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Taliban-like regime may be rising in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Islamic fundamentalists whose ideology is similar to the Taliban seized control of Somalia's capital Monday, unifying the city for the first time in more than a decade and posing a direct challenge to a fledging U.N.-backed government.
The advance against a secular alliance rumored to be backed by Washington comes after weeks of bloody fighting and 15 years of anarchy in the Horn of Africa nation, raising fears that Somalia could fall under the sway of al Qaeda.
"We won the fight against the enemy of Islam; Mogadishu is under control of its people," said Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, on a radio broadcast. The militia now controls a 65-mile (100-kilometer) radius around the capital after fighting off a secular alliance of warlords.
The Islamic militia is gaining ground just as the U.N.-backed interim government struggles to assert control outside its base in Baidoa, 155 miles (249 kilometers) from Mogadishu. Weapons prices soared there Monday amid fears that the militia could head next to Baidoa.
The militia is the first group to consolidate control over all of Mogadishu's neighborhoods since the last government collapsed in 1991 and warlords took over, dividing the impoverished country of 8 million into a patchwork of rival fiefdoms.
Omar Jamal, director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, said the Islamic militia's victory in Mogadishu was a major turning point in the country's history.
"It is exactly the same thing that happened with the rise to power of the Taliban," he said, adding that the extremists are "using the people's weariness of violence, rape and civil war" to gain support for a government based on Islamic law.
The battle between the militia and the secular alliance has been intensifying in recent months, with more than 300 people killed and 1,700 wounded -- many of them civilians caught in the crossfire of grenades, machine guns and mortars.
Alliance leaders could not be reached for comment Monday and had likely fled Mogadishu. One of them, warlord Mohamed Dheere, was believed to be in Ethiopia seeking reinforcements.
The United States is widely believed to be backing the secular alliance in an attempt to root out any al Qaeda members operating in the Horn of Africa, but American officials have declined to comment. The United States has not carried out any direct action in Somalia since the deaths of 18 servicemen in a 1993 battle depicted in the film "Black Hawk Down."
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said recently that three al Qaeda leaders indicted in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania are being sheltered by Islamic leaders in Mogadishu.
The same al Qaeda cell is believed responsible for the 2002 suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya that killed 15 people and a simultaneous attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner.
The Islamic militants and their secular rivals began competing for influence in earnest after a U.N.-backed interim government slowly began to gain international recognition. The weak government, wracked by infighting, has not been able to enter the capital because of the violence.
Interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi recently fired four ministers who were part of the secular alliance, leaving the alliance without any support in the government.
Mogadishu residents expressed relief at Monday's relative peace, but they had mixed responses to the Islamic militia's advance.
"The victory of Islamic Courts is a major step toward a lasting peaceful settlement in Mogadishu," said Somali economist Abdinasir Ahmed. "We are tired of the deception and rhetoric of the warlords."
Computer engineer Abdulqaadir Bashir disagreed. "The Islamic clerics want to be like the Taliban regime in Afghanistan," he said. "People have no hope at all." - AP
Posts: 15202 | Registered: Jun 2004
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We were afraid something like this might happen; this is one of the reasons why some of our U.S. leaders are trying to get the President to do something about the situation in the Sudan.
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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Rasol Citizens of Mogadishu and rest of Southern Somalia supported the Islamic court and rejected the warlords who are nothing but thugs, rapest, drug dealers, killers, etc. The Islamic court is the best hope to bring law and order and peace in Southern Somali.
Bs; I hope America and West in general stays out of the affairs of Somalis and let the Somali people in South determine their future by riding themself the Warlords.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Masonic Rebel: Sum of all Fears
We were afraid something like this might happen; this is one of the reasons why some of our U.S. leaders are trying to get the President to do something about the situation in the Sudan.
People in Mogadishu are celebrating today and you are talking about sum of all fear...because people in Mogadishu chose Islam court over the law lessness the Warlords offered them for 16 years...
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__________________________________________________ Quote: The Islamic court is the best hope to bring law and order and peace in Southern Somali. __________________________________________________
A court based on Religion can never bring Law and Order or Peace to the masses of people in Somalia
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Masonic Rebel: __________________________________________________ Quote: The Islamic court is the best hope to bring law and order and peace in Southern Somali. __________________________________________________
A court based on Religion can never bring Law and Order or Peace to the masses of people in Somali
Well Somali people feel that Islamic court is the best hope of Uniting Southern SOmalia and bringing law and order.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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__________________________________________________ Quote: People in Mogadishu are celebrating today and you are talking about sum of all fear...because people in Mogadishu chose Islam court over the law lessness the Warlords offered them for 16 years... __________________________________________________
Like they really had a choice
What would happen if the people demand a court based on Traditional African Religion or an African form of Christianity
Will the court support RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Well we all know the answer to that Question
By the way how are people in somalia treated who religion differs from Islam
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Masonic Rebel: __________________________________________________ Quote: People in Mogadishu are celebrating today and you are talking about sum of all fear...because people in Mogadishu chose Islam court over the law lessness the Warlords offered them for 16 years... __________________________________________________
Like they really had a choice
What would happen if the people demand a court based on Traditional African Religion or an African form of Christianity
Will the court support RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Well we all know the answer to that Question
By the way how are people in somali treated who religion differs from Islam
quote: Like they really had a choice
well if people in Mogadishu were against the Islamic court they would have supported the Warlords...but they didn't because the Islamic court was in the first place setup by local Business and average people who got tired of the law lessness. Just because you don't agree with what they choice, you can't assume they didn't have a choice.
quote:Will the court support RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Religion was never the problem in Southern Somalia...since everyone is muslim either Sunni or Sufi. The problem in South was Trabilism the Warlords preached and killed for. Know I can't say 100% that the Imams running the Islamic court free from corruption of tribalism or any other...but as of right know the people in Mogadishu feel that they are in the best position to bring lar and order, which is much needed in the South.
quote: By the way how are people in somali treated who religion differs from Islam
Somalis in the South are 100% muslim like any other part in Somali.
quote: What would happen if the people demand a court based on Traditional African Religion or an African form of Christianity
People should be allowed to determine their countries future no matter what type of government they chose.
By the way woman are biggest supporters of the Islamic court...
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
This topic was one of the headlines on MSNBC.
On the one hand, at least this Islamic regime is nothing like the Arab-wannabe psychopathic Sudanese government, and isn't committing genocide against anyone!
But on the other hand, as Rasol said, will this new government end up like Afghanistan and bring a totalitarian society based on extremist interpretations of the Koran??
Ceel is right that at least there is peace instead of the chaos that these warlord clan-clashers have brought in the past, but at what cost is this new 'peace'??..
Posts: 26252 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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__________________________________________________ Quote: well if people in Mogadishu were against the Islamic court they would have supported the Warlords __________________________________________________
Huh ?
The Warlords who were raping and murdering people ?
you need to rethink this
__________________________________________________ Quote: Somalis in the South are 100% muslim like any other part in Somali. __________________________________________________
This is not an Answer, but the question was
How are people in somalia treated who religion differs from Islam ?
there is a reason why the south is 100 percent muslim (please don't say they had free will to covert to Islam)
Those who were not Muslim had to basically run for their lives
Some Choice
So Now the coverted Muslims want a Islamic Court
A court based on Religion can never bring Law and Order or Peace to the masses of people in Somali
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Masonic Rebel: __________________________________________________ Quote: well if people in Mogadishu were against the Islamic court they would have supported the Warlords __________________________________________________
Huh ?
