Review: The Qeybdiid Case

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

The brief Cabdi Qeybdiid detention remarkably taught us and forced all of us to see the intended barriers and obstacles that lie ahead. It taught us whether or if the possibility of ultimate and definitive solution to the ongoing Soomaali civil war is ever attainable.

 

It taught us, as it emerged, regardless the severity of atrocities committed by certain questionable individuals, to a certain fringe, qabiil always comes first, from both the detractors and supporters. Detractors rejoice the simple arrest of an individual regardless the evidence against that particular person because simply the person belongs the perceived adversary qabiil. Likewise, the supporters buoy up and defend the person simply he belongs their clan.

 

In Qeybdiid’s case, what emerges was both surprise and disappointing at the same time. On this particular forum, three groups became apparent.

 

The euphoric from the cheering in an ultimate exultation and gloating on hearing the arrest of one of their apparent enemy clan's most prominent.

 

The supporters unbelievable overreaction, from questioning a third well-regarded independent country's jurisdiction to the legality of such an international arrest to what the accused has done to warrant such an arrest, and if he did, he was simply defending his turf in an entangled civil war.

 

And the third group who did not defend the accused but nonetheless muttered quietly if indeed he is accused and is a war criminal, why this particular individual now? Why not others? Why such and such are freely walking, and all of this, this man is arraigned to scapegoat others.

 

If the official half million or so who perished and are still perishing in this endless Soomaali civil conflict ever wanted to see the light of ever seeing the perpetrators who committed those unspeakable crimes against humanity ever brought to justice, this brief saga tells us we have yet to mature and unshackle from the ugly, deep pysch of negative tribal mentality of allegiance.

 

The innocents will eventually have their day in court, be it a Divine Court or not, and regardless how the backers and disparagers seem to defend or jubilate against accused criminals.

[OLOL]

true! I hope we all see this lunacy and do some soul searching! it is really depressing to keep perpetuating this ignorance.

 

Somalia need prophets! It ain't blasphemy no more to ask Allah to send us some kind prophet or saviour in this dark moment of ignorance

 

I am mentally and spiritually tired of Qabiil nonesense.

 

these diabolical ruthless warlords and their callous cheerleaders....should not be allowed to corrupt and steal our humanity!

[Coloow]

Assalamu calaykum,

 

MMA, the qeybdid case has finally made me realize that somaliweyn, prosperous, "we are all muslims" is an illusion.

 

I live in Sweden and this week our already bad image (somalis are viewed as losers, primitive, welfare cheaters; dozens of thesis have been written about us !) has been damaged.

 

When I heard the news in the earlier hours of monday morning, I thought somalinimo was about to be reborn. After all my new adopted country sweden has finally dared to do what Great Britain, Kenya , the us could not do. A somali warlord we were told was arrested for crimes against humanity. This warlord was according to the newspaper part of the delegation to a workshop on developing countries arranged by Forum Syd (the southern forum) and SIDA.

 

Liberal newspapers questioned how a warlord could be given a visa and how Swedish taxpayers paid for the trip.

 

The same day many tribal websites disected the news using tribal lenses: To some he was a hero ; to others a vilian.

 

Aftonbladet the daily that broke the news interviewed a somali who said he was second cousin to one the boys seen on the video. This dude said he did not witness Qeybid in action but he has obtained the video. He also claimed that one of the boy's brother lived in sweden and that he was too afraid to press charges.

 

The same day there was a segment on the evening news, from the Riksdag (parliament house) where an MP was questioned on why they invited the warlord. She said there was no official invitation and that the swedish parliament welcomes any delegation- hence the sharif's delegation is welcome to visit.

 

In the somali inhabited ghetos of Rinkeby in Stockholm and Gothenburg tribalism was in full motion.

 

All of a sudden there was no middle way. You either supported the detention of qeybdid because he participated in massacres against your tribe in 1991

 

or

 

Called for his release because he was a hero who freed your people from bondage!

 

I went to stockholm and witnessed a fist fight between two groups. I was almost certain that these tribalists had brought their sick tribal agenda to the peaceful streets of Stockholm. I could hear them say that were were leaving competing petitions to the government!

 

These tribalists have never studied the basic tennents of swedish civics. They did not know that the detention is a matter for the judicial systems of sweden.

 

On thursday evening viewers of the 6th oclock news were treated to women and men demonstrating infront of the police station in Gothenburg.

 

and

 

just before 7 oclock the hero/murderer (depending on which side you are on) was freed.

