Social debate:The real roots of the Somali conflict

[Positive]

Ilax Asks:

 

But stil strugling to understand why this is taking too long?

 

If you mean the wars and hostilities it is about power struggle which in this face of the war is between the Islamic oriented elite using ignorant Somalis as foot soldiers and foreign actors as financiers and overseers.

 

Ilax asks;

 

Where is the problem now ?

 

The problem among other things is:

 

1) the clan mentality of the people which fuels distrust between them.

 

2) a lack of competent leadership with strong social base.

 

3) a lack of genuine outside actors who would help to reinstate a functioning Somali national government with functioning institutions.

 

Ilax asks:

 

Is it cos re-emergency of Islamist?

 

Lately the Islamic oriented elite and their social base has not been a united and coherent force. They are now the Sufis, the Salafs, clan minded masses cloaked with wrong convictions and many others; the Islamic oriented elite is leading now all the fighting groups including the TFG and there is no doubt that their infighting has prolonged the suffering of the people and further destroyed the country and destabilized the people .

 

It comes back though to the lack of competent leadership.

 

how could we solve the problem `?

 

The problem is the continuation of the hostilities. To end the hostilities is a primary solution which can open the gate for further positive solutions!

 

 

 

The Awakener2

[Positive]

As always the traditon oriented are doing well; even in the South proper the elders are awakening now to their role. Compared to the Islamic Oriented, and Western Oriented groups, they excel in constructive engagements through which they seek to find consensus by employing compromise as method.

 

They could acomplish the impossible if only they could go beyond their clan mentality!.

 

ammmmmmm... any wayI feel the traditionalists deserve to be commended and encouraged.

 

The Awakener2

[Positive]

Albert Einstein is quoted as say that peace cannot be kept by force.It can only be achieved by understanding. Contrary to this wisdom many of us are either engaged or sympathetic to the idea to bring peace in our country by using force. In my opinion this is a naïve conclusion at best.

 

If you look closer at the matter you will probable understand that in order peace to endure it has to be facilitated through dialogue and understanding. Otherwise it becomes temporary attainment on the ground that the vanquished part stays at the sideline waiting and takes every opportunity to attack back. This is why the world is embroiled in wars.

 

In my part I see the conflict in Somalia as one based on culture and until we take this factor into consideration we will just get fumbling with poor solutions or scratching our heads wondering what has happened to us.

 

Why do I think that the conflict is about the lack of dominant culture?

 

In order to answer the above question let us look the historical transition of our native somali culture.

 

1. Examples of our Traditional way of Life. It is :

 

• Indigenous
• Decentralized in governance.
• Hierarchies of elders run the affairs of the people in a decentralized manner.
• The elders rule their people on mainly indigenous rules, regulations
• and laws which are passed to them by their forefathers.
• People belong to clans with sub-clans and have their geographically defined area of habitat.
• There are social classes in the society.
• The pastoralist way of Life is valued above all other occupations.
• Members of clan or sub-clan have to give their allegiance to their elders and to the members of their clan and sub-clan. They observe and obey the rulings of their elders and are obliged to defend the members of their clan, sub-clan and their habitat both in blood and material goods.

The country we now call Somalia had a dominant culture with the above characteristics when Islam came to the Horn of Africa; The advent of Islam introduced to somali people a new way of Life which has been in opposition to the most if not all of the values in the traditional way of Life. This opened the gate for a major transition of the Somali cultural values from its indigenous roots. From that time on there was no longer homogeneous culture in the country!

 

( More to follow )

 

 

The Awaker2

[Positive]

This is continuation of the last posting.

 

2. Examples of The Islamic Way of Life.

 

• As culture it is not indigenous.
• It promotes a centralized system of governance which is detailed both in form and function in the Sharia.
• It promotes a Islamic national state with a leader and hierarchy of governors and leaders under it.Sharia supersedes all other rules, regulations or laws.
• A Muslim person is a member of the Ummah and he or she shares habitat with his Muslim brothers and sisters.
• The existing social classes are discouraged.
• All occupations are encouraged and honored except those which are defined as sinful or bad.
• Members of the Ummah have to give their allegiance to the Islamic State.

