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Panelist's View

Somalia, Reclaim Your True Religion

Bashir Goth - Good riddance! The nightmare is over. The Union of Islamic Courts, UIC, had their day under the sun. They had the support of all Somali people when they stormed to power, routed the notorious warlords, restored peace in Mogadishu, opened the airports and seaports, stopped property looting and looked, for a moment, like a wise authority, but then they blew it.

Instead of capitalizing on the people's genuine support, they lusted for more power, and became belligerent and fatwa-crazy. Instead of building bridges with the community, improving services, opening hospitals, winning the trust of international organizations and NGO's to help them with projects to generate employment, they burned all bridges. They alienated youth by banning all types of entertainment, segregated women and deprived tens of thousands of families of their only livelihood by banning Khat without bringing an alternative source of income. They even embittered traditional Islamic scholars with their self-righteousness Wahhabi style, condescending to mainstream Islam.

Not only did they become worse warlords than the ones they had defeated, but they emblazoned their belligerency with Islam and brandished the sword of Jihad, thus projecting themselves like the Taliban by regurgitating the tired Jihadist rhetoric of Al Qaeda. They mistook their easy ride to power for being an unstoppable revolution and started stirring instability in the peaceful Republic of Somaliland by branding the leadership of that democratic country as an infidel and threatening to bring Somaliland under their Wahhabi cloak.

Just like they introduced a strange school of Islam to Somalia, they had also imported the scary phenomenon of suicide bombers in an attempt to assassinate the leadership of the Transitional Federal Government, TFG, in Baidoa. They also stonewalled the peace talks counting on the support of unsuspecting Arabs and they sent their die-hard agents to Puntland to wreck havoc to that peaceful and self-ruling state.

In a gross miscalculation of their military power and world geopolitics, the Islamists have used hostile language against neighboring countries, the United States and the Judeo- Christian world. By reviving the Somali irredentist policies of reunifying all Somali people in the Horn of Africa and creating greater Somalia, they reminded Ethiopia and Kenya of the era of wars and instability they had with the successive Somali governments over their claim for the Somali regions in their respective countries.

Finally they committed their last blunder when they gave an ultimatum to Ethiopia to withdraw their TFG-supporting contingents from Somalia within seven days or face Jihad. Their Security Chief Colonel Yusuf Indha Adde, had even made the gaffe of the century by admitting that he was one of the people who dragged the bodies of the dead American soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu in 1993 and that he was ready to do it again.

But as is often the case with all self-aggrandizing megalomaniacs, they fizzled into thin air when the hour of truth arrived and all their bravado ended in a farcical denouement. After recruiting young children in the name of Jihad to fight, the Islamist leadership took flight liked scared chickens. Their movement burst like a bubble. Even their prolific website qaadisiya.com fell silent. Although its editors have spewed enough hatred against the West and sang daily hymns for the Sept 11 suicide bombers and all Jihadist martyrs of the world, they couldn't dare to sign off the last chapter of their fantasy medieval caliphate.

Now, it is time for the people of Mogadishu to reclaim their freedoms and their true religion. Time to read the Quran with piety and not with politics; time to perform Dhikr in the Sufi Qadiriya style; time to dance in weddings and listen to the music of our late melody queen Magool, which the Islamists wanted burn. It is time to let our women come out to the sunshine and swim with their children in the lido beach; time to shave the beards, watch cinemas and let our youth revel, sing, dance and ring in the New Year with Mohammed Suleiman's eternal lyrics "... kii noo hagaagee, noqo loo hanweynyahay." (...Be a year that brings us good fortune and high expectations."

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Comments (30)

Amos:

Saddam was killed because he deserved it. Islam will be banned because it is nothing but trouble.
Most of the big crimes in the world today can be directly blamed on Islam. Islam is the official religion of hate and the mosque of satan. This is a fact.

The only reason that Mohammed was born was so that SATAN could have representation here on earth.

Islam is Satan.

Johnny:


There is nothing good about Islam in Somalia or any place on earth.

Sexual mutilation, floggings, stonings, beatings and bombings and beheadings.Absolute cruelty.

I have never seen a religion with more hatred of women or more cruelty towards children.

Check out the stoning video on UTUBE.
It is HORRIBLE. There are many.

The more I learn about Islam , the more I am HORRIFIED.

Nothing repulses my soul more than Islam.

Islam is a CURSED religion.

Elhan:

Testing

Garvin:

Actually the article above was first published in Africa. It would make more sense to release it in Somalia but I note there's something of a lack of national papers at the moment. Local papers from what I hear yes, there are plenty of them.

