Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Marked For Death


the last three years Somalia has been the victim of an antagonizing war between the ousted Islamic Courts Union and the Transitional Federal government. The military wing of the Islamic Courts Union, aka Al Shabab, is engaged in a vicious war against the allied forces of the Somali government and the Ethiopian occupation forces. Initially, Alshabab espoused a ferocious revenge killings against anyone suspected of collaborating with the regime, but their recent inclusion into the list of terrorist organizations has deepened their extremism, making this enigmatic organization wild and dangerous; the organization expanded its victims to teachers, army officers, Sheiks, elders, and even women. Their leaders make repugnant statements to brag about their victims. While the Ethiopian occupation forces kill civilians in bulk by shelling, the victims of Alshabab are relatively smaller in number. What is shocking, however, is that the killings take place around mosques, indicating their total disregard for the sanctity of mosques. Who is the enemy here? How did Al Shabab evolve from defenders of morality to a criminal organization?
This is the story of a man who was a potential victim to the Al Shabab. Mr. Farah was a local man of Mogadishu. He had lost his son and was in desperate search to find him. Farah had visited a local police station and asked the policemen if they had seen his son. The police told him they did not, but would let him know if they got information. Farah left the police station with a tiny hope that his son would be found. A few days passed and no word had come from the police. Farah decided to visit several other police stations in the city. All the police stations told him they had no information about the missing boy, but when they did find out they would let him know. Unknown to Mr. Farah, Al Shabab had been monitoring his visits to the police stations for several days. They believed he was affiliated with the government and he was giving them secret information. With that in mind, they decided to eliminate him. He was marked for death that was to be carried out during Farah’s attendance for a prayer in the local mosque.
Four Alshabab gunmen armed with pistols were given orders to kill Farah. Two of them were in the Mosque with Farah, while the other two waited outside in case he wasn’t killed in the Mosque. Right after the prayer, Farah asked the Imam if he could make a public announcement about his missing son. He stood in front of the congregation and explained he had been searching for his son for several weeks. He went into detail about visiting several police stations in the city and asked everyone to help him find his son. Upon hearing this, the would-be killers realized that Farah was a desperate father looking for his missing son. They discovered that the mission to kill him was flawed. The gunmen had a change of heart and cautioned themselves from carrying the order they were given. After Farah completed his announcement, the two armed men in the mosque approached him and told him they had orders to shoot him that day because they assumed he had been working for the government. The hit men had to contact their commander to explain the situation so that they can spare his life. It took a bit of time to get a word back from their boss. Finally, Farah was free to go.
This story illustrates the true face of the so-called Alshabab which distorted the message of Islam as a religion of peace. These people defamed our religion and portrayed Islam incorrectly. The time has come to recuperate our understanding of the changes in our society and also in the misrepresentations of our religion. Whether it is a splinter group of Alshabab, or other unknown groups, the killing of innocent civilians must stop. It is unacceptable to hold people’s lives to such a low standard. These killings are criminal acts that only further exacerbate the hope for peace and reconciliation. Somalia is under siege. We have watched for more than eighteen years as different factions sought to dismantle our country and now our faith. We need to stand up and reclaim Somalia not only for our generation, but also for the coming generations.

Abdulkadir K. Dirie High School Science Teacher Toronto, Canada Email: dirie2004@yahoo.com

No comments:

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Blog Archive

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

Terror Free Somalia Foundation