Assalamu calaykum, Baashiyow, saaxib mahadsanid. Ma anagoo qaran guurayo, qoysba qooys dhacayo, qabta laisku haayo, sida qoonka fircoon, qaraadada u taagnayd, qabiilka na galaaftay, qaranka ka dhignay qabiil, qolo qolo u habar wacnay, Baa qaran dhisaneeyno????? markaan tixdaasi halkaa ku dhaafo! Ku socoto; Golaha fadhi ku dirirka Ujeedo. qaaylo dhaan ka soo yeerta reer garamgaram Anagoo ah reer garamgaram, waxaan ka xunahay in guddiga fadhi ku dirirka uu kala qeybiyey jagooyinkii madaxnimada qolada aan deriska nahay ee reer Qurac iyo Reer garas. Bal marka hore, nimaankaan reer qudhac intaaysan la bixin magacaasi waa la oran jirey reer qurac oo waxaay deganaayeed geed aan caleemo badan lahayn oo ku yaala tuulo aaysan xoolahuba degan oo la magacbaxday af barwaaqo. Waxaa inagu maqal ah in reer qurac aay gabar siiyeen isla markaana aay la xidideen reer garas. Dembiba hanagu ahaate, waxaa inagu maqal ah oo kale in reer garas aay raashiinkooda karin! Haddaba hadaanu nahay reer garamgaram, waxaanu leenahay hanalasiiyo qeybteena oo maandeeq uma curanin oo keliya reer qansax iyo reer qurac. Waxaan golaha u sheegeynaa in haddii aan nala siinin wasaaradaha soo socda aan weerar af ku qaadi doono deeganada aay deganyihiin reer qurac iyo reer qansax! Wasaaradda Bililiqeeysiga Wasaaradda Land cruiserka Wasaaradda Lacagta (Nb. Qeybta doolarka) Wasaarada afka Wasaarada baasaboorka. Waxaan quud dareeynaynaa in tixgelin gaar ah nala siiyo! Jaalle Dhoktore Injineer duuliye janaraal qabiiljecel kaligii taliye islaamaha dahabka ka dhaca, agoonta laaya,gaalada gacmaha ka leefa Jinoole

Assalamu calaykum, Give peace a chance for Allah's sake. It has become a norm among somalis to condemn every move aimed at rebuilding somalia. On every website, there are layers of writings, often written by tribalists disguised as either intellectuals or regional spokesmen! Don't get me wrong, I would rather see most of those meeting in Nairobi tried, imprisoned and rot in hellfire. But, I am also aware that it is easy for us in the comfort of our homes, mainly in the western part of the hemisphere, to suggest often sterile fadhi ku dirir strategies. Let us put up a fight, suggest improvements on how nationhood could be accomplished or shut up and give every move/process aimed at reconciliation a chance! I have decided to opt for the latter. Make your choice . Thank you!

Nuurow, mahadsanid. Bro, maya ma aanan wada aqrinin dooda (waan indha indheeyey un). Ummadda islaamku waa isku nabi, isku kitaab kala mabda se. Maanta xaalku wuxuu taaganyahay yaa muslin- oo marxalad adag ayaa lagu jiraa. Doodaha ku dhisan firiqooyinka inkastoo aay fiicanyihiin haddana waxaad moodaa inaay siyaasad ku jirto. Anyway from a warm Mandera waa dhal awliyo oo idin leh nabadiino iyo nooli kulante!

Assalamu calaykum, This is one of the best discussion that I have ever read on any website. I think the sunni/shia divide is nothing more than a school of thought on cibaada. The issues of race|politics have certainly played a vital role in our own knowledge of what the other party is. A somali, educated in Qom would certainly blv in the principles of shaisim, while a sacuudi educated sheikh is likely to depart from the arab perspective. If you discuss with shia sheikhs, you would note that much of what we have been told in somalia by our sheikhs had a lot to with discourse fuelled by hatred that is embedded in politics and that there is no demarcation line between the two in terms of the intepretations of the quraan. At the end of the day does it really matter whether we are shias, sunnis or any other muslim denomination? We are all muslims and our task is to submit to Allah.

Assalamu calaykum, Nur, We the garamgaram nation object to your list sxb. The garamgaram nation needs a kitaab kaablow to lead the ministry of religious affairs! Anyway,waxaad iloowday Wasaaradda Buufiska, af minshaarka iyo fadhi ku dirirka. The incumbant minister should have the following qualifications 1. Saddex sharci 2. waa inuu yahay dhiktoor, barafasoor, injineer, janan ama duuliye. 3. Waa inuu leeyahay HOOMBEEJ la magac baxay tuulo, degmo ama gobol.

Assalamu calaykum, Zaylici, the percentages saying nothing. Of course 40 percent of somali territory is good for grazing, 50 percents of camels live in somalia etc...but what does that really saying? The 10 percent of fertile land for agriculture is densely populated compared to the 40 percent grazing land. The truth of the matter is that most somalis dwell in cities , followed by farmers and pastrolism comes a good third. The notion that somalis are nomads is a social construction that was fuelled by successive governments in somalia and the pseudo intellectuals westerners who belived them.

