Recently, a couple of legitimate charity cases have been posted on this politics forum. What is questionable is the intentions of the people posting these threads due to the very nature of this section of SOL. If one really wants to donate to charity and help someone in need, let them do it outside the scope of politics as it was mean't to be. You should not need to score "political points" with your charity. Allah is all knowing as you might already know, we are not kufar who donate money to get a tax write off; please handle your charity business in a more appropriate way to save us all from major sins.

People, lets ease up on the rhetoric, Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt, I think mobbs intentions were good and only good can come from helping this poor child for all of us. This is a needy child first and foremost, Somalilander and whatever else is only minor details let's stop playing politics with peoples real problems and put ourselves in the situation of the loved ones of that child. I encourage mobb to post this on as many forums as possible.

your funny. Somaliland recognition=bloodbath? Should watch what you say, I know its easy to talk from your couch in the western hemisphere. Backing up all your talk in the frontlines is another matter.

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: [QB] Salaan... Certain folks from a certain region are quick to lament, in most of the time, about suffering from under the hands of their "southern" brethren. But at the same time are mute when it comes to talk about the disproportionate suffering the people in the South experienced. However, why are they mute? Because the victims aren't from their qabiil? Or they aren't that important? Or are less than the sufferings of others? These pictures are obviously very tragic to say the least. Miskiin I am appauled at your lame attempt to use the suffering of these people in order to take cheap shots at us(Somalilanders). You are obviously a hypocrate when it comes to relating to the suffering of other people since your using these pictures to somehow try to minimize the suffering of the Somalilanders in an earlier period, nevertheless I must warn you not all people fall into traps of emotional manipulation. You say we are mute when it comes to the suffering of the people in the south, well since you have the answers why don't you tell us what you would like Somalilanders to do. Should we declare war on all the warlords in the south? take on the USC factions? remnants of the SSDF? SPM etc... Is that what you would like to see more bloodshed? Or maybe you would like us to donate aid to the southern regions; which begs the question what do we have to aid our southern cousins with? we can barely sustain our own. Another question, did Somalilanders cause the suffering of these people? so why are you taking shots at us? You say to keep things in perspective, but I seriously doubt you understand what "keeping things in perspective" means. You are neither miskiin nor do you appreciate the plite of other peoples, please stop the hypocracy. I don't mind you taking cheap shots at Somalilanders, but using these people for your own rhetoric is disgusting man.

Originally posted by Rahima: quote: Finally, all in all, while we as a Somaliland on the other hand, proceed purposefully to build our nationhood of Somaliland Republic, you and the rest of your defeated ilk in the far corners of the world are left nothing but with only shouting and vomiting of spleen of sore-losers proportion on the side line That is uncalled for; in fact, with all due respect it’s disgusting. How can one have such hatred for his fellow Somalis and gloat at any of their misfortunes (just as Somaliland has many also). I realise some of the anti-Somaliland crew are only in that camp for tribal reasons but there is no need to express such inhumane views so as to counter them. Alas, like I’ve said so many times, many here hold views that are just two sides of the same coin. Two sides of the same ugly coin. Go ahead and argue on these forums, but please for the love of God don’t return home with such views. We, those who love all Somalis irrespective of their tribe want to move on and prosper, stop holding us back will ya! Rahima, What Oodweyne is doing in this case is telling the story like it is with a little of bit of dramatization . You've said it yourself that Somalilanders have no interest in talks of unity, however getting trough to the likes of Abu Amar and Hornafrique is a lost cause. Whether it is yourself or Oodweyne it really is a waste of time. I think the replies such as those coming from Oodweyne encourages these people to talk the same nonsense they've been convincing themselves of ever since they signed up for this forum. However , I can assure you this and you can quote me on it if you like. MAJORITY of Somalilanders don't care what other somalis have to say on matters of Unity or otherwise. Right now our energies are focused on helping ourselves and dealing the issues within our own society, everything else is minor details. I think you would agree with me, Allah helps those who help themselves. By this quote I hope we shall continue our endeavours, all the while ignoring the detractors.

