Thank you Abdulaziz for the attempt to answer my desperate quest for solutions of dilemma of Somalia.
We tried petitions, we attempted to use the power of the so called parliament, ... we tried to teach the best ways to govern....
I spoke about the return of Formajo's uncle's guulwade system. I recall Siyad's regime when people were dying in detention center without recourse of rule of law. The best knowledgeable religious people killed without due process. The red berets police were killing people at will; the military of Siyad have had destroying water reservoirs in Majertenia, .... without rendiconto to no body!
Thinking that the era of blatant unjust has ended, I thought that Somalia needed a fair coexistence. A solution that belong to all Somalis without distinction. That is when I wrote the Birth of New Somalia.
Somalia belongs to the little man growing moxog in Balcad, the fisherman in Qandala who is struggling to feed his family, the Afgoye farmer who produce the needs of the surround people.... ...
To me, Somalia does not belong to Ahmed Madoobe, who is AL Shabaad, one day; a friend of Ethiopia, next day, then an allay of Abdi Ilay and Gas on another day. Somalia does not belong to Gas who, in alliance with Madone and Ethiopia, who is selling the resources and ports of the country to UAE! Strangly enough, nobody object his ill deeds!
"And he whom Allah has made to go astray, you will never find for him any way (of guidance)."
Meaning they are hypocrite, and are not Somali, nor Ethiopia or Arabs. They betray to whoever they associate.
Somalia inherited great wisdom, among them! Ayax teg eel na dhaaf. In Entomology eel or korn kor means Schistocerca Gregaria which is the most destructive insect in agriculture. Siyad teg, Formajo in.
Under Siyad, miskiinkii goof ka ku lahaa what has became Booli Qara, was deprived his right, miskiinkii moxoga abuuran jiray, beertiisii waa laga qaatay. Kii Afgoye, wax ka soo saari jiray waa laga joojiyay!!!
Formajo, is the Schistocerca Gregaria. he started his rule with sending Somali Heroes to Ala Bakhe, notorious jail in Ethiopia.
And then they, the defenders of the current regime told me: "So wait for your turn and don’t be mad about the defeat of your cousin ". That is what they believe in the building of nascent nation. My way is explained in the Birth of New Somalia. Read if you can. And if you read, read it again, because by repetition we learn. Please know that if I have to defend when my cousin is wrong, I will tell him to do the right thing, not support him in his wrong doing.
By this time everyone who know how to read must have memorized, by the reminder of our Quran:
When I wrote The Birth of New Somalia, I was dreaming a Somalia lead by the example of Omar Ibn Khadhab, a society guided by honesty, knowledge, love of the Somali people. A nation where the little man is protected from the strong.
Early in my formation era, I learned a just coexistence. Later the lesson of my father was reinforced by my study of symbiosis : Bacillus Radicicola Synonymous Rhizobium Leguminous Arumugam. This is a process of living together, Rhizobium and legumes, in harmony. It is give and take that is balanced. I studied Social Sciences in depth, but I could not find any better coexistence for good society where each individual does what he does the best. That is the society I tried to design for Somalia.
I know that in these days telling the truth is a crime in corrupted society; when I spoke about the return of criminals, the dipendente of the regime, who may never earned honest living, told me shut up: what we can do for you.... it is our turn, wait your turn... they ... and demanded an apology for what I said and accuse me of stirring trouble. Shame on you. I remind the words og God:
وأكثرهم لا يعقلون
I spoke a lot and many people know me. I am not a perfect man and perhaps made many mistakes. I repent of my past errors and ask God for forgiveness. For those who do not know me, I have a record, a history, and credentials which I enclose a synopsis here for your information.
Now, how we get rid of stooges, ruffians who are selling our country?
In the absence of government and rule of law, I call to all Somali of good conscience to free our country from these traditori, thieves and ruffians in anyway we can wherever we find them and at anytime. Otherwise who will liberate our country?
Thank you for your patient.
