Hiiraan Online

By Ali Osman
Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Somali land and waters are being violated because we beggared our nation and put a generation of young men in a position to aspire sea piracy as a career choice. I am afraid we are now putting young women in the position of learning to be whores by making them migrate in places they are being exploited and abused.

If Ethiopian troops have left most of Somalia and especially the high populated city of Mogadishu is it not better to stop the firing and finish the remaining differences through the negotiation table?

We have known Somali warlords fighting over the loots and spoils of war but we have never imagined a men like the leaders of the Islamic courts would be fighting over power and petty principles when their daughters are being prostituted to the highest bidders, Somali women are being gang raped, being black mailed and sometimes sold to satisfy the dark desires of tourists and man with money.

As far as few weeks ago, the Islamic Courts Asmara faction accused of Djibouti faction of being guests of Ethiopia. My question is the same leaders have been guests of Eritrea since 2006. Eritrea like Ethiopia’s is led by Isaias Afewerki a member of the Tigrinya a part of Eritrean Orthodox Christian community.  Eritrea’s hospitality is not kindness and love for Somalia but geopolitical self-interest in keeping Ethiopians at bay by using Somalis as negotiating chips and buffer. Why does the Asmara faction accuse the other faction of selling out when they are in similar predicament? How does their stay in Eritrea further the interest of Somalia? Ethiopia sees them colluding with Eritrea in destabilizing Ethiopia.  Would it not be politically better to stay in a neutral country like Djibouti, United Arab Emirates or even in Kenya?  

Do they not see what happened in Afghanistan? When the Soviet Union left their country they started fighting against each other because of petty politics such as: You are a Salafi or you are a Sufi. Today, the Sufis and Salafis alike are vanquished and are equally killed. Why they do not take heed the history but continue the same road that lead to the demise of societies? Why are they beggaring their nation and put a generation of young Somali women in the position of learning to be whores? Why are they causing young men who would benefit their families and nation being killed in vain if Ethiopia withdraws it troops?

AMISOM troops are there uninvited. However, they do not fire as a principle unless they are fired upon. We know they are not threat to civilians as the Ethiopians were. We know for fact, they have no long term goals of staying in Somalia if WE (Somalis) bring, order and civility to our country. We know the Djibouti faction of the Islamic courts and the elders of Mogadishu have signed a peace treaty with the AMISOM. Peace treaties should mean something and should be respected when respectable people sign it and the population is in a dire situation.

Some of the ICU leaders are sitting in Asmara, Djibouti and some in Ras Kamboni or Kimayo. Places far from war, stray bullets and killing. I assume most have a roof above their head, are not going hungry and most likely their children are not in harms way.

On the other hand, many Somalis are in Kenyan border camps (Harar Dher) and jungles in the outskirts of Mogadishu. Who are they waiting to take them home? Are they not concerned their blight? Are they not concerned they would not make it till next month for malnutrition and disease? It is not time to act like an opposition or be bothered by petty politics or call for Jihad in far fetched corners on this globe. A leader whose population is hungry, sick, injured, naked and unprotected from enemy and elements cannot act like an opposition. He needs to feed the starving children, rehabilitate the injured, burry the dead and bring the women and children home. When that is done, talk about your differences, democracy and carrying out Jihad in Ethiopia if you have to.

Muslims are many, Islamic nations are many and until there are such a time, that the blight of Muslims are seen as such in most of Islamic countries and not Arab Muslims and African Muslims we should mind our own business and make our country a priority. I am not against helping the Muslims but look in Palestine in three weeks 1300 has been killed. In less than three days 2400 Somalis has been killed in Mogadishu by Ethiopian invasion. I am not excusing the barbarity of what the Israelis are doing but the barbarity of Israel is no more than barbarity of Ethiopia.  In the Palestinian case there are over hundred of journalists, there are demonstrations in all major capitals including in Mogadishu. There are prayers in Mosques for them. So far the Arab nations alone have pledged two (2) billion dollars and more is coming from Muslim and non Muslim nations. But when it comes to Somalia there was no word of protest from any of these nations or their population.  This example makes my point quite clear. We Somalis are also Muslims and we are being bombed by an outside Christian nation Ethiopia why would that be different than Israel bombing Muslims Palestinians?). Look their president Mr. Abas invited the Israelis to help him rid of Hamas, so does Abdullah Yusuf the former Somali president invited the Ethiopians to get rid of the Islamic courts. So the excuse most given that Somalis are killing each other does not really apply.

I believe we should mind our own business and concentrate on policies that are good for our country, and our children. We should make our efforts in making peace, reconciliation, good governance and put our country together and in the map of nations. I hope the Somali leaders do listen to the wisdom and wise people of Somalia. People who want them to succeed and not those who want them to fail. If young men sacrificed their life for the struggle of liberating Somalia from the grip of ruthless Ethiopian warlords, you the leaders can surely sacrifice an office or ego to that cause they have gave their dear souls for.