I think the term warlord does not describe the bandits. A friend of mine calls them conflict entrepreneurs whose business concept is to incite fear and quiescent hatred towards governance. Our people are held hostage to the discourse of these buggers who dwell on our misfortunes. The combination of these conflict entrepreneurs and a maligmatic form of tribalism aka fake regionalism that boasts of pseudo achievments are two curtailing factors that is taking the somali name into Dante's world! Ilaahow noo gargaar!!!

Assalamu calaykum, Nuurow indeed sxb. Ma akhrisay socdaalkeeygii? I posted it in another thread that disappeared) Assalamu calaykum, On behalf of Captain X, welcome on board KLM flight 521 from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. The local departure time is 10 am and the flight time to Johannesburg is expected to be just over 11 hours. " A long flight" I whispered to my two colleges. But sheer up we are going to Africa, the best continent on earth! I was shivering. I never liked flying- not because I am Cali Mardhoof but because I had earlier read about the risks long flights pose to passengers. “Is this your first trip to Africa?” I asked my fellow colleges. Yes, this is our first time and from what we gather Africa is a beautiful continent; lots of exotic animals, but it is also a continent that is going through hardships. “True”, but I think Africa is more than animals, dictators, Aids etc. Africa posses all the hallmarks of development. There is of course inequality, injustice, thugs, civil wars and for that matter animals but the mass media portrayal of Africa is not true. You see A and C, in the western media, we only see how Africans die and not the way they live. Hopefully, this trip would change your mind”! My two colleges started nodding, while I was reciting Fatixa. Allow ceebteena astur. May we see another Africa than the one I saw three years ago in Kenya. You see I went to Kenya on a Swedish passport and the madax korankor were all over me when they discovered MOGADISHU as my place of birth. No, no, I was not born In Mogadishu laakin waa isku dhiibay. Little did they know (the madax canbuulo) that I was from garamgaram nation in that place that was stolen by the Kakuyus and their brethren. I was released on bail (oops paid bribes not to hamper my visit- my hooyo was expecting me and at any price, nothing would stop me! I came to Mandera having taken Gantaal bus from Eastleigh. When I was in Mandera, I went to Beledxaawo (Buulo xaawo) several times and felt like a Somali, not the garamgaram I was. It was a booming town with some kind of governance. When I was leaving mandera on a chattered qaad plane, I was stopped at the airport and asked, “did you go to Buulo xaawo?” Yes, I did (with some pride). The immigration officer retorted: In that case, you are hereby arrested for violating visa regulations! Buulo xaawo is in another country (Somalia) and according to your visa; you should seek another extension if you visit another country. I was about to explode “kuma mama yako!” Nacalatulaahi calayk! I am a bonafide shifta- this is my country. Buulo xaawo anaa iska leh, NFD-na anigaa iska leh! This is not madaxkorankor land. This is my beautiful mandera! But I hesitated. Had I said, I was born in NFD, they could extend their accusations to include Treason. I was after all wanted for treason- that is the crime shiftas are accused of! Anyway, I bribed my way, came to Nairobi with a lot of blessings (the garamgaram nation are good at invoking duca on her citizens not to mention the many gashaantos who you are encouraged to marry). At Jomo Kenyatta airport, the garamgaram police found some “illegal substance” in my hand luggage (My mom made sure that I had enough ODKAC!) Hooyoy la’aanta, hooyadu waa lama huraan. Waan is xariifiyey! After all I was leaving Madax korankorland to my new gaaloland, Sweden. The three police officers started conversing in the kiswahili language. I couldn’t resist- sheydhaan ayaa I maray! No sooner did I utter the words, mzee mimi apana mlendo! Sina mgendo. I found myself handcuffed and charged! At the end of wto hours of interrogation, I succeeded paying 200 dollars in bribes and declared persona non grata! I was banned from entering Kenya for 5 years! Anyway, that was 4 years ago. On the flight to south Africa, I was praying. Eebow ceebta afrika astur! Illaahow sida kenya hakadhigin. Ilaahow gaaladda hanoo jabinin etc. At 23 000 hrs, local time, we landed at JIA! Finally, the moment of truth! My own litmus test. To my surprise, the immigration officials did not utter a word. I even tried in aan la kaftamo- nada. They won’t budge from their self-imposed silence! Three months visa for this dude! You see, things are smooth in Africa. We spent the night in city lodge- one of the best hotels that I have ever seen. The next day- Durban- kwazulu natal. Chief Munguthuzu Buthlezi’s empire. The land of the great shaka Zulu, where we booked a hotel on the beach! Very fine hotel but the owners gave us a warning “don’t go alone- don’t ever go to the hawkers market!, Don’t ever gone to the harbour area- too many Nigerians! The university of Kwazulu Natal in Petermerizburg was a dazzling university! It is located on a hilltop, very picturesque! Too many students in a modern milieu. I went to the university mosque, with the hope that I would see some Somalis- Although a zulu lecturer who loves afro centrism did tell me there are a number of Somali students, I did not find them. One afternoon while taking a walk on the beach (dabaal ma aqaani anigu), I heard the words “wariyaa!”. I was in SA for 10 days and this was the first time I heard the code word, wariyaa! Waan sii jeestay- a Somali looking figure was approaching me! War haye akhi, Ii waran? Ragga maxuu sheegay?, Nabad walaaalkeey, he answered! Ma intaad degantahay saaxib? Haa saaxiboow, intuu buufiska ii kenay! Sxb, aniga shaqo ayaan u imid laakin sweden ayaan deganayahay- ma somali badan ayaa degan? Johannesburg iyo Cape town ayaay ku badanyihiin laakin inta xoogaa ayaa degan. Adiga maxaad meeshaan ka qabataa? Garaash ayaan leeyahay, naagtaasi Hindida ee meeshaas fadhisana waan aroosay oo sharci ayaan ku qaadan rabaa, si aan u aado Yurub! Yurub? sxb, Yurub anaa degan, meel loo haajiro ma aha! Abdi: sxb, aniga waxaan ahay reer xamar, miskiin ah adiga ma reer waqooyi ayaad tahay? Shifta: maya sxb, waxaan ahay reer garamgaram- waxaan ka ahay sijui! laakin somaliya oo idil waan tagay ilaa zeylac, kismayo, bender qaasim , af barwaaqo, beerlula carligeedi, berberbera qabrigii cilmi boodhari! Abdi, maya sxb anaga waxaan nahay reer xamar masaakiin ah, adiga laakin afkaaga lamagoodle aa lagu moodaa! Shifta; sxb, aniga widaayowna waan aqaanaa, bish doonte, akamjirta iska daa, naw-dana waan gashtaa- doofaar, doofar dhalay, najis, eeebow etc iskaba daa. waxaan ahay qaxooti rasmi ah. Adigu 1990; ayaad qaxooti noqotay, anigu se qaxootinamadu waan ku dhashtay! Abdi, maya widaayow, xumaan ha u qaadanin, waxaan ku moodaayey reer waqooyi- oo waxaan islahaa wadan ayaad leedahay! Shifta: sxb reer garamgaram meel waliba waa laga soo dhoweeyaa: somaliland, puntland, hiiranland, naarkacyo, banaadir, jubooyinka, bay iyo bakool. Gedo iskaba daa waxbaan wadagnaa! Abdi, sxb qof baasaboor gadaayo ma taqaanaa? Shifta: bro, carli gaaleed 16 sanno ayaan deganahay , wax loo hiloobo ma aha! Ee meeshaaada rabi ku sug! Abdi: walaalkeey adigaba waad joogtaa ee aniga maxaad iigu diidi? Shifta: aniga haddaan rabaa inaan somaliya ku laabto (bal waan arkayaa haddii laiga qaabilaayo somaliland, puntland iyo Landerna kale ee soo baxay). Abdi, saas miyaa? Shifta : haa sxb While talking with Abdi on Somali issues, my two colleges join us and I introduced my countryman Abdi to them. The language of discussion becomes the English language. After 20 minutes, I ask Abdi whether he has access to the Internet, so that he could get an indepth view of the western world as regards the somali situation.... No, I don't have... I wanted to hell him about the many somali websites that came out of the blue...wanted to tell him that the somali websites have replaced tribalism at baar lugabaxsi... I wanted to tell him that on somali websites, people tend to communicate like two indian cajuusos... Next report from Nairobi in about a month....nabadeey

