Farah Mohamed Shirdon, Calgary ISIS fighter reportedly killed in Iraq, was partying and ‘dead inside’ long ago, friend say

[Admin]

YoutubeFarah Mohamed Shirdon was a Calgarian Somali-Canadian ISIS fighter reportedly killed abroad.

A young Calgary man who is believed to have been killed in Iraq fighting for ISIS was “dead inside” long ago, says his former best friend.Social media reports on Friday said Farah Mohamed Shirdon, a 21-year-old Somali-Canadian, had died overseas.It’s unclear when he joined the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham but in an ISIS video that surfaced four months ago, Mr. Shirdon can be seen burning his Canadian passport and threatening Canada and the United States.“He was never like that before,” said Nathaniel Little, 21. “He had a great multitude of friends in Calgary. Everybody liked him.”

Mr. Little met Mr. Shirdon when the two were in Grade 8 at John Ware School in Calgary. Mr. Shirdon’s family had just emigrated from Somalia.

Courtesy of a friend of Farah Mohamed ShirdonFarah Mohamed Shirdon, far right, before he left Canada.

“He was a nerd and we hung out in a circle of nerds,” said Mr. Little. “He was extremely funny. … That’s what drew people to him was his sense of humour.”The two worked part-time jobs at Orange Julius and Mr. Shirdon also worked at the local movie theatre. He was a hard worker who didn’t particularly like school but studied hard to please his family.He was religious but “would never press his beliefs on anyone,” said Mr. Little.While Mr. Shirdon was a “very confident” young man, he also had a temper and was desperate to fit in, his friend said.“[He] never threw fists or anything … but when he was angry he’d make fun of people. He’d belittle them,” said Mr. Little.

Courtesy of a friend of Farah Mohamed ShirdonFarah Mohamed Shirdon, right, before he left Canada.

In Grade 12, while attending Henry Wise Wood Senior High School, the friends drifted apart.Mr. Shirdon started partying and selling marijuana. He deleted most of his Facebook friends, except Muslim ones.

“I saw his morals slowly start to decline,” said Mr. Little.The last time Mr. Little saw Mr. Shirdon was May 2012.In the April ISIS video, Mr. Shirdon wears glasses and can be seen tearing up and burning his passport. He threatens Canadians and Americans.“This is a message to Canada and all the American tyrants: We are coming and we will destroy you, with permission from Allah the almighty,” he said mostly in English. “I left comfort for one reason alone. For Allah.”Mr. Little said he didn’t recognize his friend in the video.“It clearly wasn’t him anymore,” he said. When he learned of his death, Mr. Little tweeted: “The guy I knew was already dead inside, it’s still very disheartening to hear the news about my former friend. R.I.P. Farah Shirdon”On Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said it was aware of reports a Canadian was killed in Iraq and was following the situation closely.Mr. Shirdon’s family, including a mother, two brothers and at least one sister, were members of Calgary’s Somali-Canadian community.Mohamed Jama, the Somali Canadian Society of Calgary president, described the family as “normal.”“It’s very hard for his family,” he said. “Even the parents have no idea why this young man has [gone] to join this radical group.”Mr. Jama was unaware Mr. Shirdon had been killed, calling the news “shocking.”On a Twitter account believed to belong to Mr. Shirdon, a tweet from June read, “Beheading Shias is a beautiful thing.”The account, under the pseudonym Abu Usamah, had more than 10,000 followers.Mr. Jama said the Somali community in Calgary didn’t understand why Mr. Shirdon radicalized.“It’s very hard to believe,” he said. “Especially a young person who grew up in the Western [world] and goes to a place he has no ethnicity, no community, no language.”Mr. Jama described the actions of ISIS as a “killing phenomena.”Mr. Shirdon is one of several Calgary men who went overseas to fight for extremist groups in recent years.In January Calgarian Damian Clairmont died in Syria after converted to Islam following a suicide attempt. In November 2013 Pakistani-Canadian Salman Ashfrafi was blamed for a suicide bombing that killed 19 Iraqis.“The RCMP is aware that there is issue with the radicalization to violence of individuals in the Calgary area who are leaving to take part in terrorist activities overseas,” said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Josée Valiquette. “We take the threats of terrorism and radicalization to violence very seriously.”While Mr. Little is still “blown away” by the changes in his friend, he has an explanation for his radicalization.“Farah was very easily manipulated throughout his life. If someone thought he was cool and he knew it, they could basically make him do anything they want,” he said. “That’s what he really wanted, was to feel accepted.”National Post, with a file from Stewart Bell