The Warlords who were raping and murdering people ?
you need to rethink this
__________________________________________________ Quote: Somalis in the South are 100% muslim like any other part in Somali. __________________________________________________
This is not an Answer, but the question was
How are people in somali treated who religion differs from Islam ?
there is a reason why the south is 100 percent muslim (please don't say they had free will to covert to Islam)
Those who were not Muslim had to basically run for their lives
Some Choice
So Now the coverted Muslims want a Islamic Court
A court based on Religion can never bring Law and Order or Peace to the masses of people in Somali
quote: The Warlords who were raping and murdering people ?
you need to rethink this
I'm SOmali, I know what the hell the Warlords were about..so please don't tell me to rethink. I think you need to mind your own business and leave the people in Mogadishu.
quote: This is not an Answer, but the question was
How are people in somali treated who religion differs from Islam ?
there is a reason why the south is 100 percent muslim (please don't say they had free will to covert to Islam)
hahaa...People in Mogadishu have been muslims since the 10th century..Its not like they converted or were forced to convert 10 years, these people like the rest of Somali people have been Muslims at least 1000 years know.
Again like Hotep when you have nothing to say, you fall back on insulting Islam and Muslims.
quote: Those who were not Muslim had to basically run for their lives
Some Choice
So Now the coverted Muslims want a Islamic Court
How is this possible when SOmalis have been 100% muslims at least since 10th to 13th century latest?
By the way who are these converted muslims whome you speak of?
And what the hell does those Sudanese picture have to do with Mogadishu and Southern Somalia...
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masonic rebel why you acting as if you know somali politics? i know more then you
quote:Huh ?
The Warlords who were raping and murdering people ?
you need to rethink this
you just proved his point why should they back people who have been terrorising them for the last 15 yrs?
they stand behind the islamic courts and doesn't matter how many times outsiders like you and me discuss this it won't change the simple fact that the people have chosen wich side their on
somalis who fled the capital fled from gunviolence between the islamic courts and the warlords not the islamic courts itself
the minority groups that were practicing a different religion were always targeted by the warlords militia's
quote:there is a reason why the south is 100 percent muslim (please don't say they had free will to covert to Islam)
somalis in the south and in the rest of country converted to islam a milenia ago so why you asking this question?
i don't see the relevance of your question to this topic
quote: What would happen if the people demand a court based on Traditional African Religion
why should they ask this when there all muslims?
they demand law and order like there is in somaliland and puntland
and that's what the islamic courts were providing in the regions that were under their jurisdiction
now the whole capital is under their control
quote:African form of Christianity
so the islamic religion 400 million africans practice isn't a african form of religion? but there is a african form of christianity?
whatever!
i think you have a problem with their choice of faith
just worry about your own life and the decisions you make and respect other people's choice of faith
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
The Islamic courts have been the sole reason for peace in the war destroyed capital Mogadishu of Somalia for the past 16 years. The clan based warlords brought nothing but disastrous problems to the whole of Somalia since they curropted the heart of Somalia which is Mogadishu.
Mogadishu is mainly settled by the Hawiye clan, who fight each other based on interclans. The northern parts of Somalia such as Puntland settled by the Darood clans and Somalilands settled by the Isaaq are relatively peaceful.
The Islamic courts have stopped the sub clan rivalry of the Hawiye Somalis and introdced unity under the banner of an Islamic sharia law. I say well done to them!!!
Insha Allah they will succeed!!!
Posts: 265 | From: UK | Registered: Dec 2005
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Quote: masonic rebel why you acting as if you know somali politics? i know more then you __________________________________________________
I not saying I know more than you, but I do know a little about what going on in somali
Hey Queen has it ever crossed you mind that the citizens who fled Somali and came to the United States (some of them with a missing Achilles tendon) informed us on the conditions in the country.
The politics of Genocide (Yes there is an Islamic Influnce behind it in Somali )
Abdi Rahman, a Somali, was granted political asylum, and he's thankful.
"Given what happened in Somalia, I would have been in a refugee camp somewhere in Kenya, if I was alive," he said.
You Sound like you are in Denial
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Masonic Rebel: __________________________________________________
Quote: masonic rebel why you acting as if you know somali politics? i know more then you __________________________________________________
I not saying I know more than you, but I do know a little about what going on in somali
Hey Queen has it ever crossed you mind that the citizens who fled Somali and came to the United States (some of them with a missing Achilles tendon) informed us on the conditions in the country.
The politics of Genocide (Yes there is an Islamic Influnce behind it in Somali )
Abdi Rahman, a Somali, was granted political asylum, and he's thankful.
"Given what happened in Somalia, I would have been in a refugee camp somewhere in Kenya, if I was alive," he said.
You Sound like you are in Denial
Fistoff all the dude you posted looks more like Habashe than SOmali... but anyway what hell has he got to do with islamic court taken over Mogadishu? If anything the warlords and the former dictator Said Barres are the ones who chased SOmalis out of their country and destroyed the country.
But for real that dud you posted looks like Zenawi's cousin..
posted
Queen Quote: __________________________________________________ African form of Christianity ________________________________________ so the islamic religion 400 million africans practice isn't a african form of religion? but there is a african form of christianity? __________________________________________________
No That’s not what I’m saying this is not about Islam vs Christianity
Both Religions were Influence by Africa in the First Place
Queen Quote: __________________________________________________ i think you have a problem with their choice of faith __________________________________________________
No because I don’t think the people in Somalia had a choice
I Just don’t see the economical benefits of Africans in the 21 century adopting Islam or Chirstianity to be fair.
_________________________________________________ Queen Quote: just worry about your own life and the decisions you make and respect other people's choice of faith __________________________________________________
We can’t ignore the Genocide going on in Africa because it we affect us in some way in the future
This is not about disrespecting Africans and I'm sorry if you feel this way, that's not my intention.
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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__________________________________________________ Quote: but anyway what hell has he got to do with islamic court taken over Mogadishu? __________________________________________________
This is about will an Islamic court be good for Somalia and I guess you will never answer the question
How are people in Somalia treated who religion differs from IslamPosts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:No because I don’t think the people in Somalia had a choice
care to elaborate somali muslims practice a moderate form of islam
who's this boogeyman your talking about?
the warlords were the ones who went after the minorities of somalia
putting up roadblocks and asking money from hardworking somalis
the islamic courts destroyed those roadblocks
the islamic courts have taken over an airport and a seaport were heavy weapons were shipped in.. those weapons would go into circulation of mogadishu streets they stopped all of that
quote:I Just don’t see the economical benefits of Africans in the 21 century adopting Islam or Chirstianity to be fair.
quote:Trade between Somalia and other countries has multiplied. Some people even estimate that the trade volume is so huge that it could be considered one of the biggest in the Horn of Africa, outdoing more politically stable countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
quote:We can’t ignore the Genocide going on in Africa because it we affect us in some way in the future
don't ignore the genocides that was and is being commited by africans with superiorty complexes of other faiths
and i agree it's sickens me what's happening in sudan
and the perpurtrators should be brought to justice
quote:This is not about disrespecting Africans and I'm sorry if you feel this way, that's not my intention
you seem like a respectfull guy hope as this discussion one way or another with out doubt stoops to religion bashing and provocation posts that lead to my daddy is stronger than your daddy replies you don't resort to those antics
peace!
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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who were they running from?? who were in power in 1996??
THE WARLORDS!!!!!!!
LMAO masonic next time at least look at the date of the material your presenting before you post it
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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Masonic, what gives? Did you have a bad experience with Muslims or something??
You talk as if Islam is the root of all the problems in Africa when Christian Europeans did the most harm. You sound as if you blame Muslims for all the conflicts and problems in Africa when it is ethnic and political beliefs that are the problems not religious beliefs.