salaama calaykum, A common misconception about Somalis is the issue of how they lead their lives. This has been aggravated by "western" social scientists who did some kind of ethnographic studies on some nomads/pastorals. These so called scientists have over the years devised a myth about Somalis as being "nomads". In recent years this line of thinking has received added potency from somali academics who have bought the constructed myths without being critical ( a good example is this website where people are referred as nomads). Historically, somalis might have practised some kind of pastoral life but in many parts of Somalia this has been combined with some kind of agrarianism. In Somalia, the fertile lands between the two rivers for instance have been home to people who live off the land. This is arguably the area that has the largest demographic density. In the north of Somalia around the Gebiley area, many Somalis have been practising farming for centuries. The coast has had people whose main way of life evolved around fishing (Merca, Mogadishu, warshiik, Bosasso, qandalla, caluula, Xiis, meydh , laasqorey etc). Since the days of independency Somalia has experienced urbanisation (which is probably the single major cause of our contemporary predicament). What has happened was the abandoning of nomadic life to seek a better living in the cities where people worked. The farming communities in the riverrine areas suffered during this period because their produce, mainly sorghum, millet, maize, beans were not preferred as meals by the new urbanised communities who were sold the idea that pasta and rice consumption was to be the norm for urbanised societies. In addition, many of the peasants either sold or lost their small scale farming entities to the urbanised population who turned them into plantations to grow desserts (banana, mango, papaya etc). I agree with the poster that there is a need to embrace farming. I recently, read a paper on this issue. Farmers are in general less prone to violence. What about nomadism? I think it would survive: My dad still leads the life of a nomad somewhere in the Somali territory in Kenya and I am planning to exploit the huge potential of combining entrepreneurship, nomadism and agriculture- marka ii soo duceeya.

Xiddig, who are cajuuso one and two??? mmm let me think.... Cajuuso one = Cambaro Cajuuso two = Caraweelo cajuuso one: Naa heedhe my son is so brave that he killed 500 men. Cajuuso two: Kir baa lagu yiri naayaa! My son killed 500 men plus 32 mothers and 54 babies! Cajuuso one: My son killed 500 men and his own father Cajuuso two : My son killed his father too plus all his sibblings!