Friday, July 21, 2017
No country has ever been colonized completely against its will March 24, 2014, 6:12 PM وذكر فإن الذكرى تنفع المؤمنين No country has ever been colonized completely against its will. Consider two countries: X, and Y. In X there two major tribes There are tribes A and B — fighting for control of their country. Eventually, the A wins and disarms B, and show them no mercy, inflicting cruel punishment. The sufferings of the people of B is such that they feel pushed to the point where it simply no longer make sense to them to care about their countrymen, who have stood by and watched while they were subjected to the horrors inflected by the victorious A tribe. Meanwhile, Y, a common enemy — a colonizing power, if you will — has been watching and waiting for instability and weakness to befall country X, because those conditions mean its opportunity to do what it has long wished to do: destroy X, where the warring A and B tribe live, and seize control of it and their resources. Where tribes A and B to be united, they would find strength in unity: such strength that Y could not hope to win against them. However, now that the B has lost to the A, and the A are taking full advantage of their victory over them, the B tribe is weak. The country as a whole no longer has the benefit of all they could offer, including in thedefense of the borders. Y sees his opportunity, and makes his move. He communicates covertly with the B, who feel they no longer have anything to lose, and gives them aid and support. B and Y together then destroy country X, and Y takes control. There is an Italian proverb, "Tra i due litiganti il terzo gode": "Two dogs strive for a bone, and the third runs away with it." Does this sound familiar?
How is it that so many of the killers of our youth are not behind bars, and free to kill again? What solutions do we have to these problems?
Many of our youth, the same ones who are at risk of dying from gun violence, who are in jail, who have dropped out, or are considering dropping out,
of school have suffered trauma caused by wars, domestic violence, and forced migration. I will attempt to explore the long-term effects of war and political violence upon the youth who have come to live here in Canada. "Physical, psychological and emotional "...? problems? are the same thing as trauma, they aren't the cause of trauma.
Exposure to war, ethnic cleansing, and political oppression causes psychological damage. Vivid memories of the smell of burning bodies and of harrowing screams for help can lead to the re-living of such events long after the initial incidents.
Protracted war has affected many Somalis and people in other parts of Africa; the youth, particularly, have endured things that produce chronic and everlasting stress and trauma. Some children have seen their parents wounded or killed, and their homes destroyed. They have learned first-hand all the evil that comes from war.
Most Somali children have suffered some kind of humiliation, either directly or through the abuse of a family member; many have been exposed to the sound of explosions in the form of bombs or shelling by tanks or artillery; and others have witnessed a martyr’s funeral. Through these and similar ordeals,
many of them have experienced acute trauma.
Some of these children suffer from nightmares, cannot stop thinking about the harsh life that they were exposed to, or constantly feel fearful and lonely. Some easily become tense and nervous, or feel depressed. They develop social behavioural disorders, act defiantly, and become aggressive, and reject the authority of parents and teachers. They also struggle academically, have difficulty concentrating on their studies, and are disruptive at school.
When they come to Canada, these children need psychological and social counselling, and help in preventing the recurrence of these patterns through counselling, rehabilitation, and therapy.
Many of them have never even seen a school. The Canadian system of education that puts students in grade school according to their age will not work for most of those who came from Africa without any schooling. Because of this lack of earlier schooling, the Somali Community in Toronto has a 36.7 percent dropout rate. These students need special, intensive programs to give them a foundation for upgrading their education. At a new, billion-dollar jail in Toronto my colleagues visited, no less than 80 percent of the inmates are of African origin! The staff? Ah, well... Most of the staff are white.
I'm sure you're familiar with the saying, "What's wrong with this picture?"
Conclusion
(To say they have abated means they have nearly stopped). In Somalia and elsewhere in Africa the exposure of children to such traumatic events is something that, stated plainly, violates the human rights Canada holds so dear: "the right to live, to learn, to be healthy, to live with one's family and community,to develop one's personality, to be nurtured and protected, and the right to enjoy childhood."