My aim is not to teach and I have to concede that I may be taking chances as to correctness of my above mentioned points but I want to make a contrast between our sub-cultures so that we can see where we are! What happened in that initial stage of the introduction of Islam into the Horn was that our forefathers accepted the Islamic faith but still they clenched to many values in their native culture; the Sufi teachers who were the vanguards of the Islamic teaching were aware of the challenges but they were not in a hurry because they knew that a changing of a culture is a process. Instead they put their energy to teach the people according to the capacity the people could accommodate the faith.

 

(more will follow)

 

 

The Awakener2

[Haal Somali]

Hey guys I am new here and I'd like to give my two cents on this topic. As someone already mentioned the real root of the Somali problem is based on culture rather than politics. I think there are many many many real problems that must be solved within the Somali culture in order to solve the mess "we" have become but there must be communication, which sometimes (if not always) is missing. There is too much saving face in the Somali community, and so problems aren't discussed and battled out but instead become the elephant(s) in the room. I think that if Somalis opened up forums and discussed why there is much self-hatred, why there is disunity among Somalis, why there is the slow slip of the Somali language, and how we can bring constructive solutions to these real problems we would be far ahead of our current situation. Rather we enjoy disunity amongst ourselves. I think that with the increase in communication we would end up with interesting discussions and real solutions to the various diseases that have been plaguing us for two decades this month. Thanks for reading and hopefully this leads us somewhere.

 

Peace (Cause you know we really need some!)

[Positive]

Haal Somali,

 

That was bright. Thanks.

 

This is continuation of the last posting.

 

The colonial powers who came in the Horn in the later part of 19^th century brought with them and introduced to the Somali people a third way of Life which I call The Western Way of Life.

 

3. Examples of the western way of Life.

 

 

• As culture it is not indigenous.
• There is nation state which governs its people within defined border.
• The nation state has a figure head or a group of people who are responsibility to lead the nation.
• The laws which govern the nation state are mainly secular.
• People are citizens of the nation state and have right to live everywhere they choose within the border of the state.
• There can be social classes of for example the working class or middle class but otherwise the citizens have equal rights and duties which the law guarantees.
• Citizens give their allegiance to the nation state.

The colonial powers did not only introduce their system to Horn but they implemented it; in short they created artificial borders, nation states, governing state bodies, national institutions, monetary system, schools and education system etc. in effect everything you associate with modern state both in government and social aspects. Materialism and modernization which were unknown became idolized. All these changes happened with disregard to the cultural and religious heritage of the people. This was earthquake in cultural terms.

 

The psyche of our people which was already struggling to integrate two different ways of life became subjected to its limits. We could no longer move to our preferred way of life but become stuck to a state of no adoptability. All the three ways of life began then to co-exist. That is where we are now.

 

More to come

 

The Awakener2

[Haal Somali]

Well after painstakinly reading all previous posts I have a couple of things to say. First off excellent work Positive, mind boggling information you have presented in this thread. I think that it is imperative that anyone wanting to understand the Somali situation first must understand about three types of elites and their roles in Somali history. That Islam came to the Horn and is not ours but something that Somalis adopted is a fact that must be spread to all Somali muslims, so that they understand that we believed in something before Islam.

 

Anyways I want to know: if using force will not solve anything then how does one achieve peace? How does one bargain with extermeists who use force to terriorize populations to do what they want? How does one come to the discussion/negotation table with men whom have soiled their hands with their brothers blood? How do we negotiate with people who will settle for nothing less than absolute power? I don't see anyway to deal with these blood thirsty extremeist wackos. I just don't. As for the Somali population as a whole, well that's where the problem comes in. Which elist do we side with? For me, I think we should not give up on our traditional culture. It should define us. I do not think that we can revert to our traditional culture entirely and just ignore the world (although it would be nice in some aspects) but that we should have a combination of our traditional culture with the western way of life. I think that if worked out that this would be a most amicable situation. The Western ideas would advocate and speak on behalf of Somalis. While the traditional culture would be incorporated into our justice system, a bit like a restorative practices, so that we not only marginalize our elders but give them status in society. I think that tinkered with properly an amicable setup could be made my the these two elites. We should never ever let the traditional culture erode but uphold it, remember its history, and apply it today. As for the third elite, well it is the one that has gotten us into this mess with Islamists returning to Somalia and demanding their way or the highway. I think that this elist group should not have any say in how the nation is governed. This is not Islam bashing. People are free to worship and believe whatever they see fit, it is just not right for them to dictate how and who others should believe in. So those are my two cents about the issue. Open to constructive crticism. But this just specualtion, what matters most is that the Somali people unite together as one and from there we can bring change.