 

My analysis:

 

Negative:

 

1) Tribalism is something that is still the unit of analysis- Despite the talk of reconciliation, we are back to square one.

 

2) There would be no strong-muslim somalia during my lifetime (we should let our dreams evaporate). How could a good muslim during this month of ramadan embrace tribalism?

 

Positive

 

1) Warlords are warned. they could be detained if they visit sweden (albeit for four days)

[OLOL]

and this all came out to the fore because of the clannish obsession of Yeey's cheerleaders around thw world. They are taking us back to 1991.

 

My suggestion, Let us have a president from a "neutral" background...so that we will be spared of the ignorance of all these spirited clannish "Geel-Jirayaal" from Mudugh and above.

[Camel Mlik]

Originally posted by OLOL:

and this all came out to the fore because of the clannish obsession of Yeey's cheerleaders around thw world. They are taking us back to 1991.

 

My suggestion, Let us have a president from a "neutral" background...so that we will be spared of the ignorance of all these spirited clannish "Geel-Jirayaal" from Mudugh and above.

waryaa suggestion time is over we got a President and we are in no mood to look for another one at this moment. The president we have is such find for the situation Somalia is in today. The same guys who are against him eletected him last october.

 

I don't support war-lords but anyday I will support a President that was eletect by those that run the dum country.

 

Now I see those that support the war-lords are supporting them none other than Qabiil nonesense. Now that is just sadd.

[Alle-ubaahne]

I don't believe that Cabdiqeybdiid is more criminal than Cabdullaahi Yuusuf. Anyone can accuse me of anything by saying that. The fact is that tribe X are the majority in diaspora somalis, and they believe whatever they want to believe when it comes to fair and justice. All those people who were leading the struggle to overturn the former regime are criminals because they we're responsible for the complete eradication of a whole tribe from certain parts of the country! That is indeed the underlying contention of which Cabdi-qeybdiid is accussed for. Now, a simpleton plot of one tribe is counter balanced with another plot of the opposite tribe; gained only is one lesson, which is the continuation of the same injustice, but happening in different atmosphere. Plus, the angle in which the thread initiator sees justice has completely showed another problem that proves to be the origin of where all injustices are originating. These people, (presumably the swedish and all gaalo authority), are the ones who propel the tribal doctrines into the masses, by promoting warlord ranks and capabilities through their media, (ex. bbc somali service and so forth), funding, and recruiting them to take vital positions in securing their interests. Tell me how will these people, (cadowgeena gaallo), can serve for the interest of somali justice?

 

I know, its sad to see the reality we face today, but let's understand what is justice first, in ways that know no kin or favor, at least before we kill our time in asking the gaal what he knows justice about his system. Cadaalad hadaan rabno waa inaan diinta iyo kitaabka u laabanaa. Kurti aan dilno, lacag ku bixino sidii loo qaarajan lahaa, jihaad ku qaadno, iska dhicino si wadajir ah, oo aan laheyn nin jecleysi. Hadii kale, let's not blame one tribe for everything. We're all responsible for what went wrong, and the only way we can correct our previous errs is to humbly and repentantly go back to the truth of our diin, nothing but diinta. Qabiil was a major issue by the time of the prophet, scw, especially between the two tribes in Yathrib/Medina, Aws & Qasraj. And the true remedy that healed the vicious tribalistic dogma was Allah's diin, as well as the teachings of the sunnah. Of course, that is the remedy, but our learned professionals don't see any answer in Islam for our miseries!

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

We need to catch, if more is not possible, one fish at a time. We had Cabdi Qeybdiid fish in prison. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf could one day too be in that court, who knows. When a warlord fish is caught, we all should relish.

 

Personally, I neither know Cabdi Qeybdiid nor Cabdillaahi Yuusuf, but they are warlords. Warlords by nature and definition are murderous thugs, egotist psychopaths. We all agreed they are, and those few who don't, then we can't ration with them. Catch one, it is good. Catch them together, it is great. Either way, we shouldn't excuse one's accused crime because others are walking free. This isn't a Soomaali court that can handle all others at once. The Swedish court had one fish in their country and they caught. No need to make a sorry but excuse.

 

Many of us witnessed the injustices against others whose only crime was being from a different clan feather. I was in Xamar in 1991 when the worst atrocities were committed. I don't know what happened in other cities, but honestly what happened in Xamar in that year was animalistic actions.

