Luke Angel was reprimanded by police on both sides of the Atlantic after firing off a drunken message to the White House calling the president a "p****". The FBI intercepted the message and contacted police in the UK who went to see the 17-year-old at his home in Silsoe, Bedfordshire. Luke, a college student, is now on a list of people who are banned from visiting the States. The teenager told the Bedfordshire On Sunday newspaper that he had sent the email after watching a TV programme about September 11. When asked about the ban, Luke said: "I don't really care. My parents aren't very happy about it. "The police who came round took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever." A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: "The individual sent an email to the White House full of abusive and threatening language. "We were informed by the Metropolitan Police and went to see him. He said, 'Oh dear, it was me'." Officers will take no criminal action. Joanne Ferreira, of the US Department of Homeland Security, said there are about 60 reasons a person can be barred. She added: "We are prohibited from discussing specific cases."

Way to many many @Juxa to make me doubt your figures. As for the thread. KK you disappoint me. Somali psycho- blaming the mothers are we? Mpenzi- mbona kimya siku hizi ata mandazi sijapata.

Cara- It always happens to me and i never learn. Morning people. Mpendwa uko wapi

Juxa- I know; and I think it’s high time you get some muruuq. All this reer-magal stuff of placing an order is so not for you. Pass me this lady’s talefone dee. I’ve managed everything apart from shushumow and Odcak.

About time. JB resigned from the celebratory committee without informing anyone/recruiting a successor. Eid Mubarak everyone.

Missing girls?

WCS Juxa- that’s a lot. But I had you for miss “I will do it myself” after all its really not that hard to make. Norf- I never learn, I always do that and then think why did I when am among the few who battled our way in.

Fabulous. Likewise it took forever to get in and now facing the same outward journey. As for the why- there greedy so and so’s serious; rail workers and BA staff are the most selfish/ungrateful bunch of people. How are you; and made the halwa yet?

Morning.

Juxa-where do you do that @ Nuune- what a look. Plz do take a pic and post it. Che- 45 sambuss and 4 men and you lot finished it. Darn

Volunteering on Eid. Mashallah, very unselfish with your time you are. I on the other hand am very selfish with my time. So no, but I shall be there in spirit though and with you. So busy time with the family- and that’s volunteering enough nooh? p.s what are you doing with this people then?

Working?

Why are you working? I never understand people who do that, cant you take the day off? After all its a special day.

Morning and WCS@ Juxa. Happy eid indeed. Praying really hard for thurs Eid instead of Friday.