For them to be expelled from schools, to build more and bigger jails, and to permit the inundation of poor neighbourhoods by drugs and guns is clearly not the answer. Regardless of their colour, these youth need the support of family, friends, relatives, teachers, and spiritual leaders. The very first step is to keep them in school.
The unfortunate children of parents with poor education, however, receive less support and, therefore, often suffer more than others. While positive
personality traits can reduce post-traumatic disorder, community organizations and institutions must help to mitigate it. Communities must provide
critical assistance to needy families; they must provide settlement programs, after school activities, and outreach and mentorship programs, and
facilitate family unification.
They cannot, though, do these things by themselves; the government must support these communities in their efforts to provide the resources needed to save lives.
Together we must restore in these children a sense of belonging, and of being cared for. We must provide them with regular classroom and school schedules that reassure them with a sense of success, stability and safety. Let us spend billions building new schools for new lives for children with as much potential as any others to be great.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
How did we get here?
What was old is new again. We think we come up with new ideas, but what we really do is rediscover old ones. That is why today I am going to rehash some things we used to know but have forgotten, in order to refresh your mind and mine and call anew for action. The question of how we got here requires ample contemplation/consideration/reflection to answer properly. Although I have no grand theory or detailed political road map to resolve the mess that Somalia is in now, my intention in writing this essay is to inspire Somali intellectuals to act and to motivate others in turn, so that the fire of their passion for remaking Somalia will spread without hindrance. I am angry and dismayed, because I believe that there are many good Somalis out there in the wilderness of this world, and they are not doing enough of their duty toward their people and country.
My focus is on the future: how to get Somalis out of the mess they are in; identifying what we have to change and what type of leader the nation needs. Before tackling the essence of my argument, I want to summarize the answer to the question I just articulated as follows: since independence, successive governments have neglected the national interest, and have abandoned the principles of honesty and fairness, and even their dedication to the cause of the Somali people. Instead, their focus has been on ‘getting rich quick, cheating, encouraging tribalism, and playing the political game of pitting one group against the others – all of which are precisely the things that have led to the current situation. Even with all of these problems, under governments from that of Abdullahi Isse, the least corrupt, to that of Siad Barre, the most corrupt, Somalia has nevertheless made some progress. It is not my intention to demean the achievements that occurred under those governments.
The situation in Somalia today is similar to the anarchy described in the first half of the twentieth century by the renowned French author Antonin Artaud: “With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades and that which follows.” [(Quoted in Renee Weingarten's Writers and Revolution, ch. 15 (1974)]. However, injustice is what has led us to where we are now. The whole world has been a witness to what has happened in Somalia since Siad Barre: it has gone from the moryan (child soldier) to al Shabaab (kamikaze children, or killer youth) and warlords of many kinds, competing with unblinking cruelty towards innocent people. The killers may have noticed that our enemies provided arms and resources to all the warlords striving against their own people. And what did we do? We took sides! Shame on us! Antonin cited above cogently described a situation similar to Somalia.
Mogadishu before the destruction
The sweet city of Mogadishu became naked and the center of proxy wars. While we have been living under the incessant wear and tear inflicted by these demons that have been killing their own people and their own leaders, great leaders known and respected for their wisdom and patriotism have been murdered at the hands of these traitors and warlords. Somalia could not withstand this onslaught; it crumbled, and was reduced to rubble.
After getting rid of the informed and educated leaders by killing them or forcing them to emigrate, the warlords took their place. They sit in the seats of power and beg Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and anyone else who will listen to give them crumbs in exchange for anything they can possibly offer. They sell their souls to get the weapons with which to kill their relatives and set fire to the whole nation. Tell this to General Daud and the martyrs, among them my own brother, who fought for the independence of this nation, and imagine their reaction!