Courtesy of a friend of Farah Mohamed ShirdonFarah Mohamed Shirdon, centre, before he left Canada

Source: National Post

http://www.somaliaonline.com/farah-mohamed-shirdon-calgary-isis-fighter-reportedly-killed-in-iraq-was-partying-and-dead-inside-long-ago-friend-say/

[Alpha Blondy]

he appears to be morally corrupt, judging by these pics.

 

 

[Coofle]

young adults who have recently reconnected with their religion are easy prey for Extremism-preachers. This is not only true for religion but for tribalism as well! or any vile idea for that matter. This tendency stems from lack of understanding and real life experience.

The latter [tribalism] is true for those who grew up in the gulf countries, I have met many who spent all their lives there and yet the stench of tribalism is so strong it even appalled the Somali elderly!. At least back home, Somalis sugarcoat their tribalism and usually it does not effect their social life.

 

Many mosques and Islamic communities in the west are a hub or melting pot for extremism, and the only thing that annoys me more is how we all give it a blind eye. All the red flags are there, yet everyone pretends everything is fine. Those young adults when they start regularly attending mosques, they will be attracted by the hospitality and cordial gestures of those mintid individuals. It will be from street gang to a mosque gang. different yet same.

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Coofle

said:</cite>

This is not only true for religion but for tribalism as well! or any vile idea for that matter.

 

yeah, i know brovs.

 

i'm a victim of this. i've become indoctrinated by and brainwashed by tribalism. i'm so tribalistic it affect my daily thoughts and stuff but i'm not going to blow myself, you know. the terrorist jihadists have to demonstrate their insidious bravado by doing an act, ma garatay? balse, like you said, it's all the same.

 

we must protect our young people but our culture is very weak and very backward.

 

maxa talo ah?

[Dhagax-Tuur]

^ You? Asylum, maybe.

[Coofle]

<cite>

@Alpha Blondy

said:</cite>

yeah, i know brovs.

 

i'm a victim of this. i've become indoctrinated by and brainwashed by tribalism. i'm so tribalistic it affect my daily thoughts and stuff but i'm not going to blow myself, you know. the terrorist jihadists have to demonstrate their insidious bravado by doing an act, ma garatay? balse, like you said, it's all the same.

 

we must protect our young people but our culture is very weak and very backward.

 

maxa talo ah?

 

Bravo Alpha, Admitting is the firs step. Tribe is a good thing to keep lineage of society and to know who is who and keep track of your relatives. unfortunately, tribe like everything has Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo 'The good, the bad and the ugly'. Due to an inherent ignorance, we turned a lineage line that was supposed to mean 'nothing' and turned it to a big idol that our lives revolve around.

 

when I first admitted that tribalism is taking atoll of my life and I had a difficult time hanging out with many friends. deciding to stop clan bashing and making judgement calls based on tribe was not swallowed by my own circle. Suddenly I knew I was righteous and gained the energy when I met a childhood friend!. I can't think of my boyhood with him in the picture and yet as we grew up we drifted apart, I got into high school but he did not. He was from Beelaha-la-hayb sooco, the fact that we were next-door neighbors, grew up in the same environment, went to same school, equals in everything, did not mean anything in real adult life, what mattered was qolomaa tahay?....its difficult for a teenager of beelaha la hayb sooco to attend school , just put your self in thier shoes, its not financial (might be) but it has to do more with social expectations and cruelty.

 

Yaanan sheeko kugu daaline, Since you are a naturalized Somaliland citizen and as I heard your naturalization ceremony was held in bustaanada dacar budhuq. you should find a way of balancing tribe in your life, yet avoiding tribalism. If you get that itch of tribalism, to say something about reer hebel, instead scratch it by saying something good. If you see yourself judging someone by their tribe, put yourself in their place. If you see yourself doing the worst of all, Harming someone in the name of tribe, Acuudu-bilayso then Astaqfurlayso and remember its prejudice (Dulmi , that word works on me better, Dulmi) and you don't want be daalim. .....

