Qabiil..Is it taken over the new generation today?

[Warmoog]

To be honest, I cringe at the thought of being asked to identify my qabil. People can sugar-coat-it however they want but, as far as I’m concerned, that one word defines all that is ‘wrong’ with Somali culture.

 

(Allow me to get off-topic for a brief moment): I once read an article on one of those Somali History sites, which made an interesting contrast between Somalis and Europeans. It stated that Europeans have a clear understanding of their place in the world, but lack an understanding of their place in society; whereas Somalis have a clear understanding of their place in society (thanks to qabil), but have no idea of their place in the world. That statement could not be truer…

 

Qabil is a very self-consuming issue and as you become more caught up in it, you become increasingly out of touch with the ‘bigger picture’ (i.e. the world, everything that’s not related to your personal sphere, etc.). To get back to your main question, I don’t think qabil has taken over the younger generations. Sadly, it’s still deeply embedded in the older people regardless of whether they’re vocal about it or not because even those chased out of their country and put through hell by the calamities of qabil-inspired civil wars still carry around a lot of clan-beef… and that’s unfortunate, to say the least.

 

As incoherent as my ramblings may seem, what I’m trying to say here is that qabil is a double-edged sword and - if we can’t use it safely - it’s in our best interests to discard it.

 

Salaama.

[Baashi]

Where are you from? What clan do you belong to?

 

These questions are merely trivial ones. After all, we all come from somewhere and we indeed do all belong to a particular clan. That is a fact. What the enquirer does with this info and what his/her intentions are in asking these questions is a different matter.

 

The necessity of knowing one?s clan is also debatable. Is the enquirer looking for that lost classmate who is from Campo-Amxaaro and happens to belong reer Qurac or does he want to know what basket you belong to so he can decide whether you are foe or friend. The former is legit inquiry and the latter is loaded with good dose of tribalism and the enquirer is a simply bigot who don?t know better.

 

Negative tribalism is real. It exists and it is a problem. It should be discussed constructively, dissected like an organ, looked at with passion, and exposed. The information about its pitfalls should be disseminated. The notion that says it should be ignored or swept under the carpet is wrong. Perhaps those who get agitated by it without partaking in it have some soul searching to do for themselves.

 

As to your question of if this generation r taken over by it...I am not sure. I have a hunch though that this generation is a clan conscious than any other generation in our history. Using their own histories as a reference point, they have already formed an opinion about Somalia and Somalis. Their histories include painful memory of fleeing, loss of relatives, loss of property, etc all done in the name of tribalism under the cover of ?civil war?.

 

I agree we oughtta call spade a spade but at the sametimes we oughtta acknowledge its existence and somehow we oughtta allow discussing it constructively in the forums and in real life. The alternative is to deny it. Don?t partake it and join the quest of finding what is it that makes tick.

 

Talk about incoherent ramblings Yasmine ?u can?t beat this^

[crazyhorse]

the question of qabil always bring a lot of tension and emotion . never judge someone by their clan or relatives.

in the question of love always trust your feelings.

[Coloow]

To be honest with you, I have been travelling the world for almost two decades, and believe it or not. no one has ever posed the question of which tribe I belong to.

 

The nearest I ever come to tribalism is when I hear the Sijui word .

 

I live in a small town that is home to about 30 somalis from different parts of somalia, and I don't really what tribes they belong to. When we meet, the issue of tribalism is seldomly discussed (except as a joke).

 

My theory is that tribalism is practised by the weak, those who lack other forms of relational bonds with their environment.

 

I was in London and toronto, and I must admit that there is an air of tribalism based on geography at work in those towns.

 

Nearly 8 years ago, I was contacted by a dude who claimed that they have formed a tribal organisation. He called to say that some people from my presumed tribe were being slaughtered and therefore, we should try to collect some funds. I asked him if he had any evidence that we belonged to the same tribe, whereby he recited a long gyn list of my forefather, his forefathers etc... I told him that those are myths..

 

He became mad to say the least and never called me again...I saved a few bucks, dignity etc...

 

I would understand why a poor mother who has lost her son, husband would employ tribalism to get her kids fed, but what annoys me is when I see bright minds who have studied, who claim to be good muslims, who live in the west would be held hostage by this collective madness called tribalism.

 

Arguments such as "everyone belongs to a tribe" or " it depends how one uses it", " I am proud of my tribe" are baseless when viewed from common sense... they only strengthen a mind embedded in bondage thinking...

[Sophist]

Yaasmiineey Adeer you have indeed hit the nail on the head.