As it stands I wish full luck to the Government of Solmalia and I hope to see fair national elections at some point. Then the Solmali people can voice for themselves what they prefer instead of it being decided by boys with rifles.

SheikhAbdullah:

In response to JanSobieski's statement:
"Islam SUCKS!! please keep it in your countries. We have no need for it."

Islam would solve most of the American society's problem and the USA needs Islam more than any other place in the world. Therefore, we are bringing it with force, in shaa' Allaah. How many people in the USA are killed by alcohol, which influences people to abuse their families, commit crimes, etc...?? That and a host of other things are corruption and oppression on mankind, not "freedom" at all; rather lawlessness. Islam is against all oppression, ignorance, corruption and we fight it 'til the death.

JanSobieski:

This man Bashir Goth is a racist, islamophobic, and a hatemonger.

In these dangerous times we need voices of reasonability, not of hate, xenophobia and extremism.

Posted by: Commonsense and Respect


OH YEAH?!Tell that to the Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia who get beheaded by those brave mujahahedin over there! They can kill 12yo girls. Way to go, islam!! what a light unto the world!

And killing kids in Somalia for watching World Cup games. What a joke! ismal is spiritually and morally bankrupt. That is a direct result of the founder of this cult. David Koresh and Charlie Manson have nothing on mahomet.

JanSobieski:

Islam SUCKS!! please keep it in your countries. We have no need for it. if islam was so great then why are all your countries such a disgusting mess? islam does not promote a good work ethic. it only promotes leeching and stealing.

Abdullaah:

By the way, you said "...Be a year that brings us good fortune and high expectations."

This is a statement of SHIRK. You do not ask the new year to give you benefit, you can only ask for benefit or have harm repelled from none other than Allaah. You say "O Allaah, Ar-Razzaq (the one who give sustenace) make this year of blah blah blah" Unfortunately, your sufi shaykhs didn't teach you that. If you believe in that lyric, then it's upon you to repent akhi because shirk nullifies your Islaam. You really need to run to the library and read ALL of Abdul Wahhab's books so you can learn your religion!!!!!

Abdullaah:

Enjoy your sufism, shia-ism or what ever else misguided Muslims believe. When you meet Allaah, know that you were not upon the Deen He sent down from the Heavens and He will throw you in the fire.

Islaamic Courts is not "Wahhabi", they are Ikhwani Muslimoon. NO ONE who is upon what Muhammed Abdul Wahhab was upon, would take sides with the likes of ibn Laden and the rest of his IM ilk--which is full of Sufis and other deviates. They would not follow them because they are all deviates from the Religion, and the Salafi knows that correcting the AQEEDAH AND CALLING TO TAWHEED COME FIRST, even before establishing a state. Shaykh Ibnul Baaz said IM was one of the 72 misguided sects. EVERYWHERE you see fitnah in the Muslims world, you see the thumbprint of IM, their offspring, and ignorant Muslims who support them. All those failed deviate movements: Islaamic Courts, Taliban, etc erred by forcing the Shareeah on ignorant, openly sinning Muslims who opposed it. The Prophet (pbuh) corrected the peoples' beliefs and actions for 13 years in Mecca before he implemented the Shareeah in Medinah. FOLLOW THE SUNNAH, O MUSLIMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Commonsense and Respect:

This man Bashir Goth is a racist, islamophobic, and a hatemonger.

In these dangerous times we need voices of reasonability, not of hate, xenophobia and extremism.

Bashir Khalif:

This is to the Washington Post:

Bashir Goth said "It is time to throw away the Arab head rags; the sign of the shabby dressed Islamists, and time to be proud of our native names, cleansing our ears of the alien Arab nom de guerres of the Islamists." This is an outright racist statement that a respectable newspaper should not be publishing. I will lodge a complaint with the ombudsman of the washington post and the moderators David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria.

Peace and Justice:

Mr. Goth seems to think that the conflict in Somali is over religion.

What is happening in Somalia is not Islam vs. Christianity. Both sides of the conflict are Somali and Muslim.

Outside parties should keep out of Somalia. It is very dangerous for Ethiopia or any other country to get militarily involved in Somalia.

Stuart Wheelor:

I would like Bashir view on the idea by a minister in the TFG of a propsed union between Ethiopia and Somalia. In effect annextion of Somali land. What does he think of it?

Mohamoud Guled:

I care the least what you are talking about here. I am also at loss about your intentions and the wisdom of writing the article in the Post and in English. The article misses its audience, it should be written in Somali and placed in the Somali Language websites so that more Somali's could have the chance to debate its merit.