 

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Coofle

said:</cite>

Bravo Alpha, Admitting is the firs step. Tribe is a good thing to keep

lineage

of society and to know who is who and keep track of your relatives. unfortunately, tribe like everything has

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo

'The good, the bad and the ugly'. Due to an inherent ignorance, we turned a lineage line that was supposed to mean 'nothing' and turned it to a big idol that our lives revolve around.

 

when I first admitted that tribalism is taking atoll of my life and I had a difficult time hanging out with many friends. deciding to stop clan bashing and making judgement calls based on tribe was not swallowed by my own circle. Suddenly I knew I was righteous and gained the energy when I met a childhood friend!. I can't think of my boyhood with him in the picture and yet as we grew up we drifted apart, I got into high school but he did not. He was from

Beelaha-la-hayb

sooco

, the fact that we were next-door neighbors, grew up in the same environment, went to same school, equals in everything, did not mean anything in real adult life, what mattered was qolomaa tahay?....its difficult for a teenager of beelaha la hayb sooco to attend school , just put your self in thier shoes, its not financial (might be) but it has to do more with social expectations and cruelty.

 

Yaanan sheeko kugu daaline, Since you are a naturalized Somaliland citizen and as I heard your naturalization ceremony was held in

bustaanada dacar budhuq

. you should find a way of balancing tribe in your life, yet avoiding tribalism.

If you get that itch of tribalism, to say something about reer hebel, instead scratch it by saying something good

. If you see yourself judging someone by their tribe, put yourself in their place. If you see yourself doing the worst of all, Harming someone in the name of tribe, Acuudu-bilayso then Astaqfurlayso and remember its prejudice (

Dulmi

, that word works on me better,

Dulmi

) and you don't want be daalim. .....

 

dearest Coofle,

 

thank you for your wise words. as can you imagine, it wasn't easy admitting to this cilaad but i felt i could confide in you. i recently read a book about this beelaha la hayb sooco. it was interesting and i felt i could empathise with their plight, being a member of a minority clan myself. all we need is to understand each other, runnti.

 

inshallah, one day we can all live in peace and harmony.

[Coofle]

<cite>

@Alpha Blondy

said:</cite>

dearest Coofle,

 

thank you for your wise words. as can you imagine, it wasn't easy admitting to this cilaad but i felt i could confide in you. i recently read a book about this beelaha la hayb sooco. it was interesting and i felt i could empathise with their plight, being a member of a minority clan myself. all we need is to understand each other, runnti.

 

inshallah, one day we can all live in peace and harmony.

 

Mudane Alpha...does that book happen to be 'The Yi.b.ir of Las burgabo'. the book was a good read, short story yet it covers many aspects of haybsooc. I recommend it. a review i read before purchasing the book described it as uncle toms cabin of somalis. When I finished reading the book , I sent the author an email, I told him his book was written in the wrong language and directed at the wrong crowd!!!

 

[Tallaabo]

<cite>

@Alpha Blondy

said:</cite>

dearest Coofle,

 

i recently read a book about this beelaha la hayb sooco. it was interesting and i felt i could empathise with their plight, being a member of a minority clan myself. all we need is to understand each other, runnti.

The dayuusbaro clan is no longer considered a minority in Somaliland.

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Tallaabo

said:</cite>

The dayuusbaro clan is no longer considered a minority in Somaliland.

 

i meant ethnically.

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Coofle

said:</cite>

Mudane Alpha...does that book happen to be 'The Yi.b.ir of Las burgabo'. the book was a good read, short story yet it covers many aspects of haybsooc. I recommend it. a review i read before purchasing the book described it as

uncle toms cabin

of somalis. When I finished reading the book , I sent the author an email, I told him his book was written in the wrong language and directed at the wrong crowd!!!

 

 

can you post the email you sent to the author. it would be interesting to read it.

 

as for the language it was written in and the crowd it was targeted at. i agree. it ought to have been written in af-yib!rian and directed at ajis.