Posts: 26252 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:This is about will an Islamic court be good for Somalia and I guess you will never answer the question
How are people in Somalia treated who religion differs from Islam
Well The Somali Citizens in Southern Somali think the Islamic Court in Southern SOmalia is better than anything the Warlords will ever offer them...and they see them the best hope to bring the country peace and law and order.
Again SOmalis are 100% muslim..and religion has never been the problem in SOmalia..but rather trabilism and Warlords greed has beed the main problem in Southern Somalia.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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These are statements the chairman or the Joint Islamic court made to local radio after the city was captured....
"The Joint Islamic Courts are not interested in a continuation of hostilities and will fully implement peace and security after the change has been made by the victory of the people with the support of Allah," he said.
"The JIC will take care of the safety of the people and freedom of individuals and will eradicate any sort of hostilities brought about by inter-clan fighting," Ahmed said.
Senior court officials said preparations were being made to bring all of Mogadishu under Islamic law.
"The creation of new Islamic courts in the areas that were controlled by the warlords is expected very soon," one official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
I just hope that Somalia stays as one country. Southern Somalia and Northern Somalia should work together to fix the problems in Somalia. This thread has been interesting. Now that the Warlords have been put in their place I just hope that peace can come to Somalia. Southern Somalia needs to follow Somaliland and Puntlands example. But they should not break up.
Peace
Posts: 9651 | From: Reace and Love City. | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by QUEEN OF THE THE UNIVERSE: [qb] masonic rebel why you acting as if you know somali politics? i know more then you
[QUOTE]Huh ?
The Warlords who were raping and murdering people ?
you need to rethink this
you just proved his point why should they back people who have been terrorising them for the last 15 yrs?
they stand behind the islamic courts and doesn't matter how many times outsiders like you and me discuss this it won't change the simple fact that the people have chosen wich side their on
somalis who fled the capital fled from gunviolence between the islamic courts and the warlords not the islamic courts itself
the minority groups that were practicing a different religion were always targeted by the warlords militia's
quote:there is a reason why the south is 100 percent muslim (please don't say they had free will to covert to Islam)
somalis in the south and in the rest of country converted to islam a milenia ago so why you asking this question?
i don't see the relevance of your question to this topic
quote: What would happen if the people demand a court based on Traditional African Religion
why should they ask this when there all muslims?
they demand law and order like there is in somaliland and puntland
and that's what the islamic courts were providing in the regions that were under their jurisdiction
now the whole capital is under their control
quote:African form of Christianity
so the islamic religion 400 million africans practice isn't a african form of religion? but there is a african form of christianity?
whatever!
i think you have a problem with their choice of faith
just worry about your own life and the decisions you make and respect other people's choice of faith
correction-yes if you included north africa and the arabs in africa close to 400 million in africa would practice islam but it is not 400 million yet,and if you excluded the arabs and some berbers(WHITE ONES and unknown numbers of brown ones)since most do not called themselves african in africa that close to 400 million would be much lower.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Somalis were actually the few people who accepted Islam freely when it arrived in Africa. Believe it or not somalis were Muslims even before many Arabs had embraced the faith.
This was because before Islam Somalis believed in 1 God which they called Waaq, therefore since they found Islam to also teach about this 1 Gods teaching to his creation they accepted without any delay. The only somalis who did not accept Islam were the Gallas, and they were forced out of Somalia by the muslim Somalis, this is why a certain city in Somalia is called Gaal Kayo which means the expulsion of the unbelievers.
These Gallas ara also thought to have embraced islam afterwards and became united with the Dir Somali clan. Some also believe that these Gallas actually became the Tutsis of Rwanda!
-------------------- Hello! Posts: 265 | From: UK | Registered: Dec 2005
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To: United Nations Political Office in Somalia, UNDP Resident Representative, The League of Arab Nations, African Union, Organization of Islamic Countries, IGAD, European Union, Department of State, United States Government, United States Embassy in Nairobi, Italian Embassy, French Embassy, British Embassy, German Embassy, Djibouti Embassy, Norwegian Embassy, Swedish Embassy, South African Embassy, Egyptian Embassy, Nigerian Embassy, Saudi Embassy, Yemen Embassy, Sudan Embassy.
Date: June 5, 2006 The Union of Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, have decided to break the silence between us and the international community. We made this decision in order to clarify the situation in Mogadishu and to bring the true picture of the conflict in the city and present it to the international community.
Background: The Islamic courts have been established in Mogadishu in mid 1998 and are clan-based that serve their particular communities. For example Polytechnic(for Shabelle sub clan), Ifka Halane (for the Eary Sub-Clan), Yaqshid (for the Harti-Abgal sub clan), Circole (for the Saleban Sub-clan), Milk Factory (Duduble sub-clan), Al-Furqan (Sa’ad sub-clan) Xariryale and Daynile (Murusade clan), Balad (Wabudhan-Abgal Sub-Clan) etc. The main objectives of these courts to provide a minimum security, law and order to the communities that established them. The courts assume these responsibilities out of patriotism and service to our people, country and communities.
The Present Conflict
A Retrospective analysis of why the Somali Federal Government could not locate in the capital city, Mogadishu was due to the “warlord” ministers of the Somali Federal Government who refused to be engaged in the Somali peace process and choose to keep the country hostage. These warlords refused to disarm, surrender their illegal checkpoints and transform to be national leaders. The present conflict has been fueled by the wrong information given to the US Government by these warlords who have denied their basic human needs for security and development and kept the Somali people hostages and terrorized them for the last 16 years. Their expertise is to terrorize people and they were able to use it and terrorize the American government by misinforming them about the presence of terrorists in Somalia. These warlords are allegedly supported by the American government ignores the long criminal history of these warlords and the war crimes they committed against their own people. The alleged support of the US government to these warlords has considerable contributed to the recent fighting in Mogadishu and the killing of the Somali people who has suffered so long in the hand of these warlords. Finally, after 16 years, the Somali people have decided to liberate themselves with the leadership of the Islamic court. The present changes were brought by the appraisal and refusal of the Somali people the anarchic situation installed by the warlords and said enough is enough! We would also like to address some of the misinformation and accusations fabricated by the warlords and wish to provide the international communities with accurate information that will assist them to support the desires and the will of our people who wish to be free form violence and anarchy,
International Terrorism: 1) Somalia is a homogenous society, and any outsiders can be spot immediately. We are Muslim 100%, speak the same language and have cultural heritage that is very hard to understand for outsiders. We have a complex clan based system that is not easy for non-Somali to understand, let alone hide in the country. We categorically deny and reject any accusation that we are harboring any terrorists or supporters of terrorism in the areas where the courts operate. 2) We also confirm that our goals and objectives are to establishment law and order in our country and free our people from oppression. 3) We share no objectives, goals or methods with groups that sponsor or support terrorism. We have no foreign elements in our courts, and we are simply here because of the need of the community we serve. 4) We invite the International Community to visit the area where the court operates and see for themselves if there are any terrorists elements being harbored or living in this area. We commit ourselves and our clan elders to this position: to be open and honest in order to spare the Somali people the violence and the suffering being perpetrated by the warlords. We have nothing to hide from the international community and we strongly believe that, once they realize what we do and what we have achieved, they will support our initiative and efforts to bring peace and stability to Somalia. 5) There is also the accusation that we intend to establish an anti-US and Western government in Somalia. This is not true. Such an agenda is against our objectives and goals since this would contradict our wish for there to be a peaceful Somalia. This falsehood is being fabricated to get support from US Government by groups who have terrorized the people of this country for the last 16 years. 6) We want create an environment that could enable our people to decide their future. We want the Somali people to decide which form of governance they want and choose their leaders for the first time in decades.
