What went wrong?

[xiinfaniin]

Ours is to reason why

Ours is not just do and die!

 

It was only few months ago when the Islamic Courts of Mogadishu came to the fore of Somali politics! Their immergence, and rapid assumption of power thereon was not a bloodless coup. Impressive it was, and still remains, how these obscure men successfully married an uncompromising ideological zeal with the wishes and desires of a broad spectrum of people! The result was quite a seachange and caught many regional experts in surprise. In a very short period of time, and with much lower casualties than previously assumed, Courts vanquished rival warlords and drove them out of Mogadishu and into what seemed then an eternal shame! The expulsion of those wicked men represented a shoot of hope for those like me who cherished ill will against them killers! Then come the opening of Mogadishu’s port and airport, the fall of Kismayo, and the return of law and order. Their ascendancy to power was as though a new virtuoso came to our political stage; they were significant in both stature and purpose, yet humble in their captivating eloquence; surely they were not amongst those trailing the garment of vanity, yet they raised armies of youths full of dignity! In a span of time not more than half a dozen moons they have constructed that which others failed to accomplish, spoke rare words of reconciliation whose utterance others shirked, and commenced to reverse the gains of vandal savages in the south. In short, they seemed to have captured our imagination---the imagination of both of those who stayed long on the hump of exile and hoped a dignified return to the motherland and those who endured the brunt of civil war and hoped for a better future that is. These (though not free from bias) are not just empty praises! Court’s men have indeed flew our kites of hope to the highest point, so to speak, and brought optimism where needed most!

 

But times, as the saying goes, incline to the niggardly. Islamic Courts successes evaporated in the most unimaginable way! It took days, and not even weeks, to undo their military gains. More shockingly, all their accomplishments and successes were reversed without any popular resistance from the places and the communities that benefited it most! The demos and supportive parades were replaced by a depressing silence, and what seemed as an insurmountable organization disappeared like vapors without tangible traces. Granted that they were brutally and swiftly crushed by a mightier foe, a foe (America), it must borne in mind, whose fight they have not called for and whose military offense they were unprepared! But how was it not that they walked on the high road of guidance and restrained themselves from making threats and issuing ultimatums? What were their preparations and plans? Were they like the proverbial beast that scratched up its own death with its hoof? Or were they righteous men who were liquidated by allied evil forces? Don’t get me wrong folks for I have not begin to doubt their fathering and they do still tower above all that we have in Somalia to-day. I do also understand the true meaning of victory and know it doesn’t always translate into a worldly win for what seems defeat to some can indeed be a victory to others. In suuratul Buruj what comes across as utter loss, Allah describes it a great triumph! Even Hemingway recognized that man, as he put it, ‘is not made for defeat’. He can be destroyed but not defeated! He said!

 

But again here my thoughts about Court’s vanquish linger and hence I should not be blamed to inquire as to what were the reasons that caused such a hurried fall! What plausible reasons are there to justify Court’s tactical errors? What are the lessons learned? What’s the strategy forward?

 

I know it would be very hard to escape from the comments of the simpleton and the ignorant, but Nur (the sage of SOL) and others in this forum; I appreciate your inputs and thoughts!

[Abu-Salman]

S/caleykum,

 

 

According to some local sheikhs, the Islamic Courts were constitued of many non-salafis (takfirs, khawaarijs, ikhwaaniins or muslim brotherhood influences, sufis ect ect) members and this ultimately led to their demise as Allah don't guide bid'a followers towards success; this was the fundamental danger.

 

As we have been told, Sheikh Sharif was considered as the most suited among them for leading the popular uprising but he left for Dubai, allegedly angered by Indhacade impulsivity, before being convinced by Sheikh Dahir Aweys to return in Xamar just prior to the all out war.

 

Likewise, it is alleged that he wasn't even consulted about Kismayo capture as he previously assured Barre Hirale that he won't be attacked; later, this prompted Hirale to accuse the courts of disregarding their pact.