Originally posted by AYOUB_SHEIKH: Nasir quote: I know you are all cheering with this little incident Nooo! Which son of a witch would do that? :confused: Ayouyb don't blind yourself to the intentions of some of the nomads who post these articles, they may use Allah's praises all the while rejoicing inside for these types of little incidents. But they often forget that Allah is all knowing and all hearing, he knows what lies in our hearts and the thoughts that cross our minds. Detecting Hypocracy is not beyond his scope by any means.

Why should Caydiid be eliminated from the list? If we are discussing the men who have had the most significant impact on somali politics (20th) he belongs there. However, having an impact on somali politics and "Greatness" are two seperate affairs lets get that straight.

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: Somalilandnet and Allpuntland are both propaganda machines for the areas they claim to represent and it really makes no difference to us as to which one wrote what. :confused: :confused: [/QB] Libaax, saxiib in your effort to stay impartial, you overstated the role of Somalilandnet in all this. I have to say the Somalilandnet in honesty doesn't propagate nearly like allPuntland, off course they take the stance of Somaliland sovereignty with its respective borders of june 1960. However, the articles I read on Somalilandnet usually quote sources and usually try to base their articles on actual statements and not fabricated and often blatent and childish lies like those of allPuntland. There is the occasional opinion based article, but even you would have to agree they don't compare to what you might find on the Jerry Springer equivalent of somali news AllPuntland.

Mobb Deep, saxiib the fact your alleging that the mass graves had anything to do with SNM and the so-called revenge you allude to is an insult and a distortion of facts. First of all there couldn't be MASS graves of ppl from Siyaad Barre's clan in Hargeisa or Burco because they were not numerous enough for them to be pilled into such mass graves as you allude to. Traditionally the sub-clan of Barre did not live in Somaliland, few of them came after the military coup conducted by Barre, alot of them where high ranking members of the former SNA and some where alowed to land grab where ever they wished. Sort of like a miniture version of jewish settlements in palestinian territory. Sure some civilians who just happened to be part of the greater clan to which Siyad Barre belonged to might have been caught up in the crossfire, and that is unfortunate. However, you should never compare the SNM coming to power with the massacres and genocide perpetrated by the Barre regime when they had absolute control in Somaliland.

Samurai, I see you still salivate any possible bad news coming out from Somaliland, but try to hold back your premature bloodlust. Mujahid Siilanyo wouldn’t take any drastic actions that would jeopardize the Republic.

Finally watched the full video, of the debate. Surprising so many mp's are taking interest in Britain here in Canada I know of only 3 mp's who even knew about Somaliland. Hats off to the Somalilanders in Britain for informing their government and giving these mp's the chance to see Somaliland for themselves. We have that many more believers in our cause. These people brought up so many good points on areas where Somaliland could be aided and we should take interest to draw more attention to those specific areas. Our worst enemies are not those anti-somaliland patrons but it is inaction. I feel action is what seperates us from the rest of our somali cousins, and we should continue to focus on acting for the betterment of our country and should try to escape political provocations and conflicts iniated by those who would like to deter us. Long live the Republic Vive la république