Written by Yusuf Serunkuma Sunday, 05 September 2010 On August 30, four Ugandan soldiers were killed in Mogadishu following an Al Shabaab assault on the state capital. On September 1, The New Vision, Uganda’s government owned newspaper, in an editorial, pleaded for “beefing up” of deployment in this coastal country, not just from Uganda, but from the broader international community. “Stable Somalia is not only good for the Somalis, but the whole international community. Since the collapse of a functional government in Mogadishu in 1991, basic social services also collapsed…the world has paid dearly on the hands of terrorists. It would, therefore, be a grave mistake to allow a rogue government to take root in Mogadishu,” the editorial noted. This was rather an emotional appeal, the kind that defines approaches to conflicts in Africa these days —speaking the language of humanitarian intervention against “rogues”, “terrorists” or “extremists”. Foreign aid activist and U2 lead singer Bono has been cautioned to use his head while campaigning for aid for Africa, and not his heart. The New Vision editorial seemed to be heart-based, and this is misleading. The editorial lamented further that millions have died due to famine and insurgency, and that the cost this failed state has had on international trade is not likely to end soon unless the peacekeeping mission is improved. And that the mission should be changed from peacekeeping to peace enforcement. This is lunacy. Does foreign intervention or peacekeeping help pull a state out of the rubble? This is a naïve assumption for it chooses not to respect the issues at hand, but rather emphasises the humanitarian picture — number of casualties of the crisis. While this is certainly a bad picture, we need to do the Somalis some favour - leave them alone. The situation might deteriorate further; the number of dead may escalate tremendously, the president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and several of his ministers may be killed (God forbid), and warlords may take over the country. But while all this could be disastrous in the short term, foreign intervention is worse and will last longer. It is rather absurd that many believe that the Al Shabaab are attuned to fighting. This is not true. Should they take over the country as its leaders, the Somali populace will ask them for healthcare, education, security, participation in trade and infrastructure improvement. They will have to “forcefully sober up” so as to sustain their legitimacy. They may have to use Sharia for their rule, and if the international community is afraid of this, then AMISOM is protecting (or fighting) the wrong war. The Al Shabaab is a nationalistic group fighting perceived imperialism. And, as a young group (they started in 2006), they are a product of the second US invasion. Modern US imperialism has had nasty results for global politics and international peace. In 1953, after three weeks of covert operation, Washington and London staged a coup that brought down a democratically elected government in Iran. Prime Minister Muhammad Mosadegh, having nationalised, what truly belonged to Iran, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, was lurched at as an enemy to the interests of the superpowers. In international history, that coup has come to define global politics to-date. Russia attacked Afghanistan, fearing the US/British threat in Iran; the US reacted by training the Taliban to deal with the Russian ‘infidels’. This has come to be called the war on terror and it is the ugly side of imperialism. Many have discarded this as an “ancient piece of history,” thinking that events happen once and have no bearing on shaping the future. In 2006, fearing that a Sharia-led Somalia would provide ground for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, the US brought down another regime in this country, not through a covert coup this time, but through open aggression. At the time, Somalia was led by a Union of Islamic Courts where village mullahs provided a resemblance of government; punishing law breakers, establishing healthcare reform. Today, a youth group, Al-Shabaab is angry with them — and all their allies. Their fighting, therefore, cannot be viewed as an addiction to chaos to warrant international intervention; it is simply a hatred for imperialism. Writing on the same day as the New Vision editorial, the Canadian-based columnist Opiyo Oloya who just recently paid a visit to Somalia and had audience with the president also wrote a narrative of events that subtly hinted on an improved Somalia, courtesy of foreign intervention. “I have seen a people ready to embrace peace, progress and development. The question is whether the leadership is ready.” This is a misleading strand; Somalis are ready to pacify their country, if left alone.

The two women looked at each other across the room. In the pregnant silence, several gold bracelets jingled. Mhhh!!

Morning people. Whats with the sad face@Ibti. Norf whos that?

Shush that reminds me I need to find a local xajji yusuf xalwa shop and put in an order of odkac this weekend. Well; to the mosque, catch up my relatives. Then spend the rest of the day with family. p.s that never stopped JB. How about you?

I know. I think fasting is getting to people now. Am suprised no Eid mubarak thread from JB?

lol. i know dear lakiin i was ref to what you said next.

istakfurulah... Hello Juxa.