Wars have deprived our people of their liberty and their happiness. The killers wearing religion and hiding behind vague and grandiose words are culpable of the most atrocious crime against Somali people. In Somalia have caused, and are causing, innocent people untold misery, suffering, and poverty. The new generations are being misled; their minds are being stifled by ignorance. The morals of the people have deteriorated, their convictions have been dissolved, and they have fallen below the level of humanity and into the dustbin of history.
The revival of the extremists are spreading like mushrooms everywhere, and Somalia become a fertile land for them. In Somalia, there are three groups: radicals, conservatives and reactionaries and each is claiming ownership of the country. Even while they fight among themselves, they are united in fighting innocent people. Franklin Roosevelt characterized these types as follows: “a radical is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air. A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs, who, however, has never learned how to walk forward; and a reactionary is a somnambulant walking backwards.” (as cited in author(s) of Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941). We have to overcome these biases if we are to find salvation for our people.
It is, if I am to be candid, beyond my ability to describe the curse that has hit Somalia. In humanitarian terms, hundreds of thousands- if not more- of Somalis have been killed, with several times that number maimed, and the number of refugees appears in the millions. It is almost as if Somalia has been cut off from the mercy of God because of the crimes committed and the innocent blood that has been spilled within its borders. The blight of God Himself seems to hover over our people. The population is held captive, and their cities lie in ruins. Somalia has died, spiritually and physically. To restore it to life and health, to integrity, will take almost a miracle. The situation has reached the point where we must remind ourselves, and all Somalis, that no man believing that God alone is worthy of worship can allow his fate or that of his countrymen to be controlled by the killers of its people, and their campaign of inflicting loss and suffering must not be tolerated.
Hotel Aruba now
Mogadishu after the destruction
Many of our brothers and sisters have plunged morally to the uttermost depths, and have perpetrated crime after crime; their actions are now based upon utilitarianism, selfishness and scandalous involvements that often end in personal ruin, or even suicide. How we arrived at where we are now is a question that is in the minds of many co-nationals, as much has already been said and written about this issue. Alas, we do not need to recount in endless detail how we got to where we are. It will not help us get out of the chaos we are in. Therefore, let us yearn for better future. We need a solution, not to recapitulate dirty history. If anything, we have learned our lesson. You may ask where the democracies of this world have been while all this was happening. Is there anyone who still believes the Universal Rights of Man? We have waited long enough: almost two decades! Should we continue to wait for a miracle to save us? As Cicero reminds us, “Laws are silent in times of war,” and Somalia is no exception. And when Edwin Starr says: “What is war good for anyway?” I concord with him: “Absolutely nothing” (“War”, by Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong, 1970). Somalia is torn between what Thomas Hobbes called the two cardinals virtues of war: “force and fraud,” and needs salvation.
Now that the United States of America is the most generous nation on earth, it is also currently the sole Super Power. The state of Washington started Operation Restore Hope to save Somalia in 1993. In the process, mistakes were made and several hundreds of Somalis were killed. One of the warlords shot down a Black Hawk helicopter (as shown in the film, Black Hawk Down), and killed its crew. All of that is expected in a conflict; but bulldozing dead human beings in the streets of Mogadishu, captured on video and sent to CNN for broadcast, was something unique to the brutality of Somali warlords, and it deserved the harshest retaliation. After that incident the US left Somalia, handing victory to the warlords, and handing the people over to misery. However, the United States must know that innocent Somalis also suffered under the warlord who shot down the Black Hawk, and conscientious Somalis were and still are saddened by what was done to that solder. Yet this brutality has been our daily horror. Animals fight; but their fighting has its rules. They kill only when they are hungry, or when they fear for their life, in self-defense, and to protect their territory and so on….now contrast this to the fighting in Somalia… ex: But the fighting in Somalia has no boundaries, no rules, and is far from serving any sensible or rational purpose. US pulled out in October 1993 and left.