Allez les bleus! France all the way

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/default.stm Exporting the American dream In the penultimate episode of a six-part series entitled Age of Empire, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus examines how US culture is as crucial a weapon in the American arsenal as its military hardware. The other evening I went to the cinema in central London. It was, if you like, a professional visit designed to make a particular point about America's place in the modern world. Virtually all of the films on offer in the Leicester Square cinemas were American. Nothing wrong with that, I hear you say. Hollywood makes some great movies, and some very bad ones as well. But Hollywood is also an instrument of American soft power; a phenomenon which, though poorly understood, has a dramatic impact in shaping perceptions of America and American society. Through American eyes Take the film that I saw - The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise. It is set in 19th century Japan. It is a story based on a real-life rebellion by a Samurai warlord, against a western-backed - in this case a US-backed - government, intent on modernising the country. Soft power is the ability to get what we want by attracting others, by getting them to want the things we want Joseph Nye US theorist In showing the last gasp of the old Samurai warrior-caste it lets the Americans have their cake and eat it. They are both the villains - the suppliers of the modern weaponry to the government, but an American, Tom Cruise of course, is also the hero. He is a US soldier who respects the warrior traditions of the Samurai and sides with them. America's dominance of the movie industry across much of the world is not just a matter of money and big business. Popular culture celebrates American values and, as in this case, it presents a particular American view of the past. Western temptations What is good for cinema is equally the case with television. We went on a location-shoot with the crime series Law and Order on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. New York is as much the star of this show as the characters themselves. It probably goes a long way in explaining its popularity; it is shown in over 70 countries around the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the world watches America on its television screens; in effect pre-programming people to accept particular images of American society and reinforcing its attraction. Film stars like Cruise accentuate America's attractiveness It all sounds like a sinister plot but the reality is much more banal. There are many things that are attractive about US society and films and TV help to accentuate their impact. For a definition of what soft power means I turned to one of its foremost theorists, Joseph Nye, Dean of the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard . "Hard power," he told me, was "the ability to coerce others by using carrots or sticks as either bribes or threats". But "soft power", he said, "is the ability to get what we want by attracting others, by getting them to want the things we want. "If I can get what I want because you want it too," he said, "it saves me a lot of carrots and sticks." But hard and soft power have to be used together. "During the Cold War military containment prevented Soviet expansion but the real victory was the transformation of the cultures behind the Iron Curtain by their attraction to Western values. So soft power was essentially the transformative force," says Mr Nye. Feasible or folly? The Bush administration is eager to use soft power to change its image in the Middle East. But it wants to go much further to transform the region as a whole. One of the things we ought to have learned from 9/11 is that in this globalised world we potentially pay an enormous price for the inadequacies and flaws of Middle Eastern societies Richard Haas Former Bush aide The US goal is to bring democracy to the Arab world, starting with Iraq. Cynics see such claims as just window-dressing. Critics have argued that the whole grand plan is over-ambitious at best, and plain crazy at worst. But a former senior official in the Bush administration, Richard Haas, insisted that such a goal was not just feasible but essential. "One of the things we ought to have learned from 9/11 is that in this globalised world we potentially pay an enormous price for the inadequacies and flaws of Middle Eastern societies," he said. "When young men in particular grow up alienated, when they don't have political choices, when they get a terrible education that teaches them religious texts through rote rather than secular issues and concepts of inquiry, these are young men who are simply unable to get real jobs and compete in this globalised world. "These then are young men who tend to gravitate towards the mosque and they are at a minimum likely recruits to extremism and worse to terrorism." At one level the logic is convincing. But it is far from clear that Middle Eastern societies want to be democratised by the Americans in quite this way. At the American University in Cairo, which trains a significant slice of the Egyptian elite, we found thoughtful students, most of whom were comfortable with both their US-style liberal education but also with their Arab identity. The provost of the university, Professor Tim Sullivan, argued that education is perhaps the best example of the beneficial impact of soft power. But uncomfortable though it may be to the politicians, education, he insisted, was not a remedy that would work overnight. Richard Haas agreed that America's great project in the Middle East was the work of a generation. But the real question is whether successive US administrations will have the staying power to see the job through, assuming of course that it is feasible in the first place.