 

Again, when the Sheikh declared that Somalis should be left alone to sort out their problems in allusion to "Al Qaeda", which presence in Somalia he denied, one of the Shababs leaders allegedly organized a rally in a prominent public place, declaring to the crowd that Bin Laden was their "Sheikh", "Al Qaeda" was present in Somalia and that in fact we are "Al Qaeda" ourselves, refering to his listeners, apparently in a bid to contradict Sheikh Sharif!

 

To sum it up, the Courts were rather misguided in their overwhelming majority due to their corrupt Aqeedah or creed (although still infinitely better than secularist warlords and other qabil worshippers opportunits), thus their very unity would have been seriously challenged have they won.

 

Therefore, the painful military setback, far from being a "defeat for Islam" could have been engineered by Allah to protect us against even worse outcomes, as a trial or a lesson.

 

Hence, the latest new developments could be the "least worst option", through Allah wisdom, and the priviledged strategy may be to collabore with the new government in return of an "amnesty" as long as they don't reject the Deen.

 

Hit-and-run attacks primarily endanger our own people a la Iraqi and the main focus should be to educate the mass about the authenticate aqeeda of Ahl-al-Sunnah as political shortcuts can not be sustained against the will or indifference of the majority.

 

More explicitely, not only a Muslim life is sacred but our Deen doesn't condone machiavelism; in other words, the end can, under no circumstance, justify the means.

 

Finaly, Ulama may differ about the declared Jihad (as TFG officials are still considered as Muslims) and even on how to deal with the present situation whereas ICU positive legacies are recognized despite their inherent fundamental flaws reflecting those of an overwhelmingly misguided society; nevertheless, the moral remain the same: indeed, nothing can replace laborious and sustained Da'wa efforts however long it takes...

[Kashafa]

According to some local sheikhs, the Islamic Courts were constitued of many non-salafis (takfirs, khawaarijs, ikhwaaniins or muslim brotherhood influences, sufis ect ect) members and this ultimately led to their demise as Allah don't guide bid'a followers towards success; this was the fundamental danger

First of all, don't hijack the beautiful name of Al-Salafiyyah. The Islamic Courts are more Salafiyah and more inline with Ahlus-Sunnah than those Salafi-isku sheegs that kowtow to midget Munaafiqs and criticise men who work for Islam with their time, money, and lives.

 

Salafiyyah simply means ascribing to the Kitaab, Sunnah, and the precedence of the Salaf. Another name for a Salafi is, I'm sure you've heard of it, a Muslim. No more, no less. Salafiyyah does not mean blind following of a certain scholar or throwing the b-word(Bid'ee) anytime somebody disagrees with you on an issue. That causes division, division causes weakness. And the weak get crushed.

 

I'm not saying the Courts were flawless, but you need to come up with something better than Non-Salafism as a reason.

 

To sum it up, the Courts were rather misguided in their overwhelming majority due to their corrupt Aqeedah or creed (although still infinitely better than secularist warlords and other qabil worshippers opportunits), thus their very unity would have been seriously challenged have they won.

What's wrong with their Aqeedah ? That's a very serious charge to throw out without any support. Just because they don't suscribe to Mr. Rabee "If you disagree with me, you're a Bid'ee/Innovator" Al-Madkhalee's school of thought, does not make their Aqeedah corrupt. Come up with some verifiable substance. By the way, what is his view on what's going on Somalia ? Ask'em boys over at Troid, willya

 

nevertheless, the moral remain the same: indeed, nothing can replace laborious and sustained Da'wa efforts however long it takes

True say. And we must keep trying. Mistakes will be made. Setbacks will occur. Persecution and oppression are only one of the milestones on this road. We just gotta keep doin our thing and not fall in the trap of divisive in-fighting.

