many somalis outside Scandnavia, posing and shaking hands with a PM or a minister could be viewed as a big deal- but political leaders in sweden are not distanced from those they represnt- and you often run into a minister at shops, train stations, subway etc. Political parties are given funds if they make to parliament- if, however, the party is a local one- associated with a bigger party like the social democrats, you get some public funds from the municipal, county province and various NGOs. To conclude, the SSP is just another one of those Jaaliyad (förening)- jaaliyad entrepreneurs that are common in sweden !

Assalamu calaykum, Walaalaha muslimiinta ah ee akhrista boggaan waxaan ka codsanayaa inaay soo weeysestaan, soona qaataan kitaabka quraanka kariimka ah iyo tusbaxooda si aan Ugu dhuceeyno: 1) ummadda islaamka ah meel kastaba ha joogte marxaladaha cusub oo la soo gudboonaadey. 2) In ummadda soomaliyeed uu ilaahey qulubtooda ka saaro cudurka qabiilka ah oo qaran la'aanta na dhigay 3) In caleenta cagaaran oo sunta ah oo lagu sababey ummaddeena uu ilaahey ka qaado. Umaddaheena hore waxaay mari jireen afar faataxo markaay dhibaato la soo gudboonaato- sidaasi darteed inoo wada mara afar faataxo- haddii marro lagu darana waa ka sii fiican.

I read the story through a satirical lense and this what surfaced: Gutaale, Qowdhan and Dr. Mohamed represent a new breed of Somalis who use the air waves and cyberspace to pass on the message of “ Read us, listen to us because we understand better- we are dhoktore, injineer, aqoonyahano†Reminds me of that english (Irish?) writer who wrote about Cannibalising children. But, I could be wrong!

Assalamu calaykum, Stoic, I agree with your analysis bro. However, we differ on who is to blame. The NFD somalis never gained independence- instead of being free from the white man's rule, they saw themselves colonised by kenya. I was born in the NFD and I have witnessed several attrocities against somalis by Kenyans. Collective punishment of villages, tribes and ethnic cleansing. The Malka re massacres in the late 70,s was instigated by kenyan armed forces when they rounded up somalis they suspected of being shiftas. In 1981, a poacher by the name of Abdi Madoobe came to a leisure centre in garissa and killed a local official of the game department who previously had tortured him (unconfirmed reports state Mr. Madoobe was castrated). This event triggered a tightening of the state of emergency in the whole province. The Kenyan armed forces were given the license to kill "any" somali they suspected. A day later, dozens of somalis were killed in mosques, on the streets- the worst of this atrocity was when the only boarding school in the region for somali females were raided- almost all the girls raped! Kariuki, the then minister came to garissa and said kenya would "colonize" the province. Curfew was declared in the whole province and elsewhere, rape and humiliation was a daily routine. In down kenya, somalis found themselves targeted! In the 80,s two clans in western Wajir were induced to fight because of the electoral constistuency. To make sure, the divide and rule strategy works, the kenyan government made sure that a consistuency was constested by two tribal candidates. Of course, somalis , being nomads have interclan clashes caused by accessability to grazing and water- and skirmishes are a common occurance. In the traditional somali spirit inter-clan conflicts of this sort were resolved without blood shed. BUT this particular conflict was instigated by kenya- and the result is the wagala massacre. The so called leaders are stooges. They are more concerned with personal gains than what happens to their society as you mentioned- but isn't this the case when you have a colonial power? The massa-slave mentality.