Dear Mogadishu, I am saddened to learn another horror visited upon you the other day in the heart of your once beautiful downtown. I have a fond recollection of the area — Cinema Centrale, Croce Del Sud, Ufficio Governo, and the classic fashion shops. I understand it was going through renovations and witnessing a renewed sense of hope and revitalized spirits. I am sorry about what the merchants of death and destruction have brought to you. In their twisted, evil logic, they benefit from the atrocity and the violence they foist on you; their survival lies in keeping you in a perpetual cycle of death and destruction. I know your residents are a tough, resilient lot; they braved through so many calamities, but I do not think, for a minute, it is the West that is behind your misfortune. You are just a blip in the West's radar. The culprit is in the midst of the poor, honest, hardworking folks of yours. It is another Somali — a coward, a depraved soul, bereft of morals, hiding behind a variety of masks. He has poisoned your culture and ethics, destroyed your honor and dignity, brainwashed your children, and soiled your reputation. But let me tell you, he is on a borrowed time. Your people are becoming aware and exposed to the outside world, and your youth, ever more educated, restless, believing and demanding a better future. Dear Mogadishu, keep the faith and hope alive, your people will triumph soon and take good care of you! A.Nur Bidar-