We would like to summarize our goals and objectives as follows:
1) To establish a system of governance in Mogadishu, and remove all the checkpoints and terror points that the warlords have set up and disarm all criminal elements that endanger the peace in the city; 2) We want to contribute to the rebuilding of our country and create a peaceful environment and a country that is at peace with itself, and with its neighbors and with the international community. 3) To rehabilitate and rebuild all the city infrastructures specially those that belong to the city governments, including its sea ports, airports, road, bridges, schools, hospitals, universities and have committees of the intellectuals running and operating of these facilities; 4) We would like to establish a friendly relationship with the international community that is based on mutual respect and interest and seek their support for the Somali peace process and respect their desire for peace. 5) We seek support for our communities who have been denied all the basic human needs such as security, liberty and development as accepted universally and in accordance to the human rights laws; We thank you in advance for your kind patience, understanding and support.
Sheikh Sherif Sheikh Ahmed Chairman, Islamic Courts Union
Source: The Union of Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, June 6, 2006
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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and the islamic courts are planning to work with the interim government that will excalerate the peace process that was being blocked by the warlords and eventually a government and leaders chosen by the people will be in place
it seems somalia will rise again
i bet meles zenawi couldn't sleep at night LOL
ps P of punt please stop using that derogatory word you know wich one i mean thank you!
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Some filtered reports say that they were supported by US interests in the region. But watch, they will turn on the US who now support them! always happens!
Posts: 1290 | From: usa | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by yazid904: Some filtered reports say that they were supported by US interests in the region.
the US supported the ''warlords'' who committed human rights violations on their own people the same people that fought the US in the 90's the people who have been keeping the innocent civilians hostage for the last 16 yrs
the US was supporting terrorists
quote: But watch, they will turn on the US who now support them! always happens!
since US never supported the islamic courts but instead the warlord terrorists there won't be a situation of changing sides since the US was on the wrong and losing side
so your comment doesn't make sense!
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Djehuti Quote: __________________________________________________ Masonic, what gives? Did you have a bad experience with Muslims or something?? __________________________________________________
No actually I had nothing but good experiences with them
The Muslims I know are peaceful people
Quote: __________________________________________________ You talk as if Islam is the root of all the problems in Africa when Christian Europeans did the most harm. __________________________________________________
No I don’t believe Islam is the root of all problems
I just believe Islam is a part of the problem just like Christianity
The Problem I have is understanding is why some of the African People on the Mother Continent reject their Superior African Spiritual systems for Islam or Christianity
Specially because Without the African Spiritual Systems There would be no Islam or Christianity or Judaism
Quote: __________________________________________________ You sound as if you blame Muslims for all the conflicts and problems in Africa when it is ethnic and political beliefs that are the problems not religious beliefs. __________________________________________________
I don’t blame all Muslims (Just the self-Hating Ones or the ones who hate Africans
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by yazid904: Some filtered reports say that they were supported by US interests in the region. But watch, they will turn on the US who now support them! always happens!
The Americans supported Warlords not the Islamic court. The Islamic court had populace support from the citizens of Mogadishu.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
The Union of Islamic Courts in Mogadishu break the silence (Press Release)
To: United Nations Political Office in Somalia, UNDP Resident Representative, The League of Arab Nations, African Union, Organization of Islamic Countries, IGAD, European Union, Department of State, United States Government, United States Embassy in Nairobi, Italian Embassy, French Embassy, British Embassy, German Embassy, Djibouti Embassy, Norwegian Embassy, Swedish Embassy, South African Embassy, Egyptian Embassy, Nigerian Embassy, Saudi Embassy, Yemen Embassy, Sudan Embassy.
Date: June 5, 2006 The Union of Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, have decided to break the silence between us and the international community. We made this decision in order to clarify the situation in Mogadishu and to bring the true picture of the conflict in the city and present it to the international community.
Background:
The Islamic courts have been established in Mogadishu in mid 1998 and are clan-based that serve their particular communities. For example Polytechnic(for Shabelle sub clan), Ifka Halane (for the Eary Sub-Clan), Yaqshid (for the Harti-Abgal sub clan), Circole (for the Saleban Sub-clan), Milk Factory (Duduble sub-clan), Al-Furqan (Sa’ad sub-clan) Xariryale and Daynile (Murusade clan), Balad (Wabudhan-Abgal Sub-Clan) etc. The main objectives of these courts to provide a minimum security, law and order to the communities that established them. The courts assume these responsibilities out of patriotism and service to our people, country and communities.
The Present Conflict
Sheikh Sherif Sheikh Ahmed - Chairman, Islamic Courts Union
A Retrospective analysis of why the Somali Federal Government could not locate in the capital city, Mogadishu was due to the “warlord” ministers of the Somali Federal Government who refused to be engaged in the Somali peace process and choose to keep the country hostage. These warlords refused to disarm, surrender their illegal checkpoints and transform to be national leaders. The present conflict has been fueled by the wrong information given to the US Government by these warlords who have denied their basic human needs for security and development and kept the Somali people hostages and terrorized them for the last 16 years. Their expertise is to terrorize people and they were able to use it and terrorize the American government by misinforming them about the presence of terrorists in Somalia. These warlords are allegedly supported by the American government ignores the long criminal history of these warlords and the war crimes they committed against their own people. The alleged support of the US government to these warlords has considerable contributed to the recent fighting in Mogadishu and the killing of the Somali people who has suffered so long in the hand of these warlords.
Finally, after 16 years, the Somali people have decided to liberate themselves with the leadership of the Islamic court. The present changes were brought by the appraisal and refusal of the Somali people the anarchic situation installed by the warlords and said enough is enough! We would also like to address some of the misinformation and accusations fabricated by the warlords and wish to provide the international communities with accurate information that will assist them to support the desires and the will of our people who wish to be free form violence and anarchy,
International Terrorism:
1)Somalia is a homogenous society, and any outsiders can be spot immediately. We are Muslim 100%, speak the same language and have cultural heritage that is very hard to understand for outsiders. We have a complex clan based system that is not easy for non-Somali to understand, let alone hide in the country. We categorically deny and reject any accusation that we are harboring any terrorists or supporters of terrorism in the areas where the courts operate.
2) We also confirm that our goals and objectives are to establishment law and order in our country and free our people from oppression.
3) We share no objectives, goals or methods with groups that sponsor or support terrorism. We have no foreign elements in our courts, and we are simply here because of the need of the community we serve.
4) We invite the International Community to visit the area where the court operates and see for themselves if there are any terrorists elements being harbored or living in this area. We commit ourselves and our clan elders to this position: to be open and honest in order to spare the Somali people the violence and the suffering being perpetrated by the warlords. We have nothing to hide from the international community and we strongly believe that, once they realize what we do and what we have achieved, they will support our initiative and efforts to bring peace and stability to Somalia.
5)There is also the accusation that we intend to establish an anti-US and Western government in Somalia. This is not true. Such an agenda is against our objectives and goals since this would contradict our wish for there to be a peaceful Somalia. This falsehood is being fabricated to get support from US Government by groups who have terrorized the people of this country for the last 16 years.
6) We want create an environment that could enable our people to decide their future. We want the Somali people to decide which form of governance they want and choose their leaders for the first time in decades.
We would like to summarize our goals and objectives as follows:
1) To establish a system of governance in Mogadishu, and remove all the checkpoints and terror points that the warlords have set up and disarm all criminal elements that endanger the peace in the city;
2) We want to contribute to the rebuilding of our country and create a peaceful environment and a country that is at peace with itself, and with its neighbors and with the international community.