Assalamu calaykum, I retrieved the following text from somalinet where I was a member before I came to somaliaonline. This is the work of our genius brother Nuur and a few of the replies: Nuur wrote: The following is a piece of my creative writings, it has fragments of facts that many Somalis can relate to, but overall the story was meant to create a discussion on our tribal allegiances and affiliations, sore wound in our national dilemma. Please take it with a grain of salt as you read, I meant it as a humorous treatment of a scourge that has taken a toll in our lives, so ponder and contemplate, a mind once expanded with an idea, can never be contained. Nur Letter to the Clan's Chief ( Fiction Category) Dear Chief, I consider myself a customer for your services and I consider you a service provider, I need to reevaluate our relationship in light of past performance, present situation, and future expectations. Because unless you show me a value for continuing in doing business with you, I may have to find a better service provider to meet my needs, I can not justify the present relationship. You see Chief, in the past, when we lived in the Qurac Dheer Baadiye, your organization provided our family with security and protection services, and my dad always paid his dues on time whenever the Qaaraan colection man came over, our family even paid more than its dues when my brother Cag Bakayle died while raiding reer Qansax, because we learned early in our childhood that our Reer Qurac were the best, others were animals and ****** , so as we grew up, we developed this macho attitude of getting infuriated if anyone talked about Reer Qurac in unbefitting way, those Reer Qansax rascals got more than what they bargained for when they raided our vilage and robbed our 25 camels, not only did we take 100 camels back as a revenge, but we also took 5 virgin girls and killed twenty of their men, we only lost my brother and two young boys. When we moved to the city, I became confused, I could not understand the logic behind tiny pieces of squre plots of land being sold, I hated living next door to reer Qansax, but city dwellers were too friendly to each other, because they did not have camels and land to defend like our land. In Qurac Dheer, our land was as far as our eyes can see and our guns can defend, even more surprising was the fact that some city people were selling in the shops the nuts we used to eat freely as kids for money. In the big city, We lived with uncle Rooble who was working as a night guard for Ugaas Hassan's grand son who was a rich man in the city. Soon, an uncivilized war broke out and we migrated to Canada were upon arrival, I felt like I was in a dream world. In Canada, we were given a house, healthcare, education and security, I could'nt believe the kindness of these white people. They were exceptionally kind and gentle, something I have never seen from our neigbors Reer Qansax. These gaalo were so kind to us, to the point that when we were in the reception houses in Buffalo N.Y. these Christian nuns would even serve us breakfast, for free, can you imagine that they were not even related to Reer Qurac, but they were very nice. For the past decade, we sent a lot of the money we were supposed to spend in food to you, Dahabshiil made a fortune in the Xawaaladda, we did that so we can help our folks back home with the tough times, but, honestly, I do not see an accountability for what I am sending to you, no reports, no progress and no hope. I feel that I am sending money to the void. I was even dismayed when rumors circulated that our Chief is trading with our money in Dubai for his pesonal use, If our Toronto Mayor does the same, he would be sent to jail, it even hurt me more that you are well aware of our tribesmen plight and suffering in the Qurac Dheer vilage. Chief, what I want to know is how do you add value to our lives here in Canada now that the public welfare has supported our family and provides us with protection? I am also tired defending my tribe on the net when these Reer Qansax insult my tribe, at times my blood boils so much, I feel like grapping the rascals head inside the Somalinet Pages were he smears our tribes name day in and day out, but again, I feel ashamed of defending a fad. Chief, I am not denying that I grew up in that village, so do not pull one of your famous ( Tolkaa miyaad ka dhantahay" line, because our Sheikhs here in Toronto taught us that Allah is the one who saved us, not the Qabiil. I must admit that I do have nostalgic memories as a kid , running in the open savannah chasing baby camels, but look Xaaji, how far apart we have grown, both intellectually and in terms of distance. Frankly, if I come back to our village, I would not be able to live without the amenities that I found here in Canada, the least of which is a hot brewed coffee and my maple syrup covered pancakes. I also value my life here and now more than before, I can think of hundred things I can do with my life instead of risking it fighting for the tribe to which I have lost my sense of belonging. So, do you have a new value proposition to support the current relationship? Or putting it differently, does the King still has some clothes? Respectfully Cag Biciid Junior. 2003 NURTEL NEETWORKS, All Rights reserved Fiction Category. Dear Chief You are indeed the Prestroyka Chief for Reer Qurac, I am amazed, Chief you shocked me for accepting my proposal, I thought you will order my head for trivializing you role. You have helped me regain my confidence in your leadership, businesses who fail to re-invent themselves are doomed to fail, re-allignig your business with the market forces is the best way to rivatelize any business, and Chief, I must admit, you are ahead of your peers, Poor Reer Qansax, their Chief does not even have an internet connection let alone know about Soccer. This is a great day, we have a brave Chief, who is willing to form a soccer team for his tribe, the Reer Qurac, from now on, all Reer Qurac youth everywhere are expected to report to the nearest traing ground for soccer, they need to learn new skills and toss away old ( Lagdin) and ( weerar) games, the new world needs new skills and we need to train our youth to learn skills that will build their character in every dimension imaginable. Chief I propose you write to all tribal Chiefs to prepare for the first Inter Clan Soccer games, the Pan Somali games. I propose we hold these games in Qurac Dheer since we have come up with the idea first, the following games