Hiiraan Online

by Cabdullahi Adam
Saturday, January 17, 2009

How could I say such a thing???  Those are the same people who go around killing people for no reason…The people who rape girls and then stone them for that…The people who just like to fight and fight and fight…and on and on…Right???

It has become something of a fad these days to bash on the Al-Shabaab.  Many of these claims and hatred is coming from different types of people which includes, but may not be limited to:

Former warlords

Followers of warlords

Some who have too much sickness of tribalism in their hearts

Those involved in and benefiting from the drug trade and other evils in the country

Those who want to please the non-believers so much that they are opposing Islam

Those who are ignorant of the true situation.  They may have heard stories and believed them without giving the Al-Shabaab the benefit of the doubt or verifying the stories.

Some people have heard stories and are going around talking about them and spreading them as if they are pure fact.  For example, Al-Shabaab is being accused of raping a 13 year old girl and then stoning her to death.  This is completely false.  The first response to this claim is that the Al-Shabaab’s highest priority is to live by, implement and judge by the laws of Allah.  How could anyone comprehend that they, as a group, could brutally rape a young girl and then add to that by stoning her to death.

The true story of this “girl” is that she was actually a young married woman over the age of 20 and was found guilty of committing adultery.  This is a clear example of how some people are trying to discredit the Al-Shabaab.  The people living on the outside must remember not to believe everything they read and to investigate fully.

In addition, some people accuse our heroes of killing people without just cause and in specific they like to mention a video that made its way to the net.  My first comment would be that this video is a video that wasn’t officially released by the Al-Shabaab media so what is the proof that they are Al-Shabaab?  My second comment is that there is currently an invasion in Somalia and the enemies are using any means necessary to achieve their goals.  One of these means is by sending spies.  So it is not surprising that the Mujahideen may have uncovered the plots of some of these spies.  And the Mujahideen must have investigated and researched to their utmost ability in that and every situation.

On top of that, how could the Mujahideen go around killing those same people who they are giving their money and blood and lives to protect and defend?  This is a blatant lie that the enemies of Islam are spreading around not just about the Al-Shabaab but about all of the Mujahideen in the world.  A few years ago if you were a Mujahid it was something good in the west because the Mujahideen were mainly fighting against the communists.  Now if you even think about Jihad and establishing Sharia, then you become an extremist and terrorist.  Since the western powers are fighting against Islam, they are doing everything in their power to discredit the soldiers of Allah and make the Muslims dislike them.  This fact can be found in many of their think tank reports where they discuss how to combat this growing phenomenon of Jihad.

Furthermore, some claim that the Al-Shabaab only know war and fighting and don’t want peace for Somalia.  In order to expose this false claim one only needs to be a thinking person.  The Al-Shabaab now control many areas in Somalia and are showing us that fighting is not all that they know.  There situations in Kismayo and Marka, in specific, and Jubba and Shabelle Hoose, in general, show us that these people are able to run city and state governments.  They have the skills and manpower to fill the positions and address the needs of the people.  They have shown that they respect the people and the tribes by sitting down with the leaders of the tribes and explaining their goals and needs.  On top of that…they have shown that they care for the welfare of the city and the people.  They have cleared the roads and cities of checkpoints.  They have hired people to clean the markets and roads.  They have started repairing the roads.  They have organized the markets.  Moreover, they have set up judges and courts to return the rights of those who have been abused and to judge in general.  They have started ridding the country of the drugs that have become prevalent in some areas.  They are calling people to put pleasing Allah as the most important thing in their life and to live by the laws of Allah.  All of this and they have only been in control of Kismayo for less than 6 months and Shabelle Hoose for only for a few months.

Reading about their accomplishments in this short time one might think that they must have stopped fighting the invaders to be able to do this.  But throughout that time they have been attacking the enemy in every place and every way in order to force them to retreat.  The fighting has continued and will continue as long as the foreign forces are invaders in the land…but as soon as they leave and the Sharia is established, the Somali nation will Insha,allah live in peace and prosperity.   

At this point it is important to review a few questions.  Firstly, who are the Al-Shabaab? Well, the answer is very simple and clear.  They are your sons and brothers and fathers and uncles.  They are a mixture of all of the tribes of Somalia and of Muslims from outside of Somalia, some even from as far away as America and Australia.

Secondly, what do they want?  This is also clear as they have shown us by their actions and have told us what they want.  They want to give everything, including their lives, to defend the Muslims against the invading forces and to restore the land to peace and security and justice by implementing the Sharia of Allah.

These champions want to return honor and strength to the Somali nation.  They want to unite the Somalis and the only way to do that is through the ties of faith.  Any other unity would be superficial.  The only way to true victory in this life and the next life is through grabbing hold of Islam fully and tightly.  Don’t you remember how the Arab tribes were fighting during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and how his companions were persecuted and tortured?  Those companions grabbed hold of Islam and came together based on belief and, after a few years, they became the leaders and governors of much of the civilized world.

Al-Shabaab is the answer to the problems of Somalia.  They understand and respect tribal heritage and at the same time, don’t have tribal conflicts.  They have the strength to oppose the gangsters and thugs and highway robbers that have been plaguing Somalia for years and years.  They have shown that they have the ability to properly manage a state government. Finally and most importantly, they are carrying the banner of Sharia which is the only way to true Justice in this life.  And all of this is due to the help and success of Allah.

Finally, some people try to compare the valiant Al-Shabaab with the foreign invader forces and some even have the audacity to say that the Al-Shabaab is worse than the invaders.  They like to mention some of the rumors and stories about the Shabaab but seem to forget that over 16,000 people have been killed since the Ethiopians invaded Somalia and occupied Mogadisho and hundreds of thousands have been displaced and have become refugees and are now dealing with issues like sickness and lack of food.  People aren’t running away from the areas under the control of Al-Shabaab, better yet, people are returning to their homes and enjoying their new situation.

I can’t say that Al-Shabaab is perfect because they have made mistakes and they will make mistakes because they are from the sons of Adam.  But I can say that they hold the answers to the problems of Somalia and it is obligatory on us to support them, defend them, and advise them.  Finally I would advise those people who care about the situation in Somalia and who are following the situation closely to not be used by the enemies of Somalia and the enemies of Islam who don’t want to ever see a land ruled by Sharia and want Somalia to stay a land of chaos and lawlessness.