I would like to see their qualifications too. If you may plz Gediid...

Loooooool@wind....Man you just made me laugh esp. with the cameroon and dead ol' men who are good at breeding. Ahh well then we should put it this way. You reckon they should be middle of the road. Not so cultured and not so Islamic right? I just wanted to know the weight of their beliefs rather and from the looks of it, it looks like you saying its more culture

Love THIS Classic known as FILAN MAYN MARIANE- INAAD MAYA ILEDAHAY. Caashaqa isooriday anka raysto howshee....... Benie raad maleh Anyone got them or know where I can find them

MAY ALLAH REST HER SOUL IN PEACE...AS FOR THE KILLERS, THEY ARE IN HOT SOUP NOW....PROBABLY LOOKING AT DEATH SENTENCES OR LIFE.... Watch them on video here NEW ENVIRONMENTS AND NEW CULTURES ARE BOUND TO TAKE THEIR TOLL. MAY HAVE BEEN DRAG RELATED TOO WHO KNOWS.

Oohh you guys are such alovely bunch....You really have made me happy with the abundant information you have passed on....please keep them coming. And if there are other interesting folklore stories that you think you can either share or tell me where to find that would make this place more interesting. We have to embrace what tickles us and rubs us the best way possible. I would think everyone here smiles while reading this thread. Let this place be the place where you bring on your sense of humour and most of all relax and have agiggle while working or at home. Thank you all.... Just look at him...alegend ..just the only guy who makes us all laugh..

Simple brother.,...Do Somalis follow their culture than Islam? The reason for asking this is because, we seem to induldge in alot of bad things like killing each other and hating each other most times if not all the time lately. Good moslems tolerate each and most of all love their country men. We seem on the other hand to be doing on the contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion. Alot of us try very had to be good moslims but still deep down there is alot of hypocricy hence the question is more of culture than religion.

Much Oblidged Simply......Im trying to create an archive ....

Ooh thank you bro Jacayl......this would do me so much good..

Hasna sis for this to happen you need asystem that deals with it. We as a Somali community do not have such a system in place so when kids get taken away its the social services that deal with it. However, our community needs to be able to support its people by advocating for better services and support and self empowering itself by taking an active role. ie speak to the social services on issues regarding the Somali and give the much needed advice where its needed.

Anyone know where I can find them? I have never had the chance to read this stories that seem to interest me so much. If anyone knows where I can find them or buy them for that matter, please do let me know....

Nicely put and sorry too that you were once pretty sick. 'hope you have recovered fully somehow. My answers and interpretations where actually based on what you wrote and nothing else. Just reading between the lines as they say..

Charisma...Thanks for your vote of confidence. I hope and pray that Iam there for my kids if at all and hope to be selfless in their upbringing. Bishaaro....Did you say Irrelevant? Bro. What is relevant to you? Is it the reproduction process? Or would you rather made sure what helped bring into this world turns out to be a good person and would represent you for the rest of your life and be an icon for you whilst you are gone. Brother doing something in your own home is first of all a good example to your kids and wife and secondly its what we call labour of love. No lose here but gains. Something a lot of brothers and maybe some sisters need to address for what you soar is what you get. Allaubahne - Pretty agood response brother and the mixture of the two languages makes sense too

Thank you Horn...No momentum no government, No good will no government...No desire no government; No trust no government. No hard work no government. If the present government is to succeed, it has to heal the people first and foremost and make sure everyody is treated with the respect they deserve. Clean up the cities and show that the sheriff is in town. Rememeber Somalis are not as ignorant as they were once upon a time.

Bro Smith this is just ascenario that is just being milled around and if you read the article, it looks like the timetable is not certain. As the reconstruction of Somalia continues to receive less enthusiasm from the international community compared with Sudan, it is emerging that some members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) - under whose auspices the Somali National Reconciliation Council was held - are thinking of contingency plans, should the international community take too long in facilitating the relocation. One such plan, which is yet to be fully developed, is the possible shift of the interim government from Kenya to another country with fewer Somali nationals, but with historical and cultural links with Somalia. Egypt is emerging as an ideal country where the new government can work on its programme without undue influence and direct repercussions from what is happening in Somalia, though sources close to Igad maintained that this would only be an option once it becomes clear that the international community will take longer than expected to lay the framework for a smooth relocation. The Gov't. in waiting seems to be waiting for help from outside than from within. A few people going back to Baidao doesnt suggest anything is happening unless the elected president and his entourage have to really go and take whatever backlashes that they are certain to receive and maybe arrange their own security temporarily rather than expect it from outsiders. This looks like it wont be very different from Cabdi Qassims period where instead of doing something, he decided to chill and fly to different countries for favours instead of showing his countrymen how determined he was to bring peace by adopting new policies and creating atleast the environment in which people would have felt a change. Like clean the streets and make sure the free labour that was available to him was put to use. Bro I dont see why they dont go back now ...may just turn out to be another 3 or so years b4 it is realised that nothing would work. Better take the bull by the horns I would say...