3) To rehabilitate and rebuild all the city infrastructures specially those that belong to the city governments, including its sea ports, airports, road, bridges, schools, hospitals, universities and have committees of the intellectuals running and operating of these facilities;
4) We would like to establish a friendly relationship with the international community that is based on mutual respect and interest and seek their support for the Somali peace process and respect their desire for peace.
5) We seek support for our communities who have been denied all the basic human needs such as security, liberty and development as accepted universally and in accordance to the human rights laws; We thank you in advance for your kind patience, understanding and support.
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 18, 1996 Web posted at: 5:15 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Charles Bierbauer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
who were they running from?? who were in power in 1996??
THE WARLORDS!!!!!!!
LMAO masonic next time at least look at the date of the material your presenting before you post it __________________________________________________
I did
The Date just gives an Idea of how long the war has been going on and only now this issue is receiving attention in the U.S press
Posts: 567 | From: USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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The Islamic militia is gaining ground just as the U.N.-backed interim government struggles to assert control outside its base in Baidoa, 155 miles (249 kilometers) from Mogadishu.
quote: Weapons prices soared there Monday amid fears that the militia could head next to Baidoa. Alliance leaders could not be reached for comment Monday and had likely fled Mogadishu. One of them, warlord Mohamed Dheere, was believed to be in Ethiopia seeking reinforcements.
Mohammed Dheere doesn’t get the Muslim stamp also? Living in a country with 100% Islam isn’t enough to get the Muslim stamp?
quote: Mogadishu residents expressed relief at Monday's relative peace, but they had mixed responses to the Islamic militia's advance. "The victory of Islamic Courts is a major step toward a lasting peaceful settlement in Mogadishu," said Somali economist Abdinasir Ahmed. "We are tired of the deception and rhetoric of the warlords." Computer engineer Abdulqaadir Bashir disagreed. "The Islamic clerics want to be like the Taliban regime in Afghanistan," he said. "People have no hope at all."
based off this article these people seems like they have mixed feelings.
Ceelgabo wrote:
quote: Religion was never the problem in Southern Somalia...since everyone is muslim either Sunni or Sufi. The problem in South was Trabilism the Warlords preached and killed for. Know I can't say 100% that the Imams running the Islamic court free from corruption of tribalism or any other...but as of right know the people in Mogadishu feel that they are in the best position to bring lar and order, which is much needed in the South.
Islam defines people by Tribe so Tribalism develops and grows under Islam and all the problems it breeds such as Tribal warfare. Brainwashed Muslims won’t realize this because they can’t think for themselves anymore.
Ceelgabo wrote:
quote: hahaa...People in Mogadishu have been muslims since the 10th century..Its not like they converted or were forced to convert 10 years, these people like the rest of Somali people have been Muslims at least 1000 years know.
Again like Hotep when you have nothing to say, you fall back on insulting Islam and Muslims.
1000 years under Islam and look at the condition of the area it proves the point Islam is wrong for Afrika. The Standard of living in Somalia is basically the same today as it was 1000 years ago and people want to claim that Islam is good for Afrika.
These are statements the chairman or the Joint Islamic court made to local radio after the city was captured....
quote: "The Joint Islamic Courts are not interested in a continuation of hostilities and will fully implement peace and security after the change has been made by the victory of the people with the support of Allah," he said.
"The JIC will take care of the safety of the people and freedom of individuals and will eradicate any sort of hostilities brought about by inter-clan fighting," Ahmed said.
Senior court officials said preparations were being made to bring all of Mogadishu under Islamic law.
"The creation of new Islamic courts in the areas that were controlled by the warlords is expected very soon," one official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Islam promotes tribalism so how can it end the problems? Brainwashed people won’t realize that either.
Kenndo wrote:
quote: correction-yes if you included north africa and the arabs in africa close to 400 million in africa would practice islam but it is not 400 million yet,and if you excluded the arabs and some berbers(WHITE ONES and unknown numbers of brown ones)since most do not called themselves african in africa that close to 400 million would be much lower.
Kenndo they will write the 400 million propaganda and ignore the forced labor in the Sudan as a result of Islam, Libyans will lynch and massacre dark skin Afrikans while expelling them from their country but that doesn’t factor into the equation, Mauritania deported over 25000 Afrikans to Senegal though that doesn’t factor into the equation because their Arab Masters don’t allow them to think about that. Next after all these atrocities being committed against native Afrikans by Arabs these geniuses in Somaliland will still choose Islam to bring them peace.
My people suffer for a lack of Knowledge.
Muslims promote high level of Propaganda. They will tell lies to spread the religion, They KILL to spread the religion, and they will commit all other types of transgressions in order to spread the religion. Typical behavior of brainwashed people.
It is a sad day for Afrika and Afrikan people though I am not surprised because a Country with a high % illiteracy rate will express itself in the form of masses of people being delusional enough to think that a religion can bring peace. They don’t know any better because illiterate people don’t know much that’s why they are illiterate.
MY PEOPLE SUFFER, FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.
Abdullahi_Yusuf_Ahmed Muslim name and look but no Muslim stamp on him why? Could it be because he doesn’t get the admiration of others so no Muslim stamp on him. People like him are a bad image for the religion so he gets the warlord stamp correct? Though if he was admired like Cheikh Anta Diop then he would be a Muslim correct?
Ali_Mohammed_Ghedi How about this Muslim does he get a Muslim stamp or Warlord stamp?
I have one question if the U.N. aid agencies are helping to feed 1.7 million people in Somaliland, what would happen to these people if the U.N. aid agencies would pull out of Somaliland and walk away from these 1.7 million people in Somaliland? The Muslim answer is I should mind my own business and don’t worry about the hungry people because Muslims will feed them, well if Muslims were feeding them then why does the U.N aid agencies state that they are helping to feed the 1.7 million people?
quote: Based on the 17th Annual Climate Forum’s early prediction of near to below normal Gu 2006 rains season (April-June), FSAU and FEWSNET issued an early warning that parts of Southern Somalia are at High Risk of Famine/Humanitarian Catastrophe from July to December 2006 (Map 6 and FSAU Press Release, March 13, 2006). This is a further and significant deterioration in the current food security situation mainly due to severe lack of access and availability of food, water and pasture resulting from an abnormally severe drought and persistent civil insecurity.
Currently, there area an estimated 1.7 million people in North, Central and Southern Somalia facing conditions of Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis or Humanitarian Emergency (see FSAU 2005/06 Post Deyr Analysis, Technical Series IV.8, February 22, 2006). Preliminary estimates (in the worst case scenario of below normal Gu '06 rains) are that this number will increase to 1.8 million between July and December 2006. While seemingly not such a large increase, it does include a major shift in severity, with an over 40% increase in the number of people facing Humanitarian Emergency or Famine/Human Catastrophe (from the current 900,000 to 1.3 million). Combining the IDP population, estimated at 400,000, means that approximately 2.2 million Somalis would be facing a severe food security crisis.
IMPLICATIONS FOR RESPONSE:
While there is still the possibility that the Gu 2006 rains will be normal to above normal, given the predicted high likelihood of a below normal outcome–combined with the current precarious Humanitarian Emergency in Southern Somalia, and the sustained possibility of widespread conflict– it is prudent for all stakeholders to prepare for a worst case humanitarian and livelihood scenario. This worst-case scenario has strong implications for the humanitarian response:
• Increased urgency and priority to deliver a timelier, more comprehensive and coordinated humanitarian response
quote: Somalia's economic fortunes are driven by its deep political divisions. The northwestern area has declared its independence as the "Republic of Somaliland"; the northeastern region of Puntland is a semi-autonomous state; and the remaining southern portion is riddled with the struggles of rival factions. Economic life continues, in part because much activity is local and relatively easily protected. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings, but Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali livestock, due to Rift Valley Fever concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's service sector has managed to survive and grow. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate, and militias provide security. The ongoing civil disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with any broad-based economic development and international aid arrangements. Somalia's arrears to the IMF continued to grow in 2005.