 

 

Peace (Cause you know we need some!)

[Chimera]

Positive;684289 wrote:

The country we now call Somalia had a dominant culture with the above characteristics when Islam came to the Horn of Africa; The advent of Islam introduced to somali people a new way of Life which has been in opposition to the most if not all of the values in the traditional way of Life. This opened the gate for a major transition of the Somali cultural values from its indigenous roots. From that time on there was no longer

homogeneous

culture in the country!

That was a good post, I completely agree with the fact that peace can't be enforced, that is basically an artificial form of peace that one can observe in other African countries, best example being the military dictatorship; Ethiopia. However I can't agree with the part of your reply that I have quoted above. You are insinuating that Islam is not compatible with us as a people, culture or country, and that this religion is the reason why the conflict is still alive. That's untrue, Islam has always been compatible to the Somali way of life. Everytime there is a war raging in any random country, intellectuals and outside-observers start to dissect the culture of that country, the values of that country, this happened in China in the past, this is happening in Somalia today.

 

One look at Somali history however will show you that Islam was an important factor behind a people numbering barely a million, at one point dominating a landmass in Africa half the size of the Roman Empire. Islam gave these same people links with new worlds that allowed them to set up a seaborne trade enterprise spanning multiple oceans and seas, sustained by a vast civilizational matrix in Somalia consisting of more than 40 port cities and inland cities where education was promoted, where different professions flourished. This was a time where our image and reputation around the world was one of a land where an important muslim people of commerce lived, a land of mystery and intrigue, a land where many renowned scholars originated from, where powerful soldiers lived, where many traders and sailors returned after doing business in these faraway continents.

 

Indeed Islam was a great thing to happen to the Somali people on multiple levels, it allowed us to maintain a seperate identity from the Imperial kingdom of Abyssinia, always interested in creating new Abyssinians out of different ethnic groups. It created a buffer against the influences of the European imperialists who descended upon Africa since the 16th century and literally created new peoples observing new religions and speaking alien European languages at the expense of their native languages. The strength of our ancestors' faith and language is what prevented such a scenario from happening in our case, which would have resulted in even more division amongst our people. The collapse of the Dervish movement and the eventual neutralization of other resistance groups allowed the Imperialists to commit a heinous crime; they divided our Realm between different powers, and in the process cut through the centuries old civilizational network that connected the entire Somali peninsula.

 

The Somali Republic was set up to fail from the moment it gained independence. The giving away of Somali territory to countries who never in their entire history controlled those areas, forced Somalia into a diplomatic war, it forced Somalia to adopt militarism and build up its military. Despite this Somalia was one of the finest countries in Africa and the Muslim World, from education to economy to women rights, Somalis have shown they could maintain a great progressive country when it wasn't forced into a war due to Imperial mistakes, if Somalia wasn't forced to waste money and manpower on wars, we would be where Malaysia is today, only with better beaches.

 

In 1991, we as a people committed national suicide when we toppled a central government without a strong alternative entity to replace it. Somalia in its geographic location is by default NOT ALLOWED to committ such a mistake. It's this particular mistake that is behind the current conflict, not Islam. This mistake opened the gates of powerful foreign influences both distant and regional. It's this mistake that has turned our society upside down with different competing factors trying to change our values, our culture and even our religious school of thought.

 

Those sinister actors from both the West and the East with their bad destructive influences are the real threats to our traditional values. Our historic observation of Islam has nothing to do with this. If Somalia were to suddenly be blessed with a strong army of young Somali men and women that purged out all outside influences, and restored our beautiful country to her rightful place, you wouldn't be questioning this religion. Instead you would recognise the positive influence it had throughout our long history on the Somali people, which a few clowns calling themselves the "Youth" can never change or tamper with.