 

 

Xiin,

 

The situation is complex and the atmosphere is foggy. I'm gettin various takes on what went wrong and who did what and what caused the collapse. Some people are swearing that a massive betrayal took place among the ranks of the Courts. Some people are adamant that Indhocade was bought and paid for and that the whole coming over to the Courts side was a part of the plan. Reports from the battlefield indicate that the war effort was shabby and unorganised. There were no logistics to speak of. A question mark also arises on the conduct of the leadership of the Courts leading up to the war. Where were they ? There was definitely some level of discord but how far-reaching was it ? Question after su'aal aa taagaan. At this point, I think it's still too early to discern Beenale-News from what really happened but we wait and see. More on this when I get reliable feedback, inshallah

[Abu-Salman]

Salafiyyah simply means ascribing to the Kitaab, Sunnah, and the precedence of the Salaf. Another name for a Salafi is, I'm sure you've heard of it, a Muslim. No more, no less. Salafiyyah does not mean blind following of a certain scholar or throwing the b-word(Bid'ee) anytime somebody disagrees with you on an issue.

Indeed, Salafi means follower of the pious predecessors.

 

Hence, innovators or people of Bid'a (Bid'a= innovation unknown to the prophet, his companions and the early following generations he praised as the best)can, obviously, not be Salafi.

 

Now, is not Sufism or mysticism, for instance, a quintessential innovation in our Deen which misguided

Somalis througout centuries?

 

You just have to do your own research, visit places of worships/pilgrimage and ask the elders and not so old about the rituals they used to perform until quite recently and which is still prevalent, albeit receding.

 

Blame ignorance, most Somalis doesn't even master the Deen basics and removing innovations, while these are perpetuated thanks to opportunistics leaders and their corrupt "sheikhs", will require a sustained commitment.

 

At any rate, ICU leadership finally convinced sufis leaders and other groups to join them for our common struggle despite their initial malevolence in connivence with the warlords & co as the time was not propitious for internal rifts.

 

However, how could such fundamental disagreements be overlooked permanently, especially had the ICU won the hostilities?

 

Glad to see we agree on the rest anyway...

[NGONGE]

Xiin,

 

It’s the question I’ve asked from the day the Courts came on the scene as a political power and I still ask now that they’re no more, what were their political plans (other than the vague idea of Islamic law)?

 

This is what many that questioned them at the time (leaving aside the TFG and their supporters) wanted and needed to know. This was the real reason for the downfall of the Courts. As administrators they were great and the achievements you list above were all mere administrative achievements, the stuff that civil servants would do really! But as politicians the subsequent events have proved them wanting.

 

Even today, we are all still non the wiser as to the Courts’ political stances, manifestos and strategies. They lost because they refused to play the political games in a new environment of political intrigue and interference (Arabs, Americans, Africans, etc).

 

Still, in all seriousness and without wishing to hijack your topic, arguing over spilt milk is not very conducive here. The real question worth asking is if this defeat of the Courts will have any adverse effects on future Islamic political movements in Somalia! Will they rise again or will people ignore them and compare them to the boy that cried wolf?

 

From having discussions with many die hard Courts’ supporters in the past I’ve come to realise that not many of them would attribute any blame for this defeat to the Courts themselves and would rather choose to waffle on about American interference, Ethiopian intervention and TFG betrayal instead! All of which (if true) will naturally return should a new Islamic movement returns. So, where does this leave us and how could we achieve the goal of having a Somalia that is ruled by Islam (assuming that the support of the Courts was for Islamic reasons rather than clannish ones)? What strategies, positions and compromises would a new movement have to make in order to remain in and have power? These questions, sadly, don't only apply to Somalia. They apply to every Muslim country that wishs to be run along the lines of Allah's laws.