He is very good ....you can buy his CD/DVDs too. Pretty much understandable and his information is pretty much up to date and does everything he says with examples...

North - Physical and muscle is what Arsenal are. However, everytime anyone is caught by an arsenal player that means a yellow card. The image we have had over the years still comes to haunt us and we are not allowed to play amans game. We seem to be victims most times as other teams are given the chance to whack our players as much as they can get away with.

Disagree with you there Smith and I wont say that what you said is nonsense either. However, a government in waiting shouldnt be seen as a government in exile. What is it that is keeping it away from its own base? Now why would they move to another country when they should be going back to lands that it should be governing?

Thank you for posting this....One of my favourite sport. Used to enjoy Martial arts alot and thinkin of going back for more beatings:)

Of late, in fact for some months now, I have been giving my time (which I happen to have plenty of currently), my food, my ears, my home, my effort to those around me. It's not that I don’t normally help but I’ve been making an extra-conscious effort to give. And it may be clichéd but I've received far more in return and enjoyed the experience. Self conscious of what you are lucking in terms of being charitable and trying to make yourself feel good by helping a helpless old man. So you adapt this old man who happens to be frail and doesn’t seem to be like someone who has ulterior motives. The perfect charity case. Except(did you hear it coming?) when I got very sick just after Eid and could only think of me, myself and I- when there weren't fever-induced thoughts overwhelming me. Could that be a wake up call for you to re-evaluate your whole lifestyle and do some good…. As soon as I could walk in a straight line again, I dropped by a 70 year old neighbour of mine. This is someone whom I have been looking out for (although he'd kill me if I was obvious with it as he's a proud man) and helping. He too has been helpful to me. In fact, he was organising a day trip for a big group of women and himself when I got sick. The trip hadn't been finalised when I got ill; I remained house-bound for 3 days. Meanwhile, the trip had gone ahead and he was wondering why I hadn't let him know if I had suddenly decided not to go. I explained that I was very sick and apologised but he gave me a clear indication that I was obliged to him in some way. I was surprised and decided to reduce the time and the help that I offered him. Something unhealthy was in the air. Would you be happy if someone you cared for didn’t even call you for help when you always giving a helping hand to them all the time. I know I would feel a bit awkward knowing a great buddy of mine was almost dying and couldn’t even ask for help. Yesterday I drop in again to say hello and I get a less than warm reception. For the next five minutes I listen to him complain and contradict himself and work himself into an agitated state. Where have you been? I'm angry with you. I knew you were sick but not that sick. Perhaps he is more caring than you think he does …after all you do look after him and so maybe he thought he would do the same for you had you told him. A feeling of being guilty may have overwhelmed him and turned him sour. X(another old man) mentioned that he saw you and I was surprised. I wondered if he goes to your house, not that it's any of my business but still I asked him and he said no, he'd seen you in the street a couple of times. And Y asked about you and I said I don't know where that woman is or what her story is. I was thinking why doesn't this woman have a phone, she could have called me and told me she wasn't going on the trip, you're obliged to me you know. Truly the green eyed monster rare its head….he is assuming that you need his permission for your other pursuits and probably sees himself as the father figure if not a contender for your unflinching help seen in his eyes as love. I wanted to send an email(with my help) and I waited and I waited for you and in the end I said to hell with her….. You could be reading him wrong and may just create a scenario of beeps as you said. The good Samaritan in this case could become the hated neighbour. Ya Ilaahi. To hell with her aa? To hell with her? I let him talk and talk so I can get a better idea of what's bugging him and all I can come up with is: the man obviously mistakes me for his Genie in the Lamp, his Meals on Wheels, his Santa's Elf, his mother, his his.. Well I’m afraid he is comfortable and knows that he can rely on you. You have selflessly helped him without asking for anything in return so basically you are the genie in his eyes and as Somalis tend to do (unappreciative), he takes you for granted and wont know better. He always tells me he has a very bad temper and in his agitated state and mine I know that an explosive argument is about to erupt. So I don't comment but take it all in. It seems a person can't make kind gestures without them turning into bloody obligations followed by expectations and then demands! All the beauty got sucked out of it. I leave and tell a woman I know. 'May be he wants you', she says, 'and he can't handle that you're not around him as much'. He sure knows how to keep you on your toes…Temper Stop everything. Can't a gal give to a guy without it turning into a boy-girl situation? I don't know what is going through this old man's mind regarding me but in mine there is only the desire to help a sick, lonely, old man. Was I naive? Do men always see kind gestures as possible pairings-up? Is it that men don't give to one another as often as women do and when a woman gives to a man and she's not a mother or a sister, she can only be a potential significant other? Is that it? Do men accept gestures from women without expecting more? No you were not naïve to help and yes you were naïve to think a 70 year old frail man wouldn’t want or desire a very caring lady like you not that…that’s what you had in mind but you got to give yourself credit for being his creature of comfort and of cause making his life much more brighter. You may just be his object of desire though in his case I’m not so sure he could do anything about it. I hate stereotyping and talking in 'All men are..' sentences but twice in the last couple of months I've been faced with this dilemma. One guy shocked me so much I practically ran for it; and I'm still running. Not all guys have ulterior motives but then again once you get to know a person you sometimes get to like them more than you thought you would and that in itself is not a bad thing. However why cant a lady like you stand your ground instead of running. Try talking to them and making it clear that you are not interested and if they tried it on once again they would lose you as a friend. As for this old guy, I don't want to think he sees me as anything other than a daughter and the thought of him seeing me as more makes me quite sick to the stomach. Well the best you can do is tell him that you are only helping out and that he is not your responsibility nor you being his responsibility other than being neighbourly and helping out someone who could be your father/grandfather. All I know for sure is that he has annoyed me quite considerably and I want him to know that I am not his little errand girl or his posession. You are right it is quite annoying but perhaps she thinks of you as someone who cares and just maybe he is trying to play a guardian role. Right vibes but wrong assumptions….Surely at 70, he is not thinking of you as…………. However, I don't want to have an explosive argument with a proud old man who will tell me to beep off in no uncertain terms. I don't want anybody to have the satisfaction of telling me to beep off, least of all an old man whom I'll find difficult to disrespect. Perhaps I will send him a note with my thoughts. He has transgressed and needs to know. You may not only hurt his feelings but you would feel guilty too somehow…so better to avoid him if that’s what you feel is the right thing to do. So tell me guys, do I save my gestures for the women in the community and blank the men entirely? Is it possible for a gal to give to a guy and not have to worry how he will take it? Confused. I would do the same but I would also put myself in his shoes just to try to work out what he is thinking about. Ofcouse you would know what his motives are by now. Tough call!