Arabs banned their Halal meat and because the brainwashed wannabe Arabs don’t want to make their Arab masters upset they will not try to sell their livestock to Israel or any other country that is on the Arab no sell list.
Striving to prove their loyalty to Arabs while Arabs are snickering and helping them into the poor house all in the name of “true Muslims” and Islam. Next if a event of crisis occurs in Somaliland then the Arabs will use these wannabe Arabs to show what will happen to bad Muslims and have sermons about why Somaliland was punished because they were non-believers what a tangle web you Muslims weave.
GAME RECOGNIZES GAME PLAYA!
Economic aid - recipient: $60 million (1999 est.)
Major Export Partners:
quote: UAE 50.3%, Yemen 15.5%, Oman 6% (2004)
Six billion plus people in the world and look at their major Export partners mostly ARABS of course because your Arab Masters wouldn’t want it any other way.
My people suffer for a lack of knowledge.
quote: Disputes - international: "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities to landlocked Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek support from neighboring states in their secessionist aspirations and in conflicts with each other; Ethiopia has only an administrative line with the Oromo region of southern Somalia and maintains alliances with local Somali clans opposed to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government, which plans eventual relocation from Kenya to Mogadishu; rival militia and clan fighting in southern Somalia periodically spills over into Kenya
Next when their tribal fighting will spill over into Kenya and other countries and to this day these brainwashed wannabe Arabs won’t realize that the root of their problems is ISLAM.
Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) 5,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005)
Posts: 477 | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Hotep You need help with your inferiorty complexes regarding African Muslims, Arabs and Whites. You might not be physical Chained, but mental you are still a slave who feels inferior to Arabs and Whites...this is the reason that you reflect your inferiorty to African Muslims..otherwise you wouldn't spend all your time talking about other people that don't even know that you even exist...African Muslims, Arabs and whites don't spend their time talking about other people..beacuse they have no inferiority or doubts who they are unlike you my ignorant/confused friend. So please get some help for your inferiority complexes..
"The slave is always conscious of his slavery, and makes constant and often desperate efforts to mitigate it or to get rid of it altogether. Sometimes he seeks that mitigation in outside activities that promise to give him the sense of dignity and importance that his daily labor denies him; sometimes he tries to give a false appearance of dignity to his work itself."
Posts: 554 | From: Somaliland | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Prince_of_punt: Somalis were actually the few people who accepted Islam freely when it arrived in Africa. Believe it or not somalis were Muslims even before many Arabs had embraced the faith.
I've heard a variation of this too.
quote: This was because before Islam Somalis believed in 1 God which they called Waaq, therefore since they found Islam to also teach about this 1 Gods teaching to his creation they accepted without any delay.
Yes.
quote: The only somalis who did not accept Islam were the Gallas, and they were forced out of Somalia by the muslim Somalis, this is why a certain city in Somalia is called Gaal Kayo which means the expulsion of the unbelievers.
Well, at least they weren't killed for apostasizing......
Posts: 11 | From: california | Registered: May 2006
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posted
oh gosh he's back egyptsearch little local crusader
hotep thank god the few african americans i've come across in my life were intelligent group of people you seemed to be an outcast or something stop making your people look bad cause they don't deserve a person like you representing them and burning brigdes with other africans whom have chosen a different faith
you continue to spread your propaganda i allready lost respect for you!
but i let the facts do the talking
cia world fact book
quote:Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically.
Muslim somalia has three universities among the best of africa one of them surpassing ethiopia sudan and Kenya
quote: Tharwa Net-Watch From the Chaos, It's a Business Boom in Somalia By Abdulkadir Khalif August 18, 2004 Suddenly, letters have started circulating in Mogadishu and other major towns in Somalia. They come from organisations and individuals trying to start business and telephone directories and other collections to provide condensed information for public use.
For many people, this sort of information circulation is a sign of the beginning of peaceful days. It is an indication that despite the anarchy, Somalia is bubbling with enough manufacturers, traders, companies, partnerships, civil organisations and even political factions that may be worth registration.
In the past, the socialist regime in Somalia used to portray private ownership and entrepreneurship as activities of bloodsuckers. It was cursed and discredited by all good socialist cadres who embraced Karl Marx's Das Capital, a copy of which was to be found on the desk of every policy maker. This new development must be an inverse image of the past.
If directories are published, service industries will certainly feature prominently. A galaxy of schools, colleges, telecommunication utilities, media firms, land, sea and air transporters will have to find space. Manufacturers must be thinking of how to capitalise on these opportunities. They will demand strategic pages where they can illustrate their products and feature their contact addresses.
Despite the insecurity, investors have dared to inject resources into a good number of small and medium-scale initiatives. Machines dotted all over the place churn out pasta, cartons, sponges, sweets, plastic materials, soft drinks, building materials and tools, paper and printing stuff, semi-processed leather and many other industrial and consumer goods. The cottage industry is thriving.
Those engaged in the agricultural and pastoral sector appear to be in a beehive of activity. Indigenous and newly introduced seeds are planted everywhere, giving markets all over Somalia a variety of foodstuffs, fruits and vegetables as well as meat, mainly camel.
Bari region in the far northeastern portion of Somalia used to be classified as an agriculturally unproductive region. Nowadays, however, people in that largely harsh environment are striving to get the most out of the earth by growing crops along dry riverbeds and pumping water from previously inaccessible rocky areas and freshly dug wells for irrigation.
Who could imagine Bossaso town obtaining a reasonable supply of fruits and vegetables from its surroundings? Bulo Burte district in Somalia's central region is experiencing a glut of onions - it can supply the region and across the border to Ethiopia and Djibouti. Even though the success story was a mere fantasy only a decade ago, dealers are beginning to complain of oversupply, crashing prices, with direct effect on profitability.
Wars and serious conflicts are not the only factors affecting farmers and animal herders. The legendary bananas from Juba and Shabelle river basins cannot effectively reach supermarkets in Italy and the Gulf States. Ships loaded with thousands of livestock do not sail from Somali harbours as frequently as they used to. An years-old ban has been hindering these goods from reaching those who cherish them.
Import and export is a booming business. Traders are doing whatever they can to get hold of useful stuff that can sell abroad. Neither traditional nor non-traditional commodities are spared. Even markets for scrap metals that litter all over the place are to be found, especially old military gear and other devices wrecked during the civil war.
The import sector is the most interesting. Town dwellers all over Somalia cannot complain of a shortage of commodities as adroit traders have managed to fill stores with all sorts of goods. Sugar from Brazil, toys from Thailand, trinkets from India and even shotguns from Ukraine all compete for buyers in Mogadishu and elsewhere.
Trade between Somalia and other countries has multiplied. Some people even estimate that the trade volume is so huge that it could be considered one of the biggest in the Horn of Africa, outdoing more politically stable countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
Sceptics say Somali traders have become so profit driven as to compromise all values. Environmental and public health concerns have been raised, especially due to deforestation. The prevalence of strange diseases is assumed to be due to consumption of substandard, imported foods and drugs.
In the absence of law enforcing institutions to safeguard investor rights, joint ventures have been founded based on trust. It seems unimaginable that as many as 600 investors could pool their capital in order to initiate and run a single or a chain of businesses. It is not unusual to hear radio announcements calling shareholders for a meeting or news of a company management declaring payment of dividends. But beneficiaries tend to hide their huge income, fearing kidnappers.