[xiinfaniin]

DS, surely icu was not without anomalies but the theological difference within it was minimal and could not have been the source of its demise. We all knew that icu’s organizational capacity could vastly be improved but never did I ever thought it would crumple as it did. The internal bickering and the power struggles you listed were real and we all heard about. At the time we thought Indhacadde was on the thumb of the Sharif and Aweys and he was there for a mere political convenience. We all knew that Turk was a stubborn ideologue but icu supporters were assured that the man has no alternative other than to stick with the herd. Right after he captured Kismayo his political attitudes were put into a hard test; a man who only knew how to arouse the faithful into a jihadi war was confronted with the political realities of ruling over un-consenting public. When the demos abated to subside, a high-ranking icu political officer was dispatched to sort things out and calm the city down. The subsequent admin for the city was the direct creation of that officer in collaboration with the icu in Mogadishu, Turk and co simply accepted. That was taken as a signal of political maturity from Turk’s part and an indication that he was ready to face the inevitability of governing rather than waging a perpetual war to liberate far away lands, Muslim and Somali lands that is, for which icu simply lacked logistical reach and military capacity to do it. While those who were familiar Somali sahwa were preoccupied about the Turk factor, the question of Indhacadde was largely ignored and did not get the attention it deserved. Ignored partly because the man was a known warlord and no body thought that he had any real role in shaping icu decisions. His relationship with icu, it was assumed, was one of a political convenience and whatever portfolio he was given was believed to be a ceremonial one. Many people though have second thoughts about that today. How could they genuinely keep a man with such a questionable background in their midst, is the question? What was the benefit of having him in as opposed to throwing him out? Was he part of their proceedings and had access into their top secrets?

 

Here you can sense where I am going with this. I do not believe their defeat had anything to do with any theological standing of theirs. Instead I think it came as a result of utter political and military failings. I am beginning to agree with NGONGE that icu were not cultured enough to decode current political goings of the region. They were simply new to this game. Their ambition of ridding what is current Somali ill of was not matched with the level of political competence such a task required. Decision-making powers seem to have not been concentrated in the right hands or if they were, whomever those hands might have belonged to, they were not making the right decisions. Theirs was analogous to a dizzied that came to the fork of a parting road and didn’t know which road to take: peace or war!

 

^^But again I am finding very difficult to reconcile that obvious fault with the caliber of the people who seemed to be running the show. The team that traversed in Arab capitals was the best Somalia could ever produce. Were they duped and led to say things that facts on the ground contradicted? Perhaps!

 

Kashafa, I heard the same news and got the same sentiments. Especially in the Bandiiradley front! Please fill me in as soon as you lift your ears from the ground!

 

NGONGE, marra waaxidah adeer. I agree your analysis that on the political front Courts got it wrong, and big time at that! You nailed the proverbial nail on the head when you said that they excelled in their administrative tasks but failed to translate that in to a lasting success by getting the politics of it right. But my question still stands; what went wrong and who gave the Courts away? Was it an act of betrayal that sprung from internal discontent? Or was it utter incompetence as some have already accused? As for your question of how Courts defeat will impact on the future Dacwa efforts, I say it will have a lasting impact and positive one at that. Somalis as you know are not a nation of stoics adeer and most people clearly see Global and regional hegemony as part of what led Court’s defeat. People will remember that along with Court’s superb administrative ability and managerial capacity that revived a dead city from its grave. By any standards Court’s achievement are astounding, and people will not easily forget the opportunity of peace they brought; how they allowed the city to flourish and business to grow; how they tackled the issues of looted properties and established a sense of hope among feuds clans; and above all how they did all of that without foreign help. When you listen real people, not the political pundits and the cyber fadhi-ku-dirirs, you hear their genuine appreciation of what has been accomplished by the Islamic Courts but unfortunately destroyed by America and Ethiopia. I think no matter how negatively certain groupings attempt to depict icu will forever tower high in Somali history. Their efforts will not be all different then Sayid Mohamed’s recorded quest to realize peace with dignity and obtain a state that’s free from foreign interference. We know today that despite his opponent’s attempts to paint him with the convenient brush of clan, history refused to bury the man and he outlasted his enemies. The sheer fact that they perished in the hands of America, a mighty superpower is enough to preserve their names in the coming years in a positive light.