will be held in the Winning Champions home Stadiums. Let us invite all tribes to exchaange their weopons for a Soccer training Kit made of : 1. A jersay uniform 2. A Soccer ball 3. Addidas Shoes and gears 4. Free ticket to see the games. Chief. If this proposal is accepted, The above costs can be paid by the advertsiements alone, can you imagine all the Somalis all over the world tuning to TV following the Pan Somali Games? wow. What a tearful feeling playing for your Qabiil, at least you are not killing someone for that feeling. A line up of sponsors for the games 1. Dahabshiil, Al Amal and other Xawaaladlayaal ( We transfer your welfare money to your clan in hawd and beyound) 2. DAALLO airlies ( we transport deported Somalis for drugs and murder to their natural habitat, the wilderness) 3. The Governments of Somaliland, Puntland, TNG, Villa Somalia, Madina, Jasiira, Baidoa, Kismayo, and Garbahaarrey. ( we survive on hatred, the more hatred out there, the secure our business) As you see Chief, Soccer should provide a relief, it channels the anger that can kill a Somali, to lifeless ball and skillful players. The interesting part is that, Somalis will learn to play by the rules for the first time, a great step forward. Your admiring Clansman Cag Biciid =================================================== Shifta Dear tribal chief(thief), In reply to your letter regarding the reer qurac, It has come to my notice that the reer qurac to whom my ancestors claimed we belong to are not the offsprings of reer qansax. Furthermore, the reer garas who you said were related to us, have invaded our little village Af-barwaaqo. You see Sir, the reer Garas have over the years been good neighbours to us until one day when they discorvered that you could travel to a place called xamar and acquire titles such as general jangali, doctor Dilaa and engineer Injir. The members of reer garas invaded our little village Af-Barwaaqo with what appears to be Gaalo-gaadid (Landcruiser. we accepted them as one of our own despite their gadiid, that could travel faster than our mode of transport the Qurac. When these people from the reer Garas came to af barwaaqo they brought with them sophisticated writing pads (something they called Kambiyuutar), a new vocublary that included words such JAT(chat), (baalTol)and Fooram. In the so called fooraam, which has become the meeting place in afbarwaaqo, the reer garas have established a presence that is marked what is called Isbaarooyin. I therefore urge you on behalf of the reer qurac, who come from the reer qansax to do something against the reer Garas because with this kind of pace, the reer garas are doomed to become gaalo-madow. Sincerly, yours Shifta- of the reer Sajui part of the reer garam-garam. Dear Capo di qabiil: In reply to your request to clarify a few points in my letter, we, the garamgarams are those of us who are described by your keens as the non-speakers of the somali proper. We have resisted years of assimilation by the reer qurac, qansax and garas. But in the last few years as a result of the events at af barwaaqo we have been given a new tribal name, the reer sijui (pronounced as SAJU). You see Sir, the concept of General (Janan) Engineer (Injineer) and doktor and doktoresa was new to us but in recent years due to the assimilation of our folks, we are inclined to use religious and academic prefixs- which you hear everywhere. Janan Hebel, dottoreso heblaayo, injineer jinni, macalim musuqmaasiq, and sheikh shabis. My people, the reer garamgaram have always suffered as a result of belonging to the shifta- but since the reer qurac and qansax had a fight over the a seat, we have been awakened by their yawn to the issue of madaxweyne mar idhaha, madaxaan idinka garacayaa. One think that the reer qurac and qansax brought us was the noun Refugee (rafuji. we were told by our qansax brethens in particular that we could drive a fatuuro called LAAN-Karusa if only we could call ourselves the reer qansax or to a certain extent the reer qurac. We did that and came to a far places as LOn-dhon- Taranto, Wajington etc only to be called the reer sijui. sincerly yours, Shifta of the reer garamgaram- sajui subcline ============================================= Nuur wrote: Dear Garam Garam I am sorry of all the misunderstanding that the reer Qurac has casued with the Sijui and the garam Garams. Before the big misunderstanding of the Qurac , Qansax , I was sent to Nayuu Yoog, as The Chief of the Qurac, I was recieved in Hotel WAALDOOROF AASTOORIYA in Manhaataan. Quite honestly, I was the most educated in my delegation, I could read alphabets and Numbers so the entire delegation followed me everywhere I go out of curiosity. In the Hotel, one of the Reer Qurac delegates needed a bathroom, but unfortumnately he could not find a smelly bath room like the one in our village, so they came to me for advice, after looking around the Hotel suite, on the 56 floor, all I could see in the suite was nice clean room with white ceramic bowls containing water, I thought they were for cooking and drinking, so I took a glass and drank some of the water, the room has nice towels hanging around and I thought we should use it for chewing some Chat. My friend who needed bathroom was pressed for a solution so as the Know-It-All Capo di Qabiil I adviced him to squat on the Nayuu Yoog Taaymis, and toss the sh... out of the window, since I cared less of bolitikiska Ameerikaanka, I was amazed when the Boolis showed up in our suite to question us why we toss the Sh.. to a pedestrian on BAARK Aafanuu below our Hudheel, . The Hudheel Maanajar told him that we could not sbeak engilish, so the Boolis left us alone, but the Hudheel Maanajar told us to use the clean room with the white Ceramic bowls as Bathroom next time, the problem is we do not know how to use the bowl for squating, how can you balance your body on these thin ceramics, I fell of couple of times and I gave up, later we figured out a way to do it, but that is adifferent story. In the morning we were invited to sit as observers at the UN General assembly were we took a back seat behind the Somali delegation, when the journalists asked me of my opinion of the procedings of nuclear disarmament, I told them that I was rather amazed abouit the conference room itself, how they could get this large round table through that small door, No one in Qurac dheer will believe what I saw in NAYUU YOOG. If you think Garam Garam people have a problem, you should make them visit NAYUU YOOG. Deputy Chief. Reer Qurac