 

The real roots of the Somali conflict goes back to the "Scramble for Africa", the Somali conflict started BACK THEN, and has seen throughout this century different Foreign and Somali powers come and go, the conflict shifted from the North of Somalia to Somali Galbeed, to the NFD, to the Somali Galbeed again, to Somalia proper and more specifically; the South today.

 

The conflict has been ongoing throughout that time in one form or another, and will continue when peace arrives in the South. This is because of the Somali Civilizational Matrix being as connected as our many vital organs are in our bodies. A person with a bad liver will be sick, regardless of the fact that he/she has a perfectly stable heart or a well-functioning brain, only when the entire network of organs are in optimal conditions, can you say this particular person is healthy.

 

We will never be a healthy prosperous people so long one part of our ancient Realm is oppressed and mistreated. The Turks figured this out in the 1920s, the Chinese did too after a massive loss of life at the hands of foreigners, and one day we will too, Insha-allah.

[Positive]

Haal Somali,

 

I take this opportunity to welcome you into SOL. I hope you will enjoy your stay in here.

 

As to your questions I cannot answer all of them but I will be writing a piece which I will post in here. I hope that piece will answer some of your questions or at least give you a hint about what I propose we ought to do.

 

As to Islam and our ulima I think we should show respect. We are Muslims and our faith is Islam and Islamic culture is imbued in all actions in our daily life. After one thousand years Islam has become indigenous and there is no substitute for it. Our situation will not be improved by trying now to revert to our pre-Islamic culture. That is not an option.

 

What I have been trying to say is that there are other sub-cultures besides Islam which are in their side also imbued in our daily actions and therefore this presence of competing sub-cultures has created social friction which in effect weakened the social cohesion and have now become manifested as open conflict of endless wars.

 

The question is: how should we heal the wounds? This is what this piece is about!

 

 

Chimera, I’m coming back to you.

 

 

The Awakener2

[Positive]

Chimera,

 

I’m not insinuating but proposing that Islam is not compatible with our pre-Islamic culture which thrives and is a living sub-culture in our country today. The pre-Islamic Somali culture and The Islamic culture have mostly two different sets of values and many times you cannot have both sets at the same time. For example if a family member is killed today we are settling this mostly through our pre-Islamic culture which dictates that this is a matter between two sub-clans or even clans. On the contrary Islam prescribes this to be matter between two families: the family of the victim and the family of the perpetrator. You see these are not compatible still we hold on to both values. Our whole present culture is full of similar contradictions

 

On the other hand the beneficial contribution of Islam to our society and social emancipation it has offered is clear and speaks for itself and does not need substantiation from me but the subject we are discussing is the war in our country. For example we know that the Islamic elite are participants in this face of the war; why can’t they present other options than fighting? What are plausible solutions to this war? What are the underlying causes? Those are some of the questions we need to address now.

 

You could contribute your take on these questions if you wish.

 

Besides I understand that in your view the conflict is political in nature and you also think that there are foreign colonial actors who are influencing it. But assuming that you are correct what could we do as people differently?

 

The Awakener2

 

[Positive]

When we revisit the past and look it from the perspective of our sub-cultures we can see the following:

 

1. In the Independence Day in July first 1960 in the union of South and North we can see that the country adopted a western style governance system. The adopted system failed due to the fact that the people were not yet familiar with what national state governance would entail. Instead of becoming loyal to their national government and in that way serve the nation the majority of our people continued to give their allegiance to their clans and sub-clans. Hundreds of political parties supported by individual clans and sub-clans were registered for elections and result is history. The political atmosphere became quickly diseased and the military had to intervene to “save” the people in October 1969.

 

In other words the traditional oriented masses were not yet ready to be ruled by a national government nor could they trust their national leaders!