As I read this article, a few thoughts that often cross my mind came to me once again. It seems though at every corner on the road to success for Somaliland, our own self-declared somali brethren seem to try to hurdle us, trip us, do anything to avert our success in any matter. Whether it be economical, political, educational or even the smallest undertakings seem to find the most fierce opposition from other Somalis. If we are brothers, wouldn’t you wish your brother the best of luck and success, would you stand in the way of his advancement? People are so caught up in there politics now a days they don’t even pay attention to the conflicting rhetorical jargon coming out of their mouths. Reer Somaliland are our brothers but we don’t want them doing business with other countries, receiving aid, establishing political relations with other countries etc…and first and foremost we don’t respect their right to determine their own future. How much sense does that make? We are so caught up in much complicated politics and yet we fail to address some fundamental moral concepts. You can't preach somalinimo on one hand and stand as a road block on the other. That is why I find it humourous when I hear hypocrites talk of somalinimo and somali brotherhood. There are some who fundamentally believe in that idea but they are outnumbered by the old hypocrites. SOMALILAND FORUM PRESS RELEASE: Immediate Date: 10 February 2004 (Ref: SLF/EC/32/2003/4) Nairobi UN Political Office Censors Somaliland Textbooks The constructive re-engagement in Somaliland by some United Nations agencies detected over the last few years is being undermined by the Nairobi based United Nations Political Office (UNPOS), whose occasional forays into Somaliland affairs have always been counterproductive, in contrast to the work of other operational UN agencies such as UNCHR, UNICEF, WHO etc. The latest reported edict from this office (UNPOS) was a written instruction (dated 21/10/03) to UNESCO to .desist from printing. a Grade Five Social Studies Schools textbook for Somaliland because it .advocates for Somaliland.s secessionist policy.. How it does that is listed in a page to page examination which points out the following items in the textbook that are considered by UNPOS to be .sensitive. and unacceptable: The map of Somaliland and its international boundaries. The map of Somaliland showing its regions and cities, which are of course different from the ones set in the dictatorship era of the .Somali Democratic Republic. before 1991 when Somaliland reasserted its independence. Maps of Somaliland showing main roads, airports, ports, mountains, hills, vegetation, winds, rainfall, agricultural areas etc. References to any issues relating to the re-assertion of Somaliland independence in 1991. Picture of the Somaliland flag, national emblem, and reference to the national anthem. The textbooks, which UNESCO has agreed previously to publish and ought to have been in use in Somaliland schools from 2002, are still beeing withheld. The Nairobi based UNPOS, which was set up in 1995 after UNOSOM II says, in its website, that .Somalis often call on UNPOS requesting assistance in pleading their respective cases with other UN Agencies. UNPOS provides such assistance based on the merit of each request.. The Somaliland Forum and the Somaliland people are making this request to UNPOS: . You can continue denying the existence of the Republic of Somaliland, if you so wish, but please do not interfere with the other United Nations agencies which are delivering much needed assistance and help on the ground. Textbooks are essential for rebuilding the education system of Somaliland and no one can tell the Somaliland people not to teach their children about their own national history, geography and political and social development.. We would remind the Nairobi based UN officials that education should be directed at developing the child's personality and talents and is .to prepare the child for responsible life in a free society, develop respect for the child's parents, basic human rights, the natural environment and the child's own cultural and national values and those of others." (Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Children - our emphasis). We are left wondering how the censorship of Somaliland school textbooks by UN officials squares with these lofty aims. Last week (on 4th February), in a far-reaching debate on Somaliland at the United Kingdom Parliament, the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Hilary Benn, confirmed his view that .the issue of recognition (which was raised by the honourable members of UK Parliament) should not get in the way of development and assistance.. This is a lesson that the United Nations Political Office (UNPOS) needs to learn, particularly more so, at this juncture when, it will, as it has done after the Djibouti Conference a few years ago, be pulling out all the stops to support whatever