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by Nur Bahal
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Mr. President,
Your ascendency to the highest office in the United States of America is an historic event; it ushered in a new era of change – a new world view where a person is judged for character and not for the color of the skin; where having a middle name different from those of the mainstream does not relegate one to dungeons obscurity. You are the physical embodiment of the dream that Martin Luther King had 45 years ago! It did not come easy and it did not come cheap. I am confident you will not take it frivolously.
Mr. President, the Oval Office entails heavy responsibilities, not only towards the people of the United States of America, who turned their backs on an ugly history of human strife, but also towards the rest of the world who watched your ascendency with keen interest clinging to the underlying message of “hope” and “change” in your campaign. I do not doubt the astronomical tasks you face in the US alone: An economic crises, two wars, terrorism, the threat of nuclear expansion and America’s shattered world image. I pray that your task be easy.
Mr. President, the responsibility of that office also has global implications. The two, almost always, are not exclusive. I share the optimism of many people around the world that your dream of change includes steering America away from its confrontational stance to resolving problems in the world’s hot spots. Your “Yes we can” message, to me, encompasses giving hope to those people in the grip of political quagmire whose interests and existence as decent humans has been abducted for reasons other than to reach stability, peace and development.
Mr. President, one of these trouble spots negatively impacted by America’s less-than-prefect foreign policy is Somalia. It is the perfect example where the policies of hope and bridge-building would have produced an inclusive, broad-based consensus that can become a springboard for lasting peace. Unfortunately, it did not happen that way. Fortunately, it is not too late.
In her efforts to stop the spread of Al-Qaeda the United Sates of America invited Ethiopia, Somalia’s arch-enemy, to topple a fledgling base of order and stability called the Islamic courts. For only six months in the last 18 years, Somalis enjoyed unprecedented calm and hope to restore their nationhood. By no means were they perfect. They were made up of mostly liberal elements and a small core of hardliners. But the truth is that the liberal elements outnumbered the hardliners by hundreds of folds. I am not advocating for a return of the Islamic courts. I am however, advocating a withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops as they have fostered the perpetuation of war and deprivation in Somalia, not to mention that they have indubitably helped in the progressive growth of the once non-existent fundamentalist elements in the Somali society.
Ethiopian troops indiscriminately bombed civilians, they have raped women and maimed children. Their continued presence is a gathering storm for a complete break-down of stability in the entire Horn of Africa region and a prolonged suffering for the Somali people and other peoples in the region.
Mr. President, I will not dwell on the abysmal human rights record of the current Ethiopian regime to attest to the truth of this case as it is easily accessible to you. And I have all the confidence in your capacity as a decent human being that we both agree that it is not the kind of record that leads to peace, stability and nation building. Ethiopian presence in Somalia is a liability to America’s interests in the region.
Mr. President, I would also urge you intercede on behalf of the people of Darfur, Sudan. They have borne the heavy hand of a racially motivated aggression. In both places, tens of thousands, if not hundreds, are dead and tens of thousands of children are sleeping on an empty stomach and are waking up in the grip of hopelessness. Both of these societies need the wind of change. They need to hear that “Yes they can”.
My deepest respect and admiration,
Nur Bahal
Toronto, Canada
E-mail: [email protected]