Hey Lander, I prefer charity posts (I am sure many do) than discussions that tend to resemble two indian cajuusos: Cajuso one: Look at my son, he is the smartest in his class- he scored an a+ Cajuuso two: My son is smarter: he scored an A++ Cajuuso one: My son is so fat that his enemies are afraid to confront him Cajuuso two: my son is fatter- he releases gasses that make his enemies run. Believe it or not the same could be true with the political section of SOL. Marka, akhi, I would rather see a topic on helping the poor on SOL than reading recycled materials that would make Indian cajuusos laugh. As horn of afrique said, anyone who makes a political point (cajuuso talk) of an unfortunate child is doomed to rot in hell.

Raxmah, Rule #1 : Don't allow preconcieved prejudices, your local knowledge of clients, your ethnicity, background etc dictate your decisions. working as a civil servant is about keeping aside your knowledge of somalis, the propganda etc and follow the rules/regulations to the maximum!

Assalamu calaykum, On behalf of Captain X, welcome on board KLM flight 521 from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. The local departure time is 10 am and the flight time to Johannesburg is expected to be just over 11 hours. " A long flight" I whispered to my two colleges. But sheer up we are going to Africa, the best continent on earth! I was shivering. I never liked flying- not because I am Cali Mardhoof but because I had earlier read about the risks long flights pose to passengers. “Is this your first trip to Africa?” I asked my fellow colleges. Yes, this is our first time and from what we gather Africa is a beautiful continent; lots of exotic animals, but it is also a continent that is going through hardships. “True”, but I think Africa is more than animals, dictators, Aids etc. Africa posses all the hallmarks of development. There is of course inequality, injustice, thugs, civil wars and for that matter animals but the mass media portrayal of Africa is not true. You see A and C, in the western media, we only see how Africans die and not the way they live. Hopefully, this trip would change your mind”! My two colleges started nodding, while I was reciting Fatixa. Allow ceebteena astur. May we see another Africa than the one I saw three years ago in Kenya. You see I went to Kenya on a Swedish passport and the madax korankor were all over me when they discovered MOGADISHU as my place of birth. No, no, I was not born In Mogadishu laakin waa isku dhiibay. Little did they know (the madax canbuulo) that I was from garamgaram nation in that place that was stolen by the Kakuyus and their brethren. I was released on bail (oops paid bribes not to hamper my visit- my hooyo was expecting me and at any price, nothing would stop me! I came to Mandera having taken Gantaal bus from Eastleigh. When I was in Mandera, I went to Beledxaawo (Buulo xaawo) several times and felt like a Somali, not the garamgaram I was. It was a booming town with some kind of governance. When I was leaving mandera on a chattered qaad plane, I was stopped at the airport and asked, “did you go to Buulo xaawo?” Yes, I did (with some pride). The immigration officer retorted: In that case, you are hereby arrested for violating visa regulations! Buulo xaawo is in another country (Somalia) and according to your visa; you should seek another extension if you visit another country. I was about to explode “kuma mama yako!” Nacalatulaahi calayk! I am a bonafide shifta- this is my country. Buulo xaawo anaa iska leh, NFD-na anigaa iska leh! This is not madaxkorankor land. This is my beautiful mandera! But I hesitated. Had I said, I was born in NFD, they could extend their accusations to include Treason. I was after all wanted for treason- that is the crime shiftas are accused of! Anyway, I bribed my way, came to Nairobi with a lot of blessings (the garamgaram nation are good at invoking duca on her citizens not to mention the many gashaantos who you are encouraged to marry). At Jomo Kenyatta airport, the garamgaram police found some “illegal substance” in my hand luggage (My mom made sure that I had enough ODKAC!) Hooyoy la’aanta, hooyadu waa lama huraan. Waan is xariifiyey! After all I was leaving Madax korankorland to my new gaaloland, Sweden. The three police officers started conversing in the kiswahili language. I couldn’t resist- sheydhaan ayaa I maray! No sooner did I utter the words, mzee mimi apana mlendo! Sina mgendo. I found myself handcuffed and charged! At the end of wto hours of interrogation, I succeeded paying 200 dollars in bribes and declared persona non grata! I was banned from entering Kenya for 5 years! Anyway, that was 4 years ago. On the flight to south Africa, I was praying. Eebow ceebta afrika astur! Illaahow sida kenya hakadhigin. Ilaahow gaaladda hanoo jabinin etc. At 23 000 hrs, local time, we landed at JIA! Finally, the moment of truth! My own litmus test. To my surprise, the immigration officials did not utter a word. I even tried in aan la kaftamo- nada. They won’t budge from their self-imposed silence! Three months visa for this dude! You see, things are smooth in Africa. We spent the night in city lodge- one of the best hotels that I have ever seen. The next day- Durban- kwazulu natal. Chief Munguthuzu Buthlezi’s empire. The land of the great shaka Zulu, where we booked a hotel on the beach! Very fine hotel but the owners gave us a warning “don’t go alone- don’t ever go to the hawkers market!, Don’t ever gone to the harbour area- too many Nigerians! The university of Kwazulu Natal in Petermerizburg was a dazzling university! It is located on a hilltop, very picturesque! Too many students in a modern milieu. I went to the university mosque, with the hope that I would see some Somalis- Although a zulu lecturer who loves afro centrism did tell me there are a number of Somali students, I did not find them. One afternoon while taking a walk on the beach (dabaal ma aqaani anigu), I heard the words “wariyaa!”. I was in SA for 10 days and this was the first time I heard the code word, wariyaa! Waan sii jeestay- a Somali looking figure was approaching me! War haye akhi, Ii waran? Ragga maxuu sheegay?, Nabad walaaalkeey, he answered! Ma intaad degantahay saaxib? Haa saaxiboow, intuu buufiska ii kenay! Sxb, aniga shaqo ayaan u imid laakin sweden ayaan deganayahay- ma somali badan ayaa degan? Johannesburg iyo Cape town ayaay ku badanyihiin laakin inta xoogaa ayaa degan. Adiga maxaad meeshaan ka qabataa? Garaash ayaan leeyahay, naagtaasi Hindida ee meeshaas fadhisana waan aroosay oo sharci ayaan ku qaadan rabaa, si aan u aado Yurub! Yurub? sxb, Yurub anaa degan, meel loo haajiro ma aha! Abdi: sxb, aniga waxaan ahay reer xamar, miskiin ah adiga ma reer waqooyi ayaad tahay? Shifta: maya sxb, waxaan ahay reer garamgaram- waxaan ka ahay sijui! laakin somaliya oo idil waan tagay ilaa zeylac, kismayo, bender qaasim , af barwaaqo, beerlula carligeedi, berberbera qabrigii cilmi boodhari! Abdi, maya sxb anaga waxaan nahay reer xamar masaakiin ah, adiga laakin afkaaga lamagoodle aa lagu moodaa! Shifta; sxb, aniga widaayowna waan aqaanaa, bish doonte, akamjirta iska daa, naw-dana waan gashtaa- doofaar, doofar dhalay, najis, eeebow etc iskaba daa. waxaan ahay qaxooti rasmi ah. Adigu 1990; ayaad qaxooti noqotay, anigu se qaxootinamadu waan ku dhashtay! Abdi, maya widaayow, xumaan ha u qaadanin, waxaan ku moodaayey reer waqooyi- oo waxaan islahaa wadan ayaad leedahay! Shifta: sxb reer garamgaram meel waliba waa laga soo dhoweeyaa: somaliland, puntland, hiiranland, naarkacyo, banaadir, jubooyinka, bay iyo bakool. Gedo iskaba daa waxbaan wadagnaa! Abdi, sxb qof baasaboor gadaayo ma taqaanaa? Shifta: bro, carli gaaleed 16 sanno ayaan deganahay , wax loo hiloobo ma aha! Ee meeshaaada rabi ku sug! Abdi: walaalkeey adigaba waad joogtaa ee aniga maxaad iigu diidi? Shifta: aniga haddaan rabaa inaan somaliya ku laabto (bal waan arkayaa haddii laiga qaabilaayo somaliland, puntland iyo Landerna kale ee soo baxay). Abdi, saas miyaa? Shifta : haa sxb While talking with Abdi on Somali issues, my two colleges join us and I introduced my countryman Abdi to them. The language of discussion becomes the English language. After 20 minutes, I ask Abdi whether he has access to the Internet, so that he could get an indepth view of the western world as regards the somali situation.... No, I don't have... I wanted to hell him about the many somali websites that came out of the blue...wanted to tell him that the somali websites have replaced tribalism at baar lugabaxsi... I wanted to tell him that on somali websites, people tend to communicate like two indian cajuusos... to be continued