new .government. the Somalia warlords and factions produce at their meeting in Nairobi. Somaliland has never been a party to these talks and, for that matter to the 14 or so others that preceded it, and no amount of schools textbook censoring or other UNPOS machinations will change the reality that Somaliland has been and will continue to be a separate, sovereign, independent country. BACKGROUND: 1. For the background of UNPOS, see (http://www.unsomalia.net/UNPOS/index.htm). UNPOS was created in 1995 as a small political office in Somalia in the post UNOSOM II period. UNPOS came into existence on 15 April 1995 and is supposed to .try and maximize the efforts of the international community with respect to peace initiatives on Somalia.. The terms of reference of UNPOS (Agreed upon by the Security Council - S/1997/756) are said to be monitoring developments in Somalia as a whole; assisting the people of Somalia in their efforts to achieve national reconciliation; liaising with the neighbouring countries and concerned organisations on political developments relating to Somalia. 2. UNPOS and its predecessors UNOSM I & II have consistently denied the existence of Somaliland since 1991 and, at times, have been suspected by Somalilanders of working towards undermining their independence. 3. UNPOS is currently headed by Mr Winston A Tubman who, according to the Somaliland newspaper, Haatuf, is the author of the instruction to UNESCO to desist from printing the Somaliland schools textbook. 4. UNESCO runs a world-wide Programme for Education for Emergencies & Reconstruction (PEER), which started in 1993. PEER is aimed at meeting .the educational needs of vulnerable groups such as children traumatised by crisis situations.. and identifies as its basic principle the rapid establishment of basic education in line with Article 28 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child which stipulates .universal, free and compulsory primary education.. The textbooks project was a PEER project, and the UNPOS instruction referred to above was directed at the Head of the project in Nairobi. For more information about PEER, see www.ginie.org/ginie-crises-links/Peer/pdf/per_exp.pdf (an article written by, among others, the Head of PEER). 5. The Somaliland Ministry of Education completed the preparation of appropriate textbooks for elementary schools in 1997/98 and after UNICEF completed their publication, the new syllabus was adopted, as planned, from 2001. In contrast, the textbooks for intermediate school grades were prepared by the Ministry in 1999/2000 and passed on to UNESCO PEER for publication, and are still awaited. The planned date for their use in the schools was early 2002. 6. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2003 to 2012 .the Literacy Decade., and UNESCO was asked to prepare an international Plan of Action to be co-ordinated with governments, NGOs and the civil society. In Somaliland, primary school enrolment is only 17% and enrolment at intermediate/secondary school level is lower. The government and the people are working hard to increase enrolment, but require considerable assistance. For more statistical information about Somaliland, see .Somaliland in Figures. at www.somalilandforum.com 7. For details of the UK Parliamentary debate on Somaliland, see (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/cm040204 ). 8. Somaliland was a UK protectorate from 1884 to June 1960, when it became the independent .State of Somaliland.. This state had internationally delineated boundaries, including the ones it shared with French Somaliland (now the Republic of Djibouti) and Somalia (Italian colony and later Trusteeship territory). In an effort to form a .Greater Somalia., The State of Somaliland formed a union with Somalia, which became independent on 1 July 1960. After the end of the .Greater Somalia. dream and years of neglect, long term suppression and near genocide of the Somaliland people, Somaliland re-asserted its independence in May 1991 . a decision which was since also endorsed through a national Referendum. Somaliland has since built up a democratic state with a bi-cameral parliament, a functioning judiciary and an executive headed by an elected President. Local government elections were held last year and parliamentary elections will be held later this year. .The Somaliland Forum is an independent organisation that brings together the Somaliland Diaspora. We believe in a sovereign, prosperous and independent Somaliland. Working together with Somaliland Communities and Somaliland friends around the globe, we believe that we can contribute to the betterment and development of the Republic of Somaliland. It is said that a nation's greatest asset is its human resources - hence, the importance of the contributions of the Somaliland Diaspora.. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions to make, the SL Forum Executive Committee will be eager to hear them.

