For the Somali community soccer is a way of life. In the backstreets of Flemington children thrust their heads at, and juggle, the round ball over and over. It’s the way it was back home and little has changed in Australia, says young Somali leader Abdiirisak Artan. “Soccer is always our passion wherever we are,” the 20-year-old says. “It’s our key sport. It plays an integral part in our society.” So much so that Mr Artan is now using the world game as a tool to help strengthen and unite the local African community. This week, the inaugural Australian Somali football championships will be held in Flemington and Kensington. The five day round-robin tournament has attracted a pool of eight teams including four interstate teams and local squads including Carlton, Broadmeadows, Heidelberg/Reservoir, and North Melbourne/Flemington. Mr Artan is chairman of the Australian Somali Football Association (ASFA). He hatched the plan for the championships with a long-term goal of bringing the World Somali football championships to Melbourne in years to come. A predominantly Victorian-sourced team competed at this year’s championships in Sweden in July. Next year’s event will be in Canada. “We were sitting around and said we need to find a way to bring the international cup to Melbourne,” Mr Artan says. “Essentially, this is a World Cup bid.” The following two years will be used as a stepping stone to launch a bid to become host in 2012 or beyond. “We’re hoping we can grow this year. This is a learning curve for us, the first time the Somali soccer championships have ever been held in Australia. We’re hoping for success this year and the following year and by 2012 we’ll get in contact with the international committee and put in a proposal.” But while there is much at stake on the pitch, Mr Artan says the tournament itself carries a much greater purpose off-field. Source: Moonee Valley Weekly

Great story Abtigiis, perhaps you should share the publishing dates for any upcoming novels:)

REER BURCO GABAY HA LOO DAAYO, Ninkii Qardho u magac sidaa'na suuqa ha u qaamam tago. NGO is the clear WINNER!

Nugul;682187 wrote: :rolleyes::rolleyes: Your purpose in life is not to get married but to worship Allah swt. A lot of people are single and happy. I have been married 3 yrs now, but we do not have children yet. God know if we would have children or not. Nothing is guaranteed in life. You just keep going. Salaamu Aleekum walal, Horta ku soo dhawow SOL- and I will make a dua and hope that God will grant you with beautiful children (inshallah) patience is a beautiful thing sometimes:) That been said i just want to say that although marriage is not the main purpose we are in this Dunya- its an important duty that every muslim must fulfill just as you need to fulfill your salad and soon. " The Purpose of Marriage As a meaningful institution, marriage has two main purposes: To ensure preservation of the human species and continuation of the human race, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them has spread abroad a multitude of men and women" (Quran: 4:1) To provide spiritual and legal foundation of the family" "And of His signs is this: He created for you mates from yourself that you might find rest in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, therein indeed are portents for folk who reflect". (Quran 30:21)" and as far as dating goes---- Just as any adult can enter into any legal contract, so also any adult man or woman can arrange his or her own marriage, provided that during the process of arranging the marriage there is no sexual contact, in other words, there is no dating in the North American style (meaning you could meet with your mate as long as its in Halal and in public) It is also well known that Khadijah, the Prophet's first wife arranged her own marriage with the Prophet. It is true that this happened before sayyadna Muhammad received prophethood. But if an arrangement by a woman of her own marriage were so shameful in the eyes of Allah as it is in the eyes of some Muslims, then He would have somehow prevented His Messenger from such a marriage. Moreover, there are some xadith which show that even after receiving prophethood the prophet (S.A.W)did not disapprove of women arranging their own marriage. to quote a xadith in here: "A woman came to the Messenger of God and offered herself to him (in marriage). When she had stood for a long time (without receiving an answer) a man got up and said: Messenger of God! Marry her to me if you have no need of her. He asked the man if he had anything to give her as dower (marriage gift), and when he replied that he had nothing but the lower garment he was wearing, the Prophet said: Look for something, even though it be an iron ring. Then when the man had searched and found nothing, God's Messenger asked him whether he new anything of the Qur'an. When the man replied that he knew Surah so and so and Surah so and so, God's Messenger said: Go away, I give her to you in marriage. Teach her some of the Qur'an." (Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Sahl bin Sa'd)

Khatar ka DHEH! a good song, and even a better HD video tolow kan xagay ka soo heleen? sisi buu u jilic sanyahay....

no dancing skills, no creativity, no originality.... just a voice with a huge instrument and you got yourself a hit song.

AAR is the only few original artists we have.

I dont know if the appropriate word is "fun"? and although i havent been around for much to read into all the wonderful sheeko thats been posted- im just going to share some of the poets and writers that I have managed to read their input. (some I absolutely admire) waa BOB, and DeadlyVision, these guys WAA pour SOUL. others who make this place warm and intellectually electric in so many levels- waa Somalina, Koolcat, Aaliyah, general duke and few other names that i cant remember at the moment... Still there are many brilliant somalis in this form (manshallah)

2005-tii? or is it 2005-kii? either way; thats an amazing feet for someone who could barely say hello five years ago... Hope too see him accomplish many more great things (inshallah)

lol, Aaliyah its probably the same story- either way be careful for who you fall in the cyber world- dont be part of the weird web story

Oba, i am not losing hope in Somalia- but i think its always an issue when they try to tell that you have the right leaders in place to put things in order- so far i have not seen or heard of any positive results since Sheikh Shariif have been in office- in fact this hospital thing is the first sign of Shariif doing something and putting the international aid to use. Hope to see more positive things from his administration:)

Somalia ma madax wayne haysataa wali? Madax aan Muqdisho oo qudha ku filayn ayaa Dal masuul looga dhigay... WAA YAAB

The Questions is which birth are we talking about? is the 17th your real birthday or your western birthday- because typically speaking some of us have few options unless you were born outside the refugee status and the immigration process.

By the way i have heard of a mother and her son meeting on facebook and they set up a date to meet- and the end results- DEE ISLAANTI WAA SUUXDAY, WIIL-KIINA HE RUN OFF AND WAS HIT BY A CAR. both were announced dead the next morning.

As coolkat points out this article doesnt make much sense. how could you say jacylka halka ugu heersaraysa ayey isla gadheen yet they barely know each other in pictures or personal. i dont care much for what people do on facebook or what brother and sister are hooking up- but at least give us a decent story...

85,700 Somalis live in just the U.S + the Somali population in Canada + Somalis scattered in Europe and across the middle East.... add all that up and you wonder why not put SOMALIA FOR SALE and get Minnesota and California somewhere in the deal:)

ud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HU9BhzUAAY&feature=related

Should i sympathies with them and say they're victims of their social life and were used to smuggle drugs? or should i simply point fingers at them and add that i dont buy the whole fish story? Yet i cant judge them because I dont have the fully story, so i leave things as ILAHAYO KUWAN SOO HADEE!

Showqi, saxib ha nagu diggan dee. waad aragta inu meesha daad maray ee bal ha lagu waano qaato adiga iyo asxabtiinu-lol

oo kaalay Wyre waxan u haystay gabadh, bisadda ayaa i khaladay ee xaal qaado sxb.

I thought i heard somewhere that Makelele is from somewhere in Congo?

"AMISON" WA AYO? what does that even mean?

Wyre, these days Blackberry (pin) is the new facebook... it had revolutionize the way we use facebook- lol so throw your pin at me and we'll exchange photoes so we could rate each other

That is the BEST NEWS I HAVE HEARD IN AGES FROM THE MOTHERLAND! AWESOME, WE SHOULD INVEST MORE IN EDUCATION AND LESS IN THE MILITARY---