Assalamu calaykum, Baashi iyo Nuur I would be more than willing to contribute to this thread. Insha allah, I am going to tell you more about the life stories of Cagabakeyle, shalabow and Jaahil when I come back from a journey to africa. Nabadgelyo

Nuur LOL. Cagabakeyle kicked the basket but his legacy has fuelled a new brand of waranles. The latest news from the reer qurac is that they have appointed "boqoldile" as their leader. Boqoldile was born in the small village of afbarwaaqo where according to legend, he was addressed as Najis, Doodfaar and Libaax. four decades ago, the young boqoldile who was by then known as "shalaboow" was arraigned infront of the elders of the reer qurac. As the norm was, he was asked to swear on the kitabka jaamaca that he did not commit the crime. On seeing the size of the kitaab, young shalabow was quoted as saying "kitaabkaan wuu yaryahaye ee bal mid weyn ii keena".On uttering these words, his peers were heard saying "Libaax, walee waa najis, waa doofaar etc". Since then young shalabow embarked on a process of taking the leadership of the reer qurac. when Cagabakeyle died 15 years ago, Shalabow took the leadership helm. He got more NAJIS; DOOFAR and Libaax and bahal votes than the other contestants (lamagoodle, reer koraad, reer baadiye ). During his first year tenure, he devised a plan to wipe out the qurac's competitor, the reer qansax. A few months after the death of Cagabakeyle, the reer qansax had also lost their chief, "Jaalle Jaahil" who was responsible for the holocoust on reer garas (a peace loving society) that adhered to faqi buraalism ideology. The knowledge spillover of Jaalle Jaahil's and boqoldile in terms of death by qabilism has not only spread to the reer garas who are mainly farmers but have also been echoed among the reer garamgaram. to be continued

Nuur, Akhi, I love your contributions. But could you please focus on the social ills affecting the somali society (tribalism, welfare issues, nationhood, the double standards employed by somalis (blending religious love with tribal hatred- look around the many websites, there are links to islam, quran etc, while at the same time, tribalism based propaganda is active).