 

Though it is quite sad that the young new generation with supposedly western liberal education--- actually no liberal education, for most of us read science based degrees or the ever increasing IT related subjects- are still swimining the same dirty waters their father enjoyed. Where would this lead?

 

Aloow Nahanuuni--anigaba waan ku jiraa dadka hanuunka ubaahan.

 

Thus Spake I

[Baashi]

^^Do I hear u say folks (all of them) with IT degree are in need of an orientation? Why IT professionals ...come again Suufi!

 

Jaale-Qaxooti,

I have been asked what clan I belong to and where I?m from many many times. Perhaps you got better company than I have or perhaps you socialize with educated and enlightened nomads than I do. In any event, it is admirable that you disdain Tribalism and what it stands for.

 

Being a member of a particular clan or awareness of your place in the tribal matrix is not the problem here. Denying your ancestors won?t make you disease-free individual. The problem is the fact that some folks concluded they are entitled something more (respect, leadership) than others because they are members of reer Qanjir or reer Qurac are superior than reer Qansax or because past mistakes committed by public figures, millions of nomads who have clan affiliation with these figures are liable and should be hated because of what few did. To me, that is negative Tribalism at its best.

 

Like you I too disdain ?negative? Tribalism but unlike you I?ve accepted its existence - it is not a myth. I?ve contributed to funds in the past collected by my kinsmen to feed orphans, built schools, and erect new wells.

 

I have to tell you friends I have learnt that folks who find necessary to make repetitive public pronouncement about how clean their heart is from this disease are the ones I?m suspicious of.

[Coloow]

Baashi bro, I believe it is a myth. If we look at the reer quracs, qansaxs, garas, two vital questions whose answers defy logic arises:

 

1) The validity of this phenomenon. You would find that Jaaamac from Galkacyo who claims to belong to the reer qurac is related to Faarax who lives in the jubbada. When you ask these two people to recount their ancestory (abtirsi), you find that their only commonality is reer qurac.... If you do a litmus test on several people who claim the same ancestory chances are that you would find discrepencies.

 

Although Faarax and jamac might claim they even belong to the same subclan, a careful analysis would reveal inconsistency........

 

2) There is the intermarriage factor- and the lack of maternal linkages. If your mom belongs to the reer qurac and your father the reer qansax, you are biologically 50% reer qurac and 50% reer qansax. But according to this mythology you are 100% reer qansax.

 

Tribalism is a disease that has to be fought if somalis would realise the dreams that have so eluded us. It is the core reason why somalia as a country does not function. It is the sole reason why enclaves are established.

 

I think to win the war, we need brave somalis to stand up and discuss its validity. One such brave wadaad was sheikh Boqolsoon- He claimed on several occassion that there is a discrepency between the words of Allah in the quran and somali tribalism...According to him the somali tribalism is not based on facts, but ficticious assertations that have been constructed using word of mouth.

[Baashi]

Jaalle-Qaxooti,

I think we are on the same page except you are going further into the detail aspect of genealogy. Let’s take look at the two questions: the first one deals with family tree and the second one deals with Somali social system - patriarchy aspect of it. Patriarchal traditions and lineage record keeping (family tree) are as old as human civilization. Even today if you go to Best Buy stores in US, genealogy software packages cost $99 on average - indication of its demand. How can tradition that is universal defy logic. What makes you Somali or Black? Perhaps geography? What does being Jewish, Arab, or Irish mean anyway? Have you noticed what the citizenship concept means to Germans for instance.

 

What is the point? The point is the root cause of Tribalism, at least the way I see it, is the fact that too much pride has been attached to clan identity and our politics is driven by clan interests. Therefore you have a polity organized, mobilized, and directed by clan activists (vocal minority). The “silent majority” are either complacent or resigned in letting few control their destiny - they could get organized on the basis of political platforms other than clan interests. Tell me whether what I said is myth or facts on the ground.

 

We have agreed on one thing: negative Tribalism is destructive and If I can quote the great poet Timacade: “Dugsi ma leh Qabyaaladi, waxey dumiso mooyaane.” To me it is not myth but an invisible force that is wreaking havoc in Somali polity.

[Coloow]

Baashi, with all due respect, It is not wise to equate the somali clan structure with a family tree. The two are seperate things, at least as I see them.

 

A critical look at the somali qabil-based-tree reveals alot of inconsistency.

[Thinkerman]

People can sugar-coat-it however they want but, as far as I’m concerned, that one word defines all that is ‘wrong’ with Somali culture.

Indeed.

