2007 DV
    Five Minutes of Prayers for the Oppressed People of Somalia    


By Dr. Ali S. Faqi

This is an appeal for all peace loving Somalis; for those who care about the wellbeing of humanity; for those who hate injustice and for those who understand that freedom and justice are the two major pre-requisite for the development of any society.  Now that we are approaching the last days of Ramadan, I am asking all of you to perform five minutes of prayers to remember the oppressed ones in our society; those labeled by the oppressors as LOOMA OOYO.  

As we speak, there is a Somali from the Jareer community who is denied his paycheck after many days of hardworking.  As we speak, there is a Banaadiri man whose tools and instruments used for making films are confiscated by an errant decision from a clan-based so-called Islamic court. As we speak, there is a Somali-woman from a minority clan who is raped in the presence of her husband and children.  As we speak, there are Reer-Manyo, Bravanese and Baajuni fishermen in Mogadishu, lower Shabelle and Kismayu who are forced to work in fishing boats belonging to an oppressor. As we speak there are Somalis in Afgoi, Golweyne, Janale, etc. forced to work in a farm with a minimum or no wage. As we speak there are hundreds of thousands Somalis in Benadir, lower Shabelle and Jubba forced to pay illegal taxes for any trivial item they bring for sale.  As we speak there are many who are killed for no reason and many orphans left behind with no future.

Imagine you are five years old, and both your parents are killed in front of you, because a group of aggressive people want to takeover the piece of land your parents lived for generations and generations.  Imagine, you are seven years old orphan girl sold as a slave to another family who don’t care about you and you have no one around to protect you. These are all facts that happened and still happening in the Southern Somalia.

For those of us in Diaspora who have the freedom to speak out and express ourselves with no fear to be retaliated, please join me to be the voice of those voiceless in our community.  It is a religious and moral responsibility to speak out against injustice and evildoers. Let us show our compassionate and speak out against the oppression of Somali people in Benadirland, Somaliland, Puntland, Hiiraanland, Lower Shabelle and Jubba, Gedo, Bay and Bakool and elsewhere in Somalia.

I am asking five minutes of your time to think about the chilling events that we hear daily from a friend or read in the Somali media. I am asking five minutes of prayers in all Somali mosques in North America, Europe and Somalia to remember those of us who are exposed daily to cruel punishments and for those who died and killed for no reason. Let us remember them, let us tell them that our minds and hearts are with them. Let us assure them that we UNITED for JUSTICE can make big changes in their lives.  Let us remember and express again our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our hero Abdulkadir Yahye who was brutally killed by the enemy of peace in Somalia just a couple of months ago.

Let us pray for Mr. Sheikh Yusuf Indha Cadde, the newly crowned warlord and the so-called governor of Lower Shabelle who is now performing UMRA in Saudi Arabia to abandon his illegal administration; an administration that is leading to an economical genocide and an environmental catastrophe in Lower Shabelle.

Mr. Indha Cadde whose illegal administration is literally sucking the blood of poor Somalis is now performing religious duty some thousands of kilometers away from home. Let us just hope and pray for him to desert his ill-doings.  It will be a major concern if he believes that his illegal administration is performing good deeds to the natives of Merka and lower Shabelle because that will alter any hope for a better change for the lives of the people in that region in the near future.  Let us also pray for his servicemen and wish them to abandon serving his illegal activities.

Let us pray for BBC servicemen and clan based web-pages to abandon divulging clan propaganda and inciting emotional members of their clan for a war.

Most of us spend our time everyday to discuss who is right and who is wrong among the two opposing groups of the TFG in Somalia, but never spent a minute to think about the suffering of a great majority of our community members in Somalia.  

Many of you might not like to be reminded about these facts because merely your objections are clan-based and incoherent.  Time has come to wake up and call for justice in all the corners of Somalia. We should not be fooled by the criminal warlords; they represent nobody, but themselves. We ought to be realistic that peace will only be achieved if we stop supporting criminal elements in our society.  The success of any government will depend on seriously addressing problems such as regional autonomy/federalism, the return of illegally acquired land and property and addressing human rights issues.  

Somalis need to learn more to accept the diversity of cultural differences, which exist in a pluralistic society and endorse a society in which individuals of all cultures are accepted. This encourages a positive acceptance of tribal difference, cultures, and religious and recognizes such diversity as healthy.  

The oppressed people of Somalia have indeed suffered for 15-years. They have been dispossessed and expelled; living under vicious rules for the past 15 years, without human rights, without civil rights, with even their own land and property taken from them, and with clan militiaman shooting at them at will. This has to stop once for all. Enough is enough. Let us unite to fight against injustice and be a voice for the voiceless in our community.

Best regards,

Dr. Ali Said Faqi
Email: [email protected]

The opinions contained in this article are solely those of the writer, and in no way, form or shape represent the editorial opinions of "Hiiraan Online"







 


Hiiraan Online
Contact:[email protected]
Copyright © 2004 Hiiraan Online