One thing that keeps coming to my mind when I look at our folks is that there seems to be more of a bias to culture than religion in our community. We seem not to hold high esteem of our religion which is a whole way of life. When you look at all aspects of our community they are mostly based on culture than religion. We seem to remember religion when the going gets tough or when it suits us but when things are at per with what we want then its like in the back of our mind. So I ask which is most important to you guys. Can we get an insight into what we really are and most likely believe more than the other?

This pretty strange not only to us as Somalis but to the rest of the world where any it is said that once ademocratic government is elected it should be based at home rather than in hotels in atotally different country. Strangely enough there is talk of it moving now to Egypt. What is going on here? Nomadic Government without ahome.

We cant be winning all the time right North...Time to let you guys have abit of fun too Dont hold your breath though!

Orgiliqe to worry one game won wont make alot of difference to them. Lpool is still looking at the 5 and 6 place. Granted we were beaten but surely this can only make our team regroup and perhaps even give them the kickstart they need to re-evaluate themselves. Im sure come next year we maybe there n there about. Lets hope too that we can beat chalsea next week.

Waterlily I must admit this is agreat idea not only to come together as Somalis for somali causes but also to do something that most of us have excluded ourselves from. Time we put the money where our mouths are and try to create an Idea that can make adifference to many Somalis both home and away. A charitable get together is trully agood cause but lets hope the differences amongst Somalis in Diaspora which is alot is forgotten for the bigger future picture of this and future generations. Here to help by all means..

Afew personal stories from Somalia and it emerging from ruins.. Stories from Somalia