The Occupation of Somalia - Queen Mary Uni - 6pm 7-Dec-2007

[N.O.R.F]

Queen Mary Somali Society is proud to announce that it is hosting the event 'The Occupation of Somalia'. (See attached).

 

This event intends to educate or even remind our fellow Somali brothers and sisters, and for the general public to be aware of the current situation of our homeland country. There will be guest speakers, which include doctors, journalists, registered charity representatives and poets.

 

 

Therefore, with this main agenda in view, I expect everyone to stand up, come along and show your support to Somalia.

 

Our guests for the evening include:

 

 

Dr Mohamed Hassan

(Al-Hayaat Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia)

Mohamed Barre Haji

(Journalist working in Mogadishu, Somalia)

Abdi Bahdon (Book of Rhymes)

Dhalad

 

PLUS MANY MORE!

The event will be hosted at:

 

Queen Mary, University of London

The People's Palace, Skeel Lecture Theatre

Mile End

 

You can get to here via tube by getting off at Mile End Station (Central Line) or Stepney Green (District/Hammersmith & City).

 

Date: Friday December 7th.

 

Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm

 

Admission: Free

 

Brothers and sisters, please make sure you do your upmost to come to this event, it will beneficial not only for you, but for our homeland as a whole.

 

For any more information or general queries do not hesitate to contact me and please do forward this on.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Nasra Jeylani

 

 

Email: info@qmsomalisociety.com

 

Website: www.qmsomalisociety.com

[Thierry.]

A very good talk, some of the facts highlighted by the speakers who have hands on experience:

 

Facts prior to the Tigray Occupation:

 

- 2.5 Million People resided in Mogadishu

- 20, 000 students and 100s educational institutions

- 77 Hospitals

- Crime level lower than most OECD countries

- No Pirating of the coast

- Reconstruction of monuments and other Public buildings

- A major business boom

- Many more points (I cannot remember)

- Law and order

 

 

Current Status quo:

- 60% of the population are in Refugee camps

- There almost zero student in Mogadishu

- 3 hospital left (one of which the speaker works at)

- Rape, looting and torture widespread in the whole country

- Economic development has halted

- Africa’s Greatest humanitarian crisis

- Over 6,000 civilians killed

- Many more points

 

 

This is this statement that stood out for me the most:

 

“The Dabodhilifs and Pro Italians during the era of independence their children are a shamed to state what their surname is, thus to those current dabodhilifs do not let your children be a shamed of you”

[chubacka]

did anyone go?

[Thierry.]

Plenty of young and old Somalis went who are angry by the Ethiopian aggression turned up . I along with couple of other nomads from SOL was there.

 

The basic message was that or brother back home are doing the hard work of resisting the aggressors, the Somalis in the west in particular the young generation should do their utmost to push the Somali agenda at the fore front.

 

The speaker encouraged us to get together with established Somali organisations or with a couple of your nomads and to lobby the British government and media.

[N.O.R.F]

Wish I could have gone to hear things from someone who was there.

[Xalimopatra]

I know a couple of the heads of QMUL Somali Society and was invited to attend via facebook but couldn't attend y'day.I heard it went great and two people who spoke recieved a standing ovation

[Elysian]

The speaker encouraged us to get together with established Somali organisations or with a couple of your nomads and to lobby the British government and media.

Ask the British government and media to do what Thierry?

[Thierry.]

Sister Elysian

 

Lobbying government sister from my knowledge helps you in setting a policy towards the region that you are lobbying for. AIPAC the famous Jewish lobby group has radically changed Americas view on the middle-east. We have over a 100,000 Somalis living in the UK majority living in London. If every person contacts his local MP once a month a lot can be done in bringing a policy that changes Britain or Americas view on East Africa. I have contacted my local MP on several occasions and he has replied back to me on many occasions with each time his knowledge broadened.

 

With the media they bring the story to the fore front and they heat up the fan.

 

These are small things but if you incorporate it with:

- Resistance

- Fund raising

- Strategic Agreements

 

A lot can be done in elevating the Somali from the current status quo

[Elysian]

It is really good to hear what you and others are doing brother Thierry , and I agree with you that lobbying is a good way to influence politicians and other people in the power structure in their decision making. However, I was sincere (maybe it is a naïve question) but what are we lobbying for, what do we ask our governments of?

 

I know what huge influence and authority AIPAC has had on the US policy in their relationship with Israel. But AIPAC besides having well-developed networks, is well organized, they have an agenda; they work in unity towards their goals.

 

From where I sit, here in Sweden, I don’t see any unity among the Somalis in order to build a strong organization that can channel one voice and lobby for a certain goal. If it is up to each individual to contact their MP’s, what should the person say. Is it enough to say that I am concerned about the situation in Somalia and I want the world community to take more responsibility to stop what is happening? Shouldn’t we as lobbyist have a strategy to present for the MP’s how to end the hostilities in Mogadishu?