Minarets of mosques generally greet visitors to Somalia's urban areas, but in these days the sight of communication transmitters of the shape of Paris's Eiffel Tower is becoming quite common. They are the product of intense competition among telecommunications and media companies who want to send and receive signals through the airwaves.
The recent opening of a Coca Cola plant in Mogadishu is an indication of how multinationals are beginning to expand their franchises to previously risky areas. It is a sign that more investors will follow suit, creating jobs and generating more locally made products.
It was delightful to hear Sayum Masfin, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, recently urging a group of Somali business leaders, upon meeting them in Djibouti, to take advantage of the huge market in his country of nearly 70 million inhabitants. The realisation of this, however, shall depend on the upcoming government of Somalia - to emerge from the peace talks in Kenya - paving the way for healthier bilateral relations.The trend in Somalia, indeed, indicates that local and foreign investments are bound to multiply as stability takes over from chaos. Abdulkadir Khalif is a former assistant production manager at Mogadishu Milk Factory.
quote:The Answer for Africa by Shafer Parker
According to Andrew Cockburn in the July issue of National Geographic magazine, Somalia is rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the 1993 war and becoming an economic powerhouse in eastern Africa precisely because anarchy has reigned ever since. Consider Cockburn’s on-the-scene assessment of what has happened since the war. "Like plants sprouting after a forest fire, Somalis have managed to survive and build on their own, in some respects with more success than developing nations on the receiving end of international aid and advice."
Significantly, the Somalis get it. They have learned through experience that less government is good, and that no government is better. Hear what telecommunications tycoon Abdirizak Ido told Mr. Cockburn: "We have been through some hard times, but the worst was when we had a government. Once there was no government, there was opportunity!"
Small entrepreneurs are doing well. Better yet, they also understand they are doing good. "In the northwestern city of Hargeysa, in the congested Sheikh Nur community for returned refugees, the Ismail family invested their meager resources in a water tap to supply the entire neighborhood. Abdi Ismail not only garners a weekly profit of $20 but also points out: ‘We are contributing to rebuilding Somaliland.’"
Needless to say, in a land where enterprise is truly free, the customer is king. Ten phone companies compete for business in the capital city of Mogadishu. Landline service is connected eight hours after it's ordered. And it only costs $10 a month. North Americans should be so well off. Cell phone connections are instantaneous. Local calls are free and international calls are only 60 cents to a dollar a minute. Amazingly, long distance is available even in remote villages, due to shortwave radio hookups. Somalis proudly point out that their phone service is far superior to anything found in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia.
All kinds of private enterprise is flourishing. Mogadishu now boasts a spaghetti factory, a plastics factory, a mineral-water plant, a bakery, and two fiercely competitive cable companies. And contra the protestors that have flocked to the G-8 summit to scream out their belief that economic fairness means the UN must be allowed to forcibly redistribute the world’s wealth, Somalia’s nouveau riche even give something back to the community. For instance, Abdirizak Osman, an entrepreneur in the desert town of Gaalkacyo who started with phones, then branched out to electrical generators, now provides street lights and free electricity to the local hospital.
Incidentally, the local Muslim fundamentalists can't get a foothold, not since 1993, anyway. People have better things to do. And clan loyalties, now allowed to flourish, prevent the fundamentalists from controlling any significant power-base. Despite rumors and innuendos flowing from the US State Department, Somalia is no friend of al Qaeda terrorists either. When the US government reported that Osama Ben Laden might be heading for the Horn of Africa, Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah suggested he should stay away if he did not want to be cashed in for the $25-million reward..
quote:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A certain Canadian conglomerate, the Horn of Africa Free Zone Authority, will be constructing a free port on the peninsula Hafun. On a map of Somalia, Hafun is that body of land which doesn't look like its apart of the land mass that is Somalia but is extending outwards from the Puntland area. The group is currently putting the concrete and the basic foundation of this future city. It is 200 square miles, enough for major hotels, beaches, or other buildings to be created. Seeing that Somalia will become a likely in let for business with the African continent, and as long as Mogadishu remains a closed port, Hafun seems like an unbeatable investment. HAFZA will be publically traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
quote:Somalia flourished precisely because of the "world community’s" neglect.
In Somalia, "the very absence of a government may have helped nurture an African oddity — a lean and efficient business sector that does not feed at a public trough controlled by corrupt officials," wrote Peter Maas in the May 2001 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Tele-communications, transportation, and shipping companies were organized up to provide services to the liberated private sector. Internet cafes have sprung up in Mogadishu. Private security firms helped businessmen protect their investments and property.
A recent World Bank study grudgingly admitted: "Somalia boasts lower rates of extreme poverty and, in some cases, better infrastructure than richer countries in Africa." This is almost certainly because it is not cursed with a World Bank-subsidized central government to siphon away the nation’s wealth.
quote:Somali Businesses Stunted by Too-Free Enterprise
By Ian Fisher
There are five competing airlines here; three phone companies, which have some of the cheapest rates in the world; at least two pasta factories; 45 private hospitals; 55 providers of electricity; 1,500 wholesalers for imported goods; and an infinite number of guys with donkeys who will deliver 55 gallons of clean water to your house for 25 cents.
What Somalia does not have is a government, and in many ways, that makes it the world's purest laboratory for capitalism. No one collects taxes. Business is booming. Libertarians of the world, unite
It is striking that Somalia, unlike many parts of Africa, has achieved this thriving business climate on its own, without the usual aid and advice from rich nations. They have all but disengaged from Somalia since the failure of the United Nations operation here in the early 1990's. Somalis have learned that they are pretty good at making money.
"It's entrepreneurism that's doing it," said Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, director of programs for Horn Afrik, Somalia's first independent radio and television station, established last year. "It's who has more creativity. It's who is willing to take risks. Before it was the government. The government could make you rich one day and poor the next
quote:Business Attraction in Puntland, Somalia
Bossaso city has become a magnet for foreigners who want to invest in Africa. This week alone, there are about half a dozen business people representing Chinese and South Korean corporations in the city. These representatives and others who frequent Puntland want to invest in the region and expand their business to this part of the world. Interested people include wealthy business men from the Middle East.
Puntland (North Eastern Somalia) has not been touched by the country’s civil war and has remained stable after the fall of Somalia’s central government in 1991. It lies on the tip of East Africa and borders Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
quote:The map below shows the future Free Zone Port at Gara’ad, Puntland to meet up with Galcaio on route to the City of Goldogob. Goldogob is the Puntland international freight transfer point prior to traveling to the proposed free zone area at Werdẽr, Ethiopia or return to the Gara’ad proposed free zone port
quote:The City of Goldogob is a growing city of about 70,000 people. It lies right at the border between Somalia and Ethiopia, almost walking distance from Ethiopia.
Goldogob has running water provided by Galdogob Water System (GWS), which is installed in the entire city, and is available to all residents. The city also has 24/7 electricity, which is provided by SOMTEL, as well as the most reliable telecommunications, from very cheap international rates to high speed internet cafe’s.
There are hotels, taxis, and shopping centers to cater to people’s needs. The city is also home to one of the most successful Somali money transfer company called "TAWAKAL BANK"; Tawakal Bank’s headquarter is in Dubai city, it has agents almost in every continent, with the most agents in North America, Europe and Asia.