 

On the other hand the shortness of their age is not a matter that anyone would admire and we all wished that they lasted longer than they did. To avoid that similar fate we need to understand reasons that caused it in the first place hence this thread! Any succeeding Islamic movement would definitely need to be careful in entering or provoking a regional war that it cannot handle. It would need to understand the political workings of the world. It would need to lower the expectations and adopt modalities that succeeded before in the other parts of the world. If conflicts are to be had, they need to narrow the theatre of such a conflict and plan on taking the public with them to face any external danger. Above all, they would need to have well thought out plans and articulate to the public what and where they would take the country/region and what the benefits would be. I also think any movement would need to have a solid relationship with a host of countries in the region, who would do the diplomatic battles for them, if it comes to that.

 

ICU was just the beginning and I have doubt in my mind that a more matured movement will follow it soon.

[Alle-ubaahne]

^^But I totally disagree, awoowe, your simplifications of the issue as a matter of ICU's fault of mishandling the political aspect of the issue.

 

The position of the Ethiopians and their allies, presumebly america, was always clear: make no model for the Muslim world to have a system of justice through the achievements of ICU.

 

My take is, Allah knows best for what went wrong, but I am certain that the pre-war rehtorics of the west wasn't merely out of place given the subsequent play-out of their real actions. Jendai frazer was shuttling to-and-fro in the neighbouring countries to prevent any sympathetic support for the Courts before they fully invaded, assuring an swift victory for the Ethiopian invasion.

 

The Islamic Courts army were running out of supply in the last few days of the war, and they decided to opt for a tactical insurgency warfare. When the seaport and the airport are closed and the U.S. warships sealing off you from your cost and the whole world, including the U.N. stoogies for America, are labelling you terrorist, chances are so slim to remain steadfast in engaging a conventional war.

 

I believe the Islamic Courts are alive in terms of their courageous spirit that brought about the hasty victory for the people of the South. That is what matters, not the theatrical tales that bussy us everyday to proceed on a perpetual squabling on what went wrong and whose to blame for the demise of the ICU.

 

Let's concentrate the real enemy and start a fresh campaign to revive what we had by learning from the past experiences and move forward.

 

I believe this was not a failure by any means, it was a test from Allah to measure the level of their perseverance in terms of not the current challanges, but the future ones as well.

 

I say, wage the war against the invading enemy and put your trust on Allah!

[xiinfaniin]

^^This discussion is not (at least from my perspective) about why they did not continue fighting or changed tactics adeer; rather it is about understanding what led up to this war and how decisions of declaring it were made, and if it was avoidable all together? My hope is that the remnant of the Islamic Courts will oppose this puppet by any permissible means! Those who entered our cities on the back of the enemy tanks must be forced to leave riding on its backs again. That’s given adeer!

 

Now you can’t attain your goals by sleep walking adeer. You need to reason and bonder what happened and how it happened. If these types of movements are ever to succeed, they must wise up and learn how to engage and interact with a hostile world, make friends abroad, and be flexible and lower their expectations. There are known modalities that have been tested to achieve same goals. Some succeeded and some utterly failed.

 

Midda kale this is not a blame game, far from it. don’t mistake it as such yaa AU!

[spirit]

the union of islamic courts 'militia' are a law enforcement body and not a guerilla faction, that has been drawn into an inconcievable conflict with a modern army.

 

their stated aims were to bring the rule of law to regions abandoned by the ineffectual or absent 'government'.

 

the islamic courts are capable of disarming warring factions and make them comply with sharia. but fighting a war against an army by deploying snipers and IED's etc etc is beyond their capabilities, this belies washingtons claims that they are alqaida affiliates.

 

islamic courts 'militia' will now have to improvise and learn new skills following foreign intervention to prevent the rule of sharia.

[Abu-Salman]

Actually, my aforementioned remarks were merely reflecting the opinions of some local sheikhs, hence the misunderstanding.