We innocent Somalis wait for the mercy of God to reach us, and through his mercy the help of anyone with good conscience. Moreover, I hope the America of Obama has more compassion than his predecessors and senses the blight of Somalis. I hope Obama will side with the suffering Somali people and not the warlords, and in turn blame us “for what the fools among us committed….” (See below). We have no choice but to rely on ourselves. We should not despair, as the following will outline the path by which we can emerge from the hell Somalia is in.
I extensively wrote about the historical conflict between Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya in my essay: Conflict in the Horn of Africa: Reflection on the Root Cause linked to my web-page:”www.mid-nimo.com”. Hence, it is not necessary to reiterate here. In that essay I layout the root of the conflict between Somalia and neibouring countries. I may as well add that Kenya and Ethiopia have been in the front line when it comes to meddling in the conflict within Somalia. The civil war and the disintegration of Somalia have caused a considerable and prolonged exodus and spillover into their territories. That spillover will eventually have a destabilizing effect on them. Hence, stability and peace in Somalia will have a beneficial effect on Ethiopia and Kenya.
How do we rise from where we are?
The new Somalia must be rebuilt according to Thomas Jefferson’s principle that all of mankind is “created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” (as cited in Boyd, 1950). We must act together like one man against anyone who stands against us or seeks to sway us from our duty toward our fellow Somalis and to the national interest. The Ethics of Islam dictate that a man’s faith is never complete until he desires for his fellow man what he desires for himself. When we lose that moral ground, prejudice does its evil work, and greed will come in and tear asunder the brotherhood of Somalis, with the sword becoming the sole judge. But, in the words of the Prophet Jesus, “Whoever lives by the sword will die by the sword” . We are one people, who have one religion and speak one language. Nevertheless, when the sword becomes the sole judge of us, we bid farewell to love, to faith, to goodness, to reason and, indeed, not just to Somalia, but even to mankind and to humanity. I said “one religion” guardedly, for I cannot see Somalia without people like Michael Mariano: a true Somali leader, who happens to be a Christian, living side by side with everyone and exercising his duty toward his nation, and reaping the rewards of citizenship. Somalia has to be a country for all Somalis, of every sect and religion. Here, I am in concord with Ralph Waldo Emeron’s notion that “a sect or a party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking” (1831). Moreover, I believe that “a party of order or stability, and a party of progress or reform, are both necessary elements of a healthy state of political life” (Mill, 1859). There must be no compulsion; after all, God commands us:
There shall be no coercion in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from [the way of] error: hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing [2:256]
Those people who know only the rule of the sword should recall the disastrous results of World War I. The warring parties of that time sought to bring peace to the world and, for that purpose, in 1918 Woodrow Wilson, the President of the United States, proposed the creation of the League of Nations to bring about collective security for all peaceable states. They had to agree to ensure the security of each state by standing together to dissipate aggression. They had to be prepared to act collectively. With this collective security, individual states had to forfeit the right to act alone (Browner, year 1988, p. 40). The idea behind the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles and other such undertakings is not new to Islam. The following verses of the Qur'an sum up the substance of the League of Nations and the notion of collective security.