Assalamu calaykum, I am planning to travel to Durban, SA. Please PM me if you live there! Thanks

Suaasha taagan waxay tahay: Maxaa dhuuso kaste oo ka soo yeerta puntland iyo somaliland loogu soo bandhigaaa goobtaan? Ula ma jeedo, doodaha ku saabsan horumarka aay gaareen ummadda somaliyeed oo ku dhaqan meelahaasi, laakin arrimaha siyaasada (if I want to read about what is on the editorial pages of somaliland post and puntland news, I would visit their respective homepages). I was a member of somalinet before I joined SOL. The main reason why I left that place was to discuss issues on politics, society and economy etc with other somalis. BUT, reading the politics section on SOL leaves me with the impression that somalis everywhere can't avoid tribalism as a mechanism to discuss issues. I visited somalinet, a few weeks ago and guess what? there was a discussion on SOL. Many contributors claimed that SOL is a tribal site in disguise. I know this is a false notion given the manner and substances of the discussions on somalinet. Clearly, there is a bias on the part of contributors and the subjects they choose to introduce on somalinet. Puntland politics, somaliland issues and xamar bashing appears to be the norm. How should moderators/adminstrators tackle this problem? I hate censorship. It is a tough call to keep the balance, but could a strategy of deleting editorial opinions of tribal/regional sites and newspapers be a first step?

Zaylici, I agree with all you said! But I don't think one needs to consult science to reveal the shortcomings of the somali clan structure. A simple litmus test on two somalis who claim to descend from the same clan (I am not talking about 7 generations) would reveal discrepencies.

African if I send money to my brother back home to support his family will you accuse me of being qabiilist? What if I send it to my cousin? What if I send it to my city to build a school? I wouldn't accuse you of qabilism if you do any of the above. Are you claiming that supporting a tribe is the same as supporting your parents, relatives and village? Come on sister, we know somali tribalism is more than that. Somali tribalism is about collective thinking (you don't need to go far to see it in action, look at somali run websites). Bulo, jaale-qaxooti how can you be sure that the one Allah said in the quran is somali, not reer hebel .... so somalis do not need to deny their tribes,and, rather they need to learn their religion Because the reer hebel is based on false notions- it is more about the effects of nurture than nature.

Ma anigaa walaan mise cadan baa laga heesayaa? one doesn't need to be a neurologist to figure that the somali tribe structure is based on a false notion that has more to do with mythology. It is not exact science, defies common sensence etc. African, You are quite right that Allah made us into tribes, communities, families, races etc. Likewise, quraish and the other tribes that existed in arabia were tribes. But I believe that the "tribe" Allah mentioned in the somali context is SOMALI, not the reer qurac, reer qansax etc that we "created". I have heard that argument before used by tribalists to legitimate their social construction that they called qabiil.

Lakkad, as a neo-shiftist, I found the article to have a colonial perspective on the "war of independence". But it failed to reveal, how the madaxkorankor were given a lesson by the freedom fighters. An uncle once told me that he participated in the shifta war in 1967- and during one of the battles, they captured 8 soldiers from the madax cambuulo brigade. I witnessed as a young boy growing up in the eighties how the adoon army came to mandera and wajir districts, and carried out barbaric acts against somalis. In the 80:s they gave weapons to all the sub clans to fight each other. BTW, on a recent visit to kenya, I was accused of belonging to a neo-shifta movement (which I don't deny) and was held three days under house arrest. p.s visit waqooyibari.com and leave your two cents on NFD saaxib. Look at some of the articles (not the forum) that are posted there- you may find an acquintance.

Baashi, with all due respect, It is not wise to equate the somali clan structure with a family tree. The two are seperate things, at least as I see them. A critical look at the somali qabil-based-tree reveals alot of inconsistency.

Baashi bro, I believe it is a myth. If we look at the reer quracs, qansaxs, garas, two vital questions whose answers defy logic arises: 1) The validity of this phenomenon. You would find that Jaaamac from Galkacyo who claims to belong to the reer qurac is related to Faarax who lives in the jubbada. When you ask these two people to recount their ancestory (abtirsi), you find that their only commonality is reer qurac.... If you do a litmus test on several people who claim the same ancestory chances are that you would find discrepencies. Although Faarax and jamac might claim they even belong to the same subclan, a careful analysis would reveal inconsistency........ 2) There is the intermarriage factor- and the lack of maternal linkages. If your mom belongs to the reer qurac and your father the reer qansax, you are biologically 50% reer qurac and 50% reer qansax. But according to this mythology you are 100% reer qansax. Tribalism is a disease that has to be fought if somalis would realise the dreams that have so eluded us. It is the core reason why somalia as a country does not function. It is the sole reason why enclaves are established. I think to win the war, we need brave somalis to stand up and discuss its validity. One such brave wadaad was sheikh Boqolsoon- He claimed on several occassion that there is a discrepency between the words of Allah in the quran and somali tribalism...According to him the somali tribalism is not based on facts, but ficticious assertations that have been constructed using word of mouth.