Galdogob International Airport is currently under construction, funded by the Diaspora of Goldogob in the western nations.
quote:Though Somaliland is not an internationally recognized country, Ethiopia has signed an agreement with it aimed at boosting trade between the two territories. Through the deal, Ethiopia is expected to become a frequent user of Somaliland’s Port of Berbera. This is after Addis Ababa installs a microwave communication link between Somaliland towns of Burao, Hargeisa and Berbera. At the same time the agreement calls on the two countries to improve the road link between the two territories so as to enable greater use of the Port of Berbera located on the Gulf of Aden. By signing the agreement, Ethiopia becomes the first independent country to enter into any pact with the self-declared Republic of Somaliland.
bilateral trade between the two african countries is growing
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Mining/Oil and Expatriates - Somali Economy of the Future
It is speculated that Somalia is rich both mineral and energy resources. Somalia to date has no oil production although both Somaliland and Puntland are thought to hold substantial reserves. Other natural resources that could be exploited include iron ore, uranium, bauxite, copper, tin, manganese, agricultural and fish resources offshore in the Indian Ocean.
During the 1990’s, many Somalis left during the civil with many of the skilled educated leaving. However, many of these expatriates, some who are now quite wealthy have returned to help rebuild Somalia as witnessed in the area of wireless communications - mobile cellular phone. A surprise is the extent of the excellent wireless communication system in the cities. These expatriate entrepreneurs are setting up a wide array of small and medium sized businesses over the last few years taking advantage of the unregulated business environment. In Mogadishu, the University is being rebuilt with several Somali professionals
quote:Major trading partners: UAE, Yemen, India, Oman, China, Nigeria, Djibouti, Kenya, Brazil (2003).
quote:By STEPHANIE NOLEN Monday, July 25, 2005
XUDDUR, SOMALIA -- They have posters. They have training manuals. They have wipe-off markers. The only thing that the earnest band of AIDS educators in this Somali town don't have is, well, any people with AIDS.
At least none they know of.
The breadth of the AIDS pandemic has led to the idea in the West that the entire continent is ravaged by the disease. But Somalia -- isolated for 14 years since the civil war began and populated by devout Muslims -- has an infection rate of perhaps only 1.5 or 2 per cent of the adult population.
Its isolation has helped to keep the infection rate one of the lowest in Africa at a time when countries to the south are reporting infection rates of 40 per cent of the adult population
masha allah islam kept this ugly disease from spreading masha allah and insha allah the rest of africa will follow
like mother africa somalia is beautifull
and now the people are free business growth and education and health care will boom and prosper
big UP to my muslim brothers and sisters from somalia
Posts: 259 | From: LA LA LAND | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Prince_of_punt: Somalis were actually the few people who accepted Islam freely when it arrived in Africa. Believe it or not somalis were Muslims even before many Arabs had embraced the faith.
This was because before Islam Somalis believed in 1 God which they called Waaq, therefore since they found Islam to also teach about this 1 Gods teaching to his creation they accepted without any delay. The only somalis who did not accept Islam were the Gallas, and they were forced out of Somalia by the muslim Somalis, this is why a certain city in Somalia is called Gaal Kayo which means the expulsion of the unbelievers.
These Gallas ara also thought to have embraced islam afterwards and became united with the Dir Somali clan. Some also believe that these Gallas actually became the Tutsis of Rwanda!
There is city in Puntland near the Ethiopian border still called Cabuud Waaq...meaning worship of Waaq...Waaq I think in Oroma means Suns.
posted
There is city in Puntland near the Ethiopian border still called Cabuud Waaq...meaning worship of Waaq...Waaq I think in Oroma means Suns.
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Hmmm..Is this more evidence of where ahkanaton's worship of the sun began with the Oromas? Also, has Somalia or any other African country been prosperous since adapting religions from the outside world? Egypt hasn't produced anything since doing this and I'm not sure if Somalia has. Ethiopia seems to have survived by implementing its own brand of Christianity after separating from the Egyptian Copts. West African Muslim countries experienced the same thing as Egypt, Sudan and Somalia. Is it possible that Africa's plight is do in large part from the adoption of foreign practices and implementing them into their daily lives? This disruption seems to have had a catastrophic effect on the African continent and the diaspora. Ceelgabo, have you or any of the Somalis on this site heard of the Somali born rapper K'Naan? This is a deep brother and I've found extreme respect for Somalis after hearing him...He said that his grandfather was a poet and stopped the last Somali civil war with a poem. Now, that's the deepest sh--t I've ever heard.
Posts: 104 | From: santa barbara, california usa | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by QUEEN OF THE THE UNIVERSE:
quote:Mining/Oil and Expatriates - Somali Economy of the Future
It is speculated that Somalia is rich both mineral and energy resources. Somalia to date has no oil production although both Somaliland and Puntland are thought to hold substantial reserves. Other natural resources that could be exploited include iron ore, uranium, bauxite, copper, tin, manganese, agricultural and fish resources offshore in the Indian Ocean.
During the 1990’s, many Somalis left during the civil with many of the skilled educated leaving. However, many of these expatriates, some who are now quite wealthy have returned to help rebuild Somalia as witnessed in the area of wireless communications - mobile cellular phone. A surprise is the extent of the excellent wireless communication system in the cities. These expatriate entrepreneurs are setting up a wide array of small and medium sized businesses over the last few years taking advantage of the unregulated business environment. In Mogadishu, the University is being rebuilt with several Somali professionals
quote:Major trading partners: UAE, Yemen, India, Oman, China, Nigeria, Djibouti, Kenya, Brazil (2003).
quote:By STEPHANIE NOLEN Monday, July 25, 2005
XUDDUR, SOMALIA -- They have posters. They have training manuals. They have wipe-off markers. The only thing that the earnest band of AIDS educators in this Somali town don't have is, well, any people with AIDS.
At least none they know of.
The breadth of the AIDS pandemic has led to the idea in the West that the entire continent is ravaged by the disease. But Somalia -- isolated for 14 years since the civil war began and populated by devout Muslims -- has an infection rate of perhaps only 1.5 or 2 per cent of the adult population.
Its isolation has helped to keep the infection rate one of the lowest in Africa at a time when countries to the south are reporting infection rates of 40 per cent of the adult population
masha allah islam kept this ugly disease from spreading masha allah and insha allah the rest of africa will follow
like mother africa somalia is beautifull
and now the people are free business growth and education and health care will boom and prosper
big UP to my muslim brothers and sisters from somalia
Again I ask Hotep since he didn't answer my question before: did you have a bad experience with Muslims or something?? Why are you denigrating Muslim Africans and Islam? Why can't you accept that an African Muslim country can achieve success and prosperity and just be proud of your "Afrikan" brothers and sisters??
Queen is right. You sound like you have issues with Muslims or something.
Posts: 26252 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Prince_of_punt: Somalis were actually the few people who accepted Islam freely when it arrived in Africa. Believe it or not somalis were Muslims even before many Arabs had embraced the faith.
This was because before Islam Somalis believed in 1 God which they called Waaq, therefore since they found Islam to also teach about this 1 Gods teaching to his creation they accepted without any delay. The only somalis who did not accept Islam were the Gallas, and they were forced out of Somalia by the muslim Somalis, this is why a certain city in Somalia is called Gaal Kayo which means the expulsion of the unbelievers.
These Gallas ara also thought to have embraced islam afterwards and became united with the Dir Somali clan. Some also believe that these Gallas actually became the Tutsis of Rwanda!
There is city in Puntland near the Ethiopian border still called Cabuud Waaq...meaning worship of Waaq...Waaq I think in Oroma means Suns.
^^I have heard these claims on another thread made by I think Yonis. Waaqa is the supreme deity of the Oromo people and although I don't doubt a connection to the Somalis, exactly what is this connection??.. I think more research has to be done on pre-Islamic Somalia before we can be sure.
Posts: 26252 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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