A Sad state of the Union

[SOO MAAL]

A Sad state of the Union

Ali H. Abdulla

April 24, 2007

 

 

The seat of the Shah

 

Somalia is going through a difficult period that can induce grown-up men and women to shed tears as a result of the havoc engulfing their once beautiful capital city, the jewel of the Indian Ocean; a city visited by the likes of the famous Arab explorer Ibn Battuta; a city whose history dates back to the days of the Persian Empire that probably gave us the idea of celebrating the No RUZ in the form of great bone-fires lit by nomads who do not even know the actual origin of the occasion. They know it as the Dabshid and it strangely coincides with the spring celebration of the same occasion in Iran. Some even translate the word Mogadishu as the seat of the Shah, which is itself a translation of the Arabic word “مقعد شأه ”.

 

Immediately after the fall of the former regime, the city witnessed ugly scenes of mass exodus, rape, killing, looting, vandalism and wanton destruction that parallel the destruction of Baghdad in the days of the barbaric Mongolians of Hulagu Khan.

 

The majestic Uruba and Juba hotels became ugly edifices poked with bullet marks and mortar shells. The historic museum lost all its valuable and irreplaceable contents to ignorant barbaric looters. Even the symbols of national identity and pride such as the monuments of the Sayed, Xaawa-Taako, and Dhagaxtuur did not escape the wanton destruction.

 

The city was ransacked of its inhabitants including ancient inhabitants who trace their roots all the way back to the days of the Persian Empire. More than any group, these people suffered untold atrocities at the hands of drugged gangs who did not spare even young virgins taking refuge in mosques. The marauding vandals occupied the houses of the fleeing masses and used public buildings as latrines and holding pens used for housing goats, cattle and donkeys.

 

At that time, all these atrocities and destruction were unleashed by Somalis who bore names like Mohamed, Ali and Abdalla. No invading forces caused such havoc on the ancient city. It was destroyed by Somalis whose leaders crossed the border from Ethiopia with the blessing of a communist dictator seeking revenge for the battles of Godey and Kaaramardha.

 

This time, the atrocities and destruction are being administered directly by Ethiopian troops backing Somali collaborators. It seems that their mission is to erase the city from the map of the earth and reduce it to rubble.

 

Some of us are applauding the invading Ethiopians and their collaborators just as some of us applauded the Somali gangs who hid behind patriotic names like USC, SPM, SSDF, SNM etc.

 

But this is no time to take sides in this unfolding tragedy that threatens to unravel the very fabric of our society and push us back centuries to the days of the Jahilia with clan replacing nationhood. This is no time to hold clan meetings in the Diaspora stoking the fires of clan hatred and firing irrelevant foreign expressions like “ich Bin Ein ******”.

 

This is a time for Somali expressions like “Somaali baan ahay”. This is a time for leadership and responsible politics. This is a time for sanity and genuine patriotic stands. This is a time for relegating clan politics to the dustbin of history and replacing it with national politics.

 

The two sides fighting in Mogadishu are criminals who do not care about the innocent civilians who get caught in the middle. Cowardly thugs fire mortar rounds from residential areas and cowardly Ethiopians and their TFG stooges respond with heavy artillery that does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. In my books, it is wrong and criminal to support either side. They are both evil.

 

The seat of Hatshepsut

 

There is a huge ancient acacia tree in Eastern Sanaag called the Mahan tree, “Geedka Maxanka” It is rumored that Queen Hatshepsut sat under that tree in one of her visits to the land of Punt which ancient Egyptians regarded as the land of the gods.

 

The land of Punt is not the Puntland of today, a political entity based on clan affiliations, just as Somaliland is a political camouflage for misguided clan groupings with a strange nostalgia for an abhorrent colonial past.

 

The inhabitants of the land of Punt are in the middle of an ugly rivalry between two clan-based administrations that do not care about their well-being. Despite a handful of opportunistic individuals who participate in these administrations, the majority of the inhabitants prefer to wait for the birth of a national government that can re-unite the Somali people.

 

When Puntland and their Australian mercenaries tried to illegally exploit the mineral wealth of the area, the land of Punt stood-up to them and sent them packing. When the misled soldiers of Somaliland tried to occupy one of their villages, the Land of Punt rose-up to the occasion and defended their ancient and sacred forts.

 

These incidents should send a clear message to both administrations that they should both stay away from this sacred land. The people of the land of Punt prefer to be left-out of the bitter rivalry between the two clan-based administrations. They are holding the fort for a national government.

 

The seat of Leadership

 

The country has a leadership crisis. An old, ailing strongman who defected to our arch enemy after a devastating war has come back to haunt us with the same Ethiopian tanks and artillery that massacred our people in Godey and Jigjiga. It seems that he is determined to complete his mission of destroying Somalia as a viable state since the only language he excels at is the use of force no matter what. He has a cartoon character for a Prime Minister who has a suspicious and cozy relationship with an ungrateful former guerilla fighter who used to be based in the city that his soldiers are now pounding to rubble.

 

We have a former NSS colonel who almost lost his life in the city of milk when he unwittingly entered it without the knowledge of its elders. He continues to play with fire by mobilizing his small army and attempting to reach a non-existent border. He forgets that such a border was forced upon us by a colonial power that used airplanes to massacre thousands of valiant Dervishes.

 

We have a former general who keeps signing disadvantageous deals with foreign nationals and companies whose only aim is to exploit the hidden riches of our country. He also condones the exploitation of thousands of unsuspecting immigrants who leave the seat of his administration to perish in the shark infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. His gunboats protect fishing trawlers that destroy our coral reefs with illegal fishing nets that threaten our rich marine life

 

It is sad to witness how one of the most respected leaders in Somalia has tarnished his illustrious name by standing side by side with a mediocre clan leader who only a few weeks ago lobbied for abolishing the borders that Somalia has with Ethiopia and unifying the two countries into one state.

 

It is also sad to see how the same leader abandoned his status symbol in the form of a bushy goatee and a red Kafia. He trimmed his famous goatee, donned a European suit and sought the patronage of a communist dictator with close ties to the State of Israel, and who is not even a Muslim.

 

We have enough charlatans with suits messing up Somalia and a simple man with simple attire gave us a lot of hope. Symbols cannot be discarded lightly. Yasser Arafat refused to abandon his famous Kafia until his death, a symbol that represents the struggle of the people of Palestine for a homeland. Just as die-hard Somali Landers are wrong in replacing the blue flag, the Sheikh is wrong in abandoning his famous red Kafia. Let us hope that he can get it back and seek better allies.

 

Concluding remarks

 

Such is the state of our Union. But do not be disheartened because there is always hope as long as there are Somalis. The important thing is not to support any of the evil forces who dominate Somali politics and to strive to come up with a new alternative that can unite us all.