 

2. The military took the same path because they could not integrate the Leninist-Marxist Socialist ideology which they adopted with the teaching of Islam. In addition to that they later reverted back to the principles of our traditional way of Life; the clan based ideology, so they could stay longer in power. As a consequence the central government became weakened and ceased to exist in 1991. The problem then was that an elite the western minded elite which was the dominant power was not willing to accommodate or share power with the other two elites specially the Islamic elite.

 

3. The coming of Ali Mahdi to power was a sub-clan usurpation of power without duel. It failed but with higher cost of life and property and also further disintegration of our Nation-State. This usurpation act has nothing to do with Ali Mahdi alone but it has to do with the way the traditionalists think; clan is everything for them not Nation-State. This act shows the fingerprint of the traditionalists in our history.

 

4. The North gathered their traditional elders and formed Somaliland by declaring their secession from Somalia. Probable this could not have happened for example if the determinative principles they followed were to be purely Islamic or if the power in the South would have been in the hands of either Islamic or western oriented honest leaders. Again you see the fingerprints of the elites, this time the traditional way of Life oriented in the North forming an administration.

 

5. Puntland followed the footsteps of Somaliland through a similar process with the exception of the secession. The traditional elders formed this administration.

 

Now that you got my drift I will leave it there. One more thing I want to add is the reason the South proper is embroiled in fighting is that: 1) they lack traditional elders with strong social base; 2) a higher number of the western oriented people from that area have immigrated to the west and do not wish to go back; 3) the Islamic elite in their part have difficult time to unite into one cohesive force with one political agenda.

 

True the intervention of the foreign troops have compounded the situation in the South but ultimately the place is neglected by no one else but by the Somalis especially by the leaders of the three elites; I don’t know if the new Prime Minster and his host of ministries will make difference.

 

The main problem now is that the Islamic elite and its social base that have more power than the other two elites are not showing willingness to share power with the others. The internal power struggle between Islamic oriented groups on the other side has prolonged the war and hence caused more suffering for the people. The presence of the foreigners in Somalia in the other hand is the choice of the warring factions not a choice of their own because if the Somalis make peace the foreigners would lack pretense to stay!

 

(The last piece in this series, the solution is coming soon- Insha-Allah)

 

The Awakener

[Positive]

(This is the last important piece of this series)

 

Proposals for solutions

 

1.Guiding principles.

 

It is better to have guiding principles regardless of what solution type we choose; it is my opinion that it is paramount thus that the following guiding principles which are basic for our existence as a national state should not be diluted, changed or in any other way modified.

 

The principles are:

 

• Somalia is a state with its own flag, with its defined land, ocean and sea, and people.

• Somalis are the people who inhabit Somalia and as people they alone have undisputed right to

determine their fate.

• Islam is the religion of the Somali State and Somali people.

• The highest national body that has highest authority of the nation is its people, the Somali people,

or their representatives who are elected through a lawful process.

• Somalia is a country where human rights are respected, which lives in peace with itself, with its

neighbors and world in general.

 

2.Outside interventions.

Regardless of the intensity of foreign interference and invasions it is ultimately the responsibility of the Somali people to:

 

• Find solution to their problems.

• Look after their national interests.

• Become united under adverse conditions.

• Realize that no person or group of individuals can be subjugated against his or their will in

extended period of time.

 

We are all capable to notice that our main problem is not the presence of AMISOM or other foreign actors but it is the absence of national government which came to power on the mandate of the people. The formation of such a national government which has the mandate of the people should be first priority.

 

3.The leaders of the elites

 

Our Islamic teaching and our country, Somalia, do not belong to any particular group or particular authority but rather their safeguarding is the responsibility of all and every one of us. Therefore the leaders of the elites ought as collective body:

 

1) Reaffirm that they are brothers and sisters of common faith, land and cultural heritage and hence

unity of purpose and action is a requirement.

2) Work to re-establish a strong functioning national government which has the support of all the

elites.

3) work together so that the wounds of the war could heal.

 

4. Solutions.

 

In order to reach a peaceful resolution for the conflict the following three scenarios, and/ or others, can be explored.

 

• An agreement between the warring factions facilitated and guided among others by traditional

elders. This is preferable by far the best way to go in this stage.

• New national reconciliation meeting of Nairobi style which should be held inside Somalia. This

would not be a new approach but it is worth trying.