 

One night, one of my sister's close friends brother from their student days in Lafoole was forcibly taken from his home. A lot of their neighbours heard the hapless beseeching, the yelling and shouting from his sisters and mother who knew what was going to happen the moment he walks of their door with that blood-hungry militia. The beseeching didn't help, and the next day his body was discovered as a display on a famous park.

 

To make it worse, the next day, one of the guys who killed him wore the very shirt the victim was wearing that night before in front of the victim's home, proudly displaying the victim's shirt as a trophy.

 

Not a soul uttered a word. He wore that shirt the whole week.

 

I never forget that qiso, because seeing my sister's friend's anguish and pain.

 

Public displaying of killed bodies wasn't an isolated event. It used to happen on weekends (habeenka khamiista iyo maalinta jimcada) occasionally, mostly put on famous barxadaha, especially at Tarbuunka, which reminds me another tragic episode I really wish never to witnessed.

 

One Friday this ciyaal xaafad kid heard rumours bodies were at display at Tarbuunka. He tried hard to go with him, and we relunctly agreed. I wish I didn't.

 

The first body I saw was a Soomaali sister, Oh, Lord. As a young boy who never before seen a dead body, let alone a murdered one, I instantly got sick, and upon seeing the next body, whose head was open 180 degrees, brain out, was enough. I run back to home, heavily perspiring. I was sick on that night and the next day.

 

Whenever I hear qabyaalad, I can see those innocent people, whose crime was only their qabiil. And nothing else.

 

I narrate these episodes because we need to humanize what those warlords and their militia--or those citizens whose clanish hatred overcome the spirit and good sense of their humanity--committed. We need to, or else we will never learn.

 

One fish warlord at a time.

[IFTIIN]

Ramadan kariim to all. I'm a new comer to SOL, my first impressions are quite positive on most accounts. It is re-assuring to see that the topics receiving the highest levels of participation, are the very issues that continue to undermine a viable somali state. This should be applauded, for such issues have been left idle for too long. The countless stripped bare of their dignity and basic rights, enshrouded upon them from birth by their creator, and the countless who to this day, are themselves living in the shadow of those same assailants; desire more than anything for the crux of these painful issues to be laid bare.

 

More than ever in our history, calm heads armed with facts rather than tribal fiction are called for. I'm not an expert on Somali politics, in fact i can only name the big 'fish' amongst the warlords, if i may use that word, as coined by Miskiin-Macruuf. And yes, this is the first time i have heard of Qeybdiid, so i'm not writing this in order to pass judgement on that individual.

 

Personally, i think the time has come for a distinction to be made between the issues and these so-called warlords. They are really not as important as they are made out to be. They appear hell's gatekeepers to us and instill such fear on the populous back home, because it is we who have failed to address the gates that continue to separate one identical Somali(cultural, religious, socio-economic status - in most cases, values etc) from another.

 

When i speak of the need to separate vital issues, a classic example in the Somali context, concerns one which is already being debated in this very thread, that of tribalism and dilemmas arising from Qeybdiid's case. The different camps that Miskiin-Macruuf enumerated for us, seem not to stem from a deeply held ideology, if one can term tribalism as such, but rather a tool for achieving practical ends. It grows and changes according to the needs of the times.

 

Tribalism has therefore a dynamic and flexible nature to it. In its purest form, we can find it enunciated so eloquently in the Holy Qur'an. We also know that the version of tribalism in today's Somalia is one which seeks to work corruption in the land and in fact sever ties of kinship, the very opposite of what tribalists' contend when they join ranks with their tribes.

 

One other point we must keep in mind is that tribalism has plagued many a nation before our own, the fact that one of today's rising powers, China has not in the too distant past, following the fall of the Qing empire, had to deal with the problem of tribalism should be a lesson for us. Following its fall, the minority peoples of the Qing empire(Tibetans, Mongols, Muslims, Miao) were ethnic relics dominated by the Han Chinese who saw themselves as superior, even in some cases using "scientific law" and "natural selection" to justify their claims.

 

The story of how China manoeuvered to overcome this critical path in its history and save itself from potentional national extinction is a long one.

 

Destructive tribalism is not unique to Somalia, so let us move away from wishing that it is some nightmare we will one day wake from, and start thinking out of our box. How can one convince a fellow Somali that maintaining "ties of kinship" and hoping for the well-being of close ones, need not mean wishing for the destruction of all other tribes.

 

Finally, i might summise by adapting a quote from Malcolm X which originally reads:

 

"You're not to be blinded by patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it"

 

Adapted for the Somali context, it becomes:

 

"You're not to be blinded by tribalism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it".

 

May Allah guide us all.