And if two factions of believers fight each other, reconcile them in peace. If, thereafter, one aggresses upon the other, then fight the aggressor until it returns to the command of God. If it heeds that command, reconcile that faction again with justice, for God loves justice and those who judge accordingly. The faithful are brothers of one another. Reconcile them therefore as brothers and fear God that you may be shown mercy [49:9-10]
Most Somalis know this latter verse of the Qur’an, yet we have lost sight of the truth and the necessity of applying it to our daily lives. If people who are strangers to the Qur’an can adopt its wisdom and settle their disputes, why can’t we? In an era that sees the Europeans uniting, in which the United States of America is already united, Latin Americans are coming together, and Asians are seeking unity, breaking Somalia up into miniature states is not an option. The new Somalia must be constructed in the belief in, and following the guidance of the Qur'anic dictum that calls for unity:
And convey unto them, setting forth the truth, the story of the two sons of Adam -- how each offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them whereas it was not accepted from the other. [And Cain] said: ‘I will surely slay thee!’ [Abel] replied: Behold, God accepts only from those who are conscious of Him. Even if thou lay thy hand on me to slay me, I shall not lay my hand on thee to slay thee: behold, I fear God, the Sustainer of all the worlds. I am willing, indeed, for thee to bear [the burden of] all the sins ever done by me as well as of the sin done by thee: [but] then thou wouldst be destined for the fire, since that is the requital of evildoers! But the other's passion drove him to slaying his brother; and he slew him: and thus he became one of the lost. Thereupon God sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the nakedness of his brother's body. [And Cain] cried out: ‘Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal the nakedness of my brother's body?’ -- And was thereupon smitten with remorse. Because of this did We ordain unto the children of Israel that if anyone slays a human being – unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth – it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind. And, indeed, there came unto them our apostles with all evidence of the truth: yet, behold, notwithstanding all this, many of them go on committing all manner of excesses on earth [5:27-32]
To get to where we need to be, we need a leader that we can rally behind: the best, and best intentioned, person. Who should lead the nation at this critical time? The leader or leaders must have the ability and the will to accumulate further knowledge and to educate others at the same time. Someone who is a pioneer, socially gifted, and willing to undertake the challenge of resolving other people’s problems: somebody who feels that all Somalis are his own extended family. The motherland needs a luminary with a high sense of volunteerism. At this juncture, we also need a leader with a clearly defined political path.
Our leader at this stage must be someone who is knowledgeable in his heart, and who applies his heart-knowledge in his practical life, rather than merely announcing it with his mouth. The future leader must be experienced in different facets of life. In this crucial time of our history, we need a leader with the ability to persuade and inspire the masses with an unquestionable dose of charisma: a charisma that speaks to the hearts of the people, a charisma that evokes the loyalty and devotion of the masses, and inspires our votes- votes that today are often bought cheaply. The leader must be self-sufficient and free from want; someone who would, perhaps, accepts a small monthly allowance – just sufficient to live comfortably. Moreover, he would be someone who has himself led an extremely simple and hard life: in other words, like the life of most Somalis today.
We need a leader who has personally looked into the affairs of the people. Someone who is ready to work most of the day, and who at night goes around finding out for himself how people live and feel. We need a leader before whom all citizens, including himself, are equal in the eyes of the law.
Somalia has been, and can be again, what Alexander Buskin defined as “terra magica, [magic land] terra d’ispirazione [inspirational land]”. All it needs is for the people to go and cultivate the land, milk the cows, open the markets, open the schools, and keep the peace. The money that we have been spending for decades on waging wars could have built a highway from Ras Chiamboni to Guardafui, dug wells along the sides of the highway, and linked the coastal cities to the internal cities with roads and wells along on both sides of the roads. We can still do this work. I am not a lunatic; I know what we can achieve if we are united. Schools should be open wherever they are needed. Railroads should connect Djibouti, across the major cities, to Kismayo. The effort and the money that we have been spending on killing our people and destroying our cities can be diverted to development. We can rebuild the water system in the cities, repair the roads, and rebuild what has been destroyed. It can be done. We can offer jobs to everyone who is willing and able to work. United, we can do all of the above -- and more. Along the Indian Ocean, the Somali littoral, the seeds of development must be sown, and the lights must shine again to the travelers and to the world, bringing tourists from all over the globe to see what a terra dei cenerentoli (fairyland) Somalia has become. And we will, at last, have built a true and lasting brotherhood. We need a leader who can realize these thoughts for Somalia. We should keep Somalia moving toward the right path, and forward for a better Somalia and “an endless and enduring dream and thousand points of light” (George Bush, Acceptance Speech, New York Times, August 18, 1988.
South of Somalia
In the 1950s, 60s and even 70s our children were growing healthy. Their future was secure. They had learned to coexist in harmony. Today, our children are in captivity; or they are sick and hungry. Where is the future of this country?