 

Alternatively if the above suggestion would not work or could not work the TFG could choose to take a drastic step by considering transferring the power to Somaliland!

 

The TFG before its mandate is finished could choose to hand the power over to Somaliland without preconditions. Although this solution is a radical one still it is worth to be contemplated with. If the legal groundwork could be done by the parliament in Mogadishu and power could be transferred to Somaliland it could force Somaliland to accept it. Such an action would immediately bring at least two major benefits; it would stop the dismembering of the country; and Somaliland would be compelled to whole heartedly contribute to bring peace to the South through every means in its disposal. It would also save the country from more foreign military occupations, death, destruction and all the ills of the war and stop further pouring of foreign jihadists to the country.

 

The End.

 

This piece is mainly for inspirational purposes: it is meant to bring into the awareness of the reader that peace is possible; that where there is will there is a way. Thank you for reading.

 

Ilaahay waxa wanaagsan ha ina garansiiyo

 

The Awakener2

[Haal Somali]

1.Guiding principles.

 

It is better to have guiding principles regardless of what solution type we choose; it is my opinion that it is paramount thus that the following guiding principles which are basic for our existence as a national state should not be diluted, changed or in any other way modified.

 

The principles are:

 

• Somalia is a state with its own flag, with its defined land, ocean and sea, and people.

• Somalis are the people who inhabit Somalia and as people they alone have undisputed right to

determine their fate.

•

Islam is the religion of the Somali State and Somali people.

• The highest national body that has highest authority of the nation is its people, the Somali people,

or their representatives who are elected through a lawful process.

• Somalia is a country where human rights are respected, which lives in peace with itself, with its

neighbors and world in general.

 

Positive this thread has been quite informative and I have gained a lot of insight and knowledge into where the situation in Somalia could go. And for that I wholeheartedly thank you! As for the Guiding Principles you have proposed, there is a problem. I agree with all of them except the thrid bullet, in which were you suggest that Islam is the religion of Somalia and the Somali people. Are you suggesting a form of theocracy? I don't understand how religion or rather how Islam could be incorporated into the State without it being a theocracy. Isn't it exactly what Islamist group Al-Shabaab and recently dissolved Hizbul Islam group are advocating for albeit violently? And you say the Somali people How about the people who are more traditional than religious? How about the people who are not religious? How about other Somali people who find faith in other religions? How about those who do not care for religion? What happenes to them? Does that mean they must accept Islam against their will and abide by all Islamic laws? Don't get me wrong I understand that an overwhelming percentage of the Somali population is religious and are God-abding people but I'd think I'd rest alittle better at night if I knew that Somalia was a secualr nation that respected everyone's beliefs! A nation in which any Somali national could practice any faith. Maybe there are reasons you identified Islam with the Somali state and the Somali people. Could you explain why that is so and how Islam would find its place within a Somali society with a functioning powerful state. Why does Islam have to be a guiding principle(excluding the obvious reason that majority of Somalis are Muslims and follow Islam)? (Although I understand the Islamic elite must appeased, as the other two, in order to achieve peace in Somalia)

 

Disclamier: I am in no way Islamaphobic or hating on Islam. I merely expressing legitmate concerns regrading seperation of church(or in this case mosque) and state or the amalgamation of them. Issues that will undoubtly come up later down in the road.

 

Peace (cause you know we really need it!)

[Positive]

Haal Soomali,

 

Toosiye scale ( usha Toosiye) answers your questions and potentially most of other questions intellectually minded Somalis have been struggling with; This is a scale I'm working with. It is a model which simplifies the intricate social, religious and political reality in our country and renders them understandable to us. Is this PR? ok wait and see; all of you will loooooooooooooooove it. It is coming soooooooooooooon here in SOL for the first time after its conception!

 

The Awakener2

[Haal Somali]

I don't understand Positive. Toosiye scale? What does that mean? LOL! You have to translate for me Interesting. So this only a model of what any guiding principles would be like. Hmmmm! Not bad I just wanted to address that point. And also what is coming to SOL, for the first time? I hope I do love it. Thanks once again!