 

I used to ,in my years of bliss full ignorance, answer, i am from 'such n such' . But if someone asked me i would be tempted to tell them (regardless of gender or age)where to go.

 

A critical look at the somali qabil-based-tree reveals alot of inconsistency.

If it indeed deserves a critical look at all.

 

From what i have seen in The Uk Qaabil has taken a firm rooting in Somali youths which is a great shame.

[African]

Baashe I agree with you 100%.

 

Denying the fact that we belong to a clan is like denying that we belong to a family. No one chose which family, clan or nation that they are born into. Allah (sw) told us that he created us into nations and tribes, but also told us how to use this information (to get to know one another) (Al-Hujarat).

 

We also know that the Prophet (saw) was from the qabiil called Quraish and reading the Sirah we learn how he used it POSITIVELY, to forge elegancies, to receive protection, to sign treaties etc and condemn it when it was used NEGATIVELY (when Abu-Dard called Bilaal “the son of a black woman”).

 

Let’s say your company sent you to a city/country that’s inhabited mainly by white people. What would be your reaction at the first sight of seeing a black person? What if this black person resembles Somali? I remember at university I used to have East and West African friends and sometimes when we (the east Africans) are together we use to talk about our cultural differences with the West Africans. This is the first time that I mingled with Africans and found out our similarities with other East Africans (Kenyans, Tanzanians & Ethiopians) even though they were Christians. As a Somali they felt that I was closer to them culturally even though they shared the same religion with the West Africans.

 

I posed the above questions because it’s a natural instinct to seek affiliation with people you share similarities with. If this affiliation is used to oppress others or at the least to believe that we are better then others is where the problem lies.

 

So you can run from qabiil but you cannot hide from it as it’s stamped on your face. I think some of you are confusing qabilism, whish is saying right or wrong my qabiil instead of acknowledging your qabiil and contributing to the positive developments in your region and abstaining from negative and destruction.

 

Peace

 

PS: if I send money to my brother back home to support his family will you accuse me of being qabiilist? What if I send it to my cousin? What if I send it to my city to build a school?

[Coloow]

Ma anigaa walaan mise cadan baa laga heesayaa? one doesn't need to be a neurologist to figure that the somali tribe structure is based on a false notion that has more to do with mythology. It is not exact science, defies common sensence etc.

 

African, You are quite right that Allah made us into tribes, communities, families, races etc. Likewise, quraish and the other tribes that existed in arabia were tribes.

 

 

But I believe that the "tribe" Allah mentioned in the somali context is SOMALI, not the reer qurac, reer qansax etc that we "created". I have heard that argument before used by tribalists to legitimate their social construction that they called qabiil.

[bilan]

salaam

jaale-qaxooti how can you be sure that the one Allah said in the quran is somali, not reer hebel .... somali is ethnicity not tribe, take example aws and khasraj they shared everything language, culture, land, like somali yet they were two different tribes, if we follow you then all arabs are one tribe. nothing wrong with qabiil, what is wrong is how people use it, Allah made us into qabiils to know each other,help each other not to fight, so if someone ask me my qabiil i see nothing wrong with that, he/she can be my long lost cousin.so somali tribe struction is not different than the one that existed in arabia, they used to fight for tribes exactly like us, but when islam came to them the prophet taught them the true meaning of clan. so somalis do not need to deny their tribes,and, rather they need to learn their religion.

[African]

bulo afkaaga caano lagu qabay.

 

so somalis do not need to deny their tribes,and, rather they need to learn their religion.

JQ can you answer the last three qs that I posed?

 

But I believe that the "tribe" Allah mentioned in the somali context is SOMALI, not the reer qurac, reer qansax etc that we "created". I have heard that argument before used by tribalists to legitimate their social construction that they called qabiil.

I can also argue that your interpretation of tribe (Somali) is nationalistic to legitimise your social construction at the expense of other Muslims.

[Coloow]

African

 

if I send money to my brother back home to support his family will you accuse me of being qabiilist? What if I send it to my cousin? What if I send it to my city to build a school?

I wouldn't accuse you of qabilism if you do any of the above. Are you claiming that supporting a tribe is the same as supporting your parents, relatives and village?

 

Come on sister, we know somali tribalism is more than that. Somali tribalism is about collective thinking (you don't need to go far to see it in action, look at somali run websites).

 

 

Bulo,

 

jaale-qaxooti how can you be sure that the one Allah said in the quran is somali, not reer hebel .... so somalis do not need to deny their tribes,and, rather they need to learn their religion

Because the reer hebel is based on false notions- it is more about the effects of nurture than nature.