The above pictures tell the conditions of the children and mothers displaced by the atrocity of the wars.
As far as leadership is concerned, the story of Omar al Khathab is an interesting comparison. Al Hurmuzan, the adviser of Kisra, came to Madina wearing a crown full of gold and aquamarine, asking about the Caliph: Where is his palace? They replied: He doesn’t have one! He asked: Where is his house? So they took him to Omar’s house, which had been built with clay, and said: This is his house. He asked: Where are his guards? They replied: He doesn’t have guards! Eventually, Al Hurmuzan found Omar sleeping under a tree, wearing his patched clothes, using his hand as a pillow, with his Durrah next to him. Al Hurmuzan was amazed at his humility and his austere lifestyle, and uttered his famous words: "You ruled by justice, therefore you became safe; only because of that; you are now able to sleep peacefully anywhere” (http://leedsgrandmosque.com/khutbahs/khutba-20081114.pdf. We need just such a leader now, who commands the will of his people by the power of his example. In other words, we need a leader who serves and trusts his people.
We need a leader who welcomes the opinions of those who differ from him, and who says, “Allah’s mercy be on those who bring me the knowledge of my shortcomings” We need a ruler who believes that he is one with the people. The new Somalia does not need a governor who has cut himself off from his people. We need someone who brings peace and order to us. We need a leader who brings freedom, justice and security: someone who is guided by honesty and fairness. Our leader must fear Allah, and protect the rights of all Somalis everywhere and of every status equally. The leader must be someone who has the capability to take from the rich and give to the needy, who will treat minorities well, and who will always keep his word. There is still hope.
In conclusion, we have to select a group of intellectuals, an assembly of thinkers if you will, and honest citizens whose sole interest is to make the necessary sacrifices and search for future leaders who have these same characteristics. They must elect a few among them to lead the country in this critical time, up to the end of an appointed term. They should lead by consensus, and rotate the leadership position among the persons selected for a period of two or four years, or until such we have strong institutions and civil societies that are loyal to their homeland. This system should be in place until we reach a point where we have a reliable census and are ready for a democracy that cannot be bought with money.
I do not know about the situations of most of my countrymen who are spread all over the world; but I do know that many of them, including myself, are suffering from separation of our birthplace, the place of our growth, the rivers and beaches we swam, the people we grew up with, the warm weather, the glistening sun, the sparkling stars. We miss the farms of Jenale (haven) and Jowhar (jewel, gem). We feel the loss of those who contributed to our being: relatives and friends. Many of you have expressed to me that you are tired of your degrading life: the loss of children, the destruction of families, and certainly the loss of professions earned and tested over a lifetime. Many of you are engineers, doctors, teachers, agronomists, generals, colonels, and so on, and you are now driving taxis or doing odd jobs in major cities in North America and Europe. I feel the pain and suffering of the Somali people who are captives of tribal egoism under corrupted, selfish, and violent warlords. The citizens are starving and suffering with disease and ignorance. in their homeland. Abroad the Universal TV had reported that the Somali children are stolen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fELJSjYBzQE, Let us restore the dignity of these innocent people. Please, if you feel what many of my countrymen have expressed, get involved in the rebuilding of a new Somalia together: a new Somalia based on justice that stems from equality in rights, and a Somalia that is based on goodness and virtue, unaffected by partisan interests or seeking partisan advantage. Allow me to end my attempt at guidance towards an improved/better/healthier/developed Somalia with the following prayer:
"اللهم ول أمورنا خيارنا... ولا تول أمورنا شرارنا. ولا تؤاخذنا بما فعل السفهاء ﻣﻧﺍ"
“O Allah, make our affairs in the hands of the best among us; and don't make our affairs in the hands of the most evil ones of us; take us not to task for what the fools among us commit.” (Dr. Arafat El Ashi, editor of the Translation of Qur'an by Mohammed Pickhall, 2005).