What if Cordoba House in Lower Manhattan (ground-zero mosque) was given the green light? Would not that ‘single building’ have done wonders to the repair of seemingly irreparable US-Islam relations and to the US’s own image in the Muslim World? The cultural centre may never be established. But what is already created in its stead is an image of an anti-Islam America in the minds of millions of Muslims the world over. Against conventional wisdom, this commentary argues that America stands to shape the future of Islam and of US-Muslim relations by resisting restriction against the creation of Cordoba House. New York’s Ground-zero is a place of devastation. Indeed, it is a memorial for thousands who have suffered bereavement from an act of lunacy and hatred. But ground-zero stands also as a metaphor for the state of US-Islam relations, which have hit their nadir since the tragic events of 9/11. To reciprocate hatred at the expense of America’s well-known standing for free worship demeans the US’s historical role as a beacon of humanity and tolerance. Increasing Fear The chorus of protests against the mosque may attest to increasing fear of Islam and prejudice against Muslims in the US. As a Mecca of religious freedom, the US must not fall prey to negative emotions, namely, fear, hatred and prejudice. Construction of the project would furnish the building blocks for a brand of Islam reared in the heart of New York and reflecting the ‘American way’: rational, cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, peaceful, tolerant, open, equal, de-gendered, diverse and voluntary. However, short-sightedness deriving from fear and prejudice seems to deny all Americans this potential and opportunity. It would have been a win-win outcome. Billions of dollars are spent on shoring up the continuously sinking image of the US in the Muslim world but to no avail. Where would humanity be today had not societies been able to forgive each other, in the wake of the montrous atrocities of the twentieh century? America is not asked to forget the events of 9/11. But to forgive by embracing the mosque project, which could show a different path for the greater sake of mutuality, equality, reciprocity, tolerance and co-existence. The renovation of the cultural centre is no surrender to Islam. Acquiescence to fear, hatred or prejudice is capitulation. America has always in moments of darkness, such as during the two great wars, made a difference to the world. It helped defeat Nazis and Fascists, it spoke in favour of de-colonization, and it funded European and international post-war reconstruction. The construction of Cordoba House would have written a new chapter of enlightenment in ‘America’s book’ from which others could have taken a leaf or two. Poisoned Relations Europeans could have needed a leaf. Their fear and prejudice are conspicuous. Like Rushdie’s Satanic Verses in the 1980s, in the beginning of the third millennium the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, burqah and minaret restrictions have poisoned Islam-Europe relations. September 11 is a moment when the benighted mind of dozens of Muslims seems to have hijacked not only passenger planes. But also, and more importantly, such an ignorant mentality today hijacks a whole religion. In reciprocity or not, benighted acts ranging from the ill-treatment of the largely Muslim detainee populations in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay to the Danish cartoons, Dutch MP Geert Wilder’s call for the ban of the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Muslims, blatantly feed off fear of Euro-American Muslims and prejudice against them. Led by French President Sarkozy, parliament in France has since July 2010 outlawed the burqah (or niqab – full face-covering garment). The legislation violates the constitution and the EU Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The law stands to confine women to the private sphere where they usually do not veil. Veiling is a means for gaining mobility and presence in the public realm. France has always tended to be less liberal and tolerant than neighbouring Britain, and for that matter the US. Damian Green, the UK coalition government’s Immigration Minister, has allayed Muslim fears of a similar ban in Britain and won plaudits, simply saying that a ban would be ‘un-British’ and against traditions of mutual respect and tolerance. Like the 9/11 acts, various European displays of prejudice, hatred or ignorance demean their authors. They play into the hands of all those who misuse this state of affairs to their own nefarious ends and schemes, Muslim and non-Muslim. Establishing Identity One question begs answers in the post-9/11 world: Are Muslims living in the West American or French citizens who happen to be Muslim? Or are they Muslims who happen to be American, Australian or French? These are questions aimed at the establishments in the West. They are equally questions only Muslims of different Western nationalities can address according to the local reality, law of the land and within the realms of what is possible and not. What is vital is that Muslims living in the West must keep in mind two points. One is that adaptability is the function of intelligent creatures. Islam has historically been very adaptable. This is the secret to Islam’s success in spreading to all corners of the globe. The Swiss Muslim community has absorbed the ban on minarets gracefully and intelligently. After all, worship in Islam is an inner act of faith. It is substance not form that matters most. A mosque is primarily a house of spiritual submission to and unison with God. The second point is that often cultures – and not constitutions – which in practice serve as the main frames of reference when determining the substance of rights even in consolidated democracies. Western cultures are predominantly Christian even if politically tend to be secular. Christian sensibilities are not altogether ignored in the crafting of some policies. France, for instance, favours today Christian migrants from Eastern Europe whose assimilation is easier than Muslims from North Africa. Today there seems to be reciprocal Muslim and Western fear. The anti-Muslim prejudice that tempts the benighted mind inside Western individuals or agencies in positions of power must be resisted by all. This is vital lest Euro-American Muslims become the victimized masses at the margins of the new millennium. They are human beings who happen to be Muslim, and not Muslims who happen to be human beings. Dr Larbi Sadiki is a Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, and author of Arab Democratization: Elections without Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2009) and The Search for Arab Democracy: Discourses and Counter-Discourses (Columbia University Press, 2004). The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. Source: Al Jazeera

Ibti- Military you say. Hubba hubaa!!! Lucky woman indeed. C&H- what do you mean by “ things I thought Somalis didn’t do”? when did Somalis become special and immune to what other communities suffer from? Norf- how much did you give her?

Women. A law officer followed you? Ibti that sounds like the stuff of fantasy for many women. Lucky woman you are indeed. Ist bad that am actually counting the days now? Seeker- Turkey is a lovely place; you will love it + the hairy men that come with it.

Hi.... Gosh its already sept.