 

Now, given that they explained Islamically why the courts failed (inclusion of too many bid'a groups, not that ICU supporters were all misguided), what remains is to form a consensus on how to deal with the warlords puppet regime while avoiding a generalized blood bath a la Iraqi at all cost.

 

Negociatiating doesn't means defeat...

[spirit]

what do you mean by misguided..

[Nur]

MaashaAllah Tabarakallah, Xiin

 

A wonderful and eloquent piece on the current events back home. Cant comment now due to time constraints.

 

I am quite tied up these days (not in chains with orange jumpers, alhamdulillah), but I will be visiting from time to time, up until I settle down to my old moderating job, till then Sister Rahima to the task, may Allah bless her.(amin).

 

Nur

[Fabregas]

1.They lacked the love and the support of the people.

2.They clearly didn't put any real thought into their military endeavour

3.It is Allah who gives victory.......

 

Inshallah i will elaborate more on this...........

[xiinfaniin]

^^please do. But the third point did not go wrong so concentrate on the first two points instead yaa Geelle .

[Fabregas]

Ali Dheere Jamac: A Somali Youth living in southern Somalia.

 

I work 5 times a week in my dads local teashop in Muqdisho.Prior to this i used to attend a local mosque for quranic studies and enjoyed playing footbal with my teenage friends.I had dreams of someday moving abroad to playing for a professional footbal team like my favourite football player Ronaldiiniyo......

 

However my father said that i had become a grown man know and stressed the need to help the family out in the teashop.It seemed i was destined to follow in the footsteps of my two older brothers. I have never known any sort of peace in Somalia.In fact it was an everyday occurence to get robbed on my way home.During my time in Somalia I have witnessed the death of several local people, mostly killed by brutal warlords.Sometimes i would think that i would never see peace in my life...

 

Alxamdulilah, thanks to the Islamic Courts Union the warlords where defeated and they restored a sense of normality to our lives. Many of my family where elated and overwhelmed that we had peace for the first time in years.However my father a well known local Reer Dheere elder was quite wary of the Islamic Courts,although he too was happy at the order they had created.Many other people where suspicious of the intentions of the Islamic Courts but they gave them the benefit of the doubt aswell.

 

 

After several months under the Islamic Courts suddenly we and some others started to encounter some problems under their rule.Firstly,as my father pointed out many of their high ranking posts where given to Reer Bisad.My father and several other clan elders where very dissapointed at this stance.Because we felt as that we would be at the mercy at the hands of the Islamic Courts who where largely run by Reer Bisaad, our traditional enemies.My father recalled that Reer Bisaad had killed one of our uncles 36 years ago,in the famous battle of "Nafta Kasaar".

 

When Sheikh Hassan Turki announced that they where willing to overtake Puntland,Somaliland and other Somali clan territories, it reaffirmed to me and my clan that the Islamic Courts where an alliance that simply wanted to overun all other Somali clans.The propoganda against the Islamic Courts took a surge in Muqdisho teashops when they shot unarmed prisoners in a hospital and also took over the city of Kismayo. Despite all of this i was still a firm believer in the Islamic Courts,perhaps my family and clan elders where being a little clanish?

 

The final straw came when the Islamic Courts started to ban Khat in several of the areas they had controlled.Me and my family where especially affected by this as our income was reliant on the Khat and tea sales from our local Business.I was very saddened at this because the Islamic Courts did not inform us of this policy, nor did they give us the means to seek another alternative to porvide for our family.My father and other Khat sellers where know secretly hoping that the Islamic Courts where defeated in their upcoming war with the Ethiopians.Other complaints started to flood in from people who's Indian movie cinemas had been closed down.Many of my old Dhalinyaaro friends where know fed up at the rule of the "Surwalgaabs".To sum up many people started to see the Islamic Courts as just another force who had come to rule over us.In reality they where losing the suspicious Somali love and support they had gained from us........

 

Your sincerley Ali Dheere