Nice article casey, its always a positive to have foreign interest and investment. But first and foremost we have to invest in ourselves, in particular the continual investment of the Somaliland diaspora I hope will continue. Like the author stated above, we have rebuilt mostly on our own and we will continue to do so with or without investment from USAID.

Originally posted by guraad: I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the leadership of the Puntland State of Somalia and the people of Sool, Sanaag and Hawd region for the tremendous resolve, determination in confronting and repelling the recent moves by the breakaway Somaliland....... Although this is a first round of what is bound to be a long and protracted struggle with the forces of secession and anti-Somalism in Hargeysa, it is quite clear that the victory has been ours in this first engagement. A victory that has sent a clear and forceful signal to the entire world that the people of Sool, Sanaag and Hawd are firm in their conviction and belief that their future lies within the Puntland State of Somalia and under the Glorious Blue Flag of Somalia( until such time as the State of Somalia is re-established, that is). Guraad keep tomping your chess saxiib, remember though " A coward boasting of his courage may deceive strangers, but he is a laughing-stock to those who know him. [Lat., Virtutis expers verbis jactans gloriam Ignotos fallit, notis est derisui.] A cowardly cur barks more fiercely than it bites. [Lat., Canis timidus vehementius latrat quam mordet.] "

The title is very interesting. I find the pro-somaliweyn ppl should look at it carefully and asked themselves the very question "Somalia: exit into history?" keep in mind Somalinimo and the concept of Somalia are not necessarilly inter-related.

Originally posted by Baashi: Gediid, What about the mass graves in Hargeisa? Not long ago your minister have been angry at Siilaanyo about this issue. What was that all about mass graves are no laughing matter, if your gonna bring up a serious topic like that at least have the decency to be serious on the subject. We don't all share your childish sense of humour. Thousands of Mujahiids the likes of Siilanyo have given their lives to defend our people, so stop your moronic allegations and speak like the grown man that I presume you are. I have to wonder why this matter would even concern you in the first place, worry about your Somaliweyn warlords who are sucking the blood out of your population.

madaxweynaha gobollada Waqooyi ee la magac baxay Somaliland Is it just me or is he reluctantly uttering these words? All you have to do is pay close attention to the wording of this phrase to know this is not serious. His word means nothing to Somalilanders, remind me who this man is and exactly what population he represents beyond the two blocks in mugadisho?

sophist, since you seem to be an expert on what defines a Somalilander, why don't you inform the rest of us?

Hopefully this will bring some employment to the region which is much needed. I wonder though what warlord they struck a deal with and who will be assuming their security. What ever warlord that is, he is showing some business savy (not bad at all). I get the feeling somalia is becoming another mexico to the US, where companies might move some operations from Kenya due to cheaper labor and marginal cost of production given that Mogadisho has a port.

Originally posted by somali_chick: yeah Lander, thats exactly it. I'm going to take a summer course this summer, because they offer it at U of t ( is that where you're at?), and if i like it i was just going to transfer to Oxofrd ( i love London!!). So, yeah, i just wanted to know if the whole school was full of blonde white people with big wallets !!!! You let me know if thats the case Somali_girl and no I'm not at U of T but UWO (western) and there seems to be plenty of white people with big wallets around here, no need to go to England to notice that. What we need is more somalis in this place. By the way I heard some wild stories about some somali (or muslim) Gay students asssociation at U of T :confused: which sounds ludicrous, care to shed some light on that or should I say SUP WID THAT?

Originally posted by somali_chick: yeah Lander, thats exactly it. I'm going to take a summer course this summer, because they offer it at U of t ( is that where you're at?), and if i like it i was just going to transfer to Oxofrd ( i love London!!). So, yeah, i just wanted to know if the whole school was full of blonde white people with big wallets !!!! You let me know if thats the case Somali_girl and no I'm not at U of T but UWO (western) and there seems to be plenty of white people with big wallets around here, no need to go to England to notice that. What we need is more somalis in this place. By the way I heard some wild stories about some somali (or muslim) Gay students asssociation at U of T :confused: which sounds ludicrous, care to shed some light on that or should I say SUP WID THAT?

somali_chick, are you taking a summer course there? they were offering credits at oxford at my Uni too, a little out of my range it terms of expenses but a friend of mine went last summer to take a political science course and she had a good time, good luck and let us know how you like it. By the way I think the nomad OODWEYNE might have went to oxford you'll often find him in politics section, he might be able to give you the 411.

somali_chick, are you taking a summer course there? they were offering credits at oxford at my Uni too, a little out of my range it terms of expenses but a friend of mine went last summer to take a political science course and she had a good time, good luck and let us know how you like it. By the way I think the nomad OODWEYNE might have went to oxford you'll often find him in politics section, he might be able to give you the 411.