If you prefer to write in English and in the Post for a world wide audience, please give us some thing to ponder that is more constructive than all your earlier writings about Islam. You have a place in the discussion in many of today's issues, but do not write provocative, biased, and divisive articles written only for self promotion. The situation in Somalia is extremely precarious and what I think we all should have to talk about are the following.

1- The need for international peace keepers so that genocides like Rwanda and Darfur are avoided.

2- The removal of Ethiopian army and "made in Ethiopia" warlords from Somaliland, Puntland, and the South including Mr. Abdullahi Yusuf and Riyaale and others.

3- With the international community's help, held an open and fair elections in all regions of the country (Somaliland, Puntland, and the South)

In my opinion, this is what we need to talk about and encourage the international community and all peace-loving people to help rebuild Somalia after 16 years of civil strife. I will be very pleased if he picks any of these topics and give us some thing with more substance than what he has been doing in the past including this article.

Ashton:

We(USA)invades Iraq on a false premise (WMD threat) and Ethiopia invades Somalia on the premise that the so called UIC militias are "a threat." I see no difference in the nature of the cover-up. No matter how these falsehoods are shoved down our throats as facts....this is simply an excercise in Regime Change...and attacking defenseless nations & putting puppets under the guise of "threats".

John:

One country invaded another. the world is silent.

This double standard the west will in the end pay for it in blood as they are paying for the lives of somalis been lost.

ali:

it was really sad what happen in Somali, specially Ethiopian taking over our country with help of th American.

Abdullahi Ahmed:

It's so typical of Wahhaabi followers to call other Muslims kafir and use text from the Quran that refers to non-Muslims on Muslims. Followers of Sheikh Abdul-Wahhaab have nothing to offer but their corrupt understanding of Islam. They ignore over a thousand years of Islamic teaching and scholarly work by hundreds of great scholars. They say "We follow Quran and Sunnah" and ignore the fact that the greatest Hadith Scholars were not Shafi Scholars. What Muslims need now is to adhere to the teachings of our Imams abd yes including our Sufi imams. Sufi followers have spread Islam more than anybody else, large parts of Africa, Asia and Europe were opened to Islam by Sufis we should respect them and learn from them and not to listen to Wahhaabi followers false accusations. Its only because of Saudi money that they have spread with their ignorance. Wahhaabi have nothing to offer Somalia but terror.

Inna Abdi:

THERE IS NOTHING CALL SOMALILAND REPUBLIC, NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE. British might pay those terrorist in Hargeysa, but there will NEVER be british Somaliland NEVER!

as for the ISlamic Courts their only down fall was that those so call Somalilander wake up and remember their were not British Donkeys but they were once proud Somali and almost Somali became once again one.
viva SOMALIA down Britinia!

Inna Abdi:

THERE IS NOTHING CALL SOMALILAND REPUBLIC, NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE. British might pay those terrorist in Hargeysa, but there will NEVER be british Somaliland NEVER!

as for the ISlamic Courts their only down fall was that those so call Somalilander wake up and remember their were not British Donkeys but they were once proud Somali and almost Somali became once again one.
viva SOMALIA down Britinia!

EX:

WE THE SOMALI NATIONALIST WILL NEVER SURENDER TO ETHIOPIA NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES

Adam:

Aidid is a real idiot if he realy thinks we will go along with that ultimate plan of Ethiopia taking us over and anexing Somalia eventualy. He's only starting to expose the things we have feared all along, remember that 'secret' map stolen from Mr. Gedi's office that some people laughed at and not taken serously??

Now you got the freaking deputy internal affairs minister himself of this so called Transitional Federal Government saying we will be using Ethiopian passports and our borders will disapear???? I mean is this a joke or is this what the US want as well. I know the Ethiopians are desperate for the control of Somali coastlines but man, this is just plain idiotic.

I will personaly go back to Somalia in the comming months in defence of my land, if these gang of lunatics try to give my country to Ethiopia.

Mohamed Hussein, Mogadishu:

Bashir Goth has no right to claim he is representing Somalia on the views he presents on the washington post. We know he endorses gay marriage which he himself proudly wrote on these pages. He is against Islamic law and the Quran says "005.044 ....whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers." Bashir Goth also does not believe in Somalia so he should put next to his name UAE/Somaliland and then he should talk about the symptoms they have when they are in withdrawal from chewing Qat. They have nightmares with things (like cats) trying to enter the posterior opening of their alimentary canal.

So his hatred for the Islamic courts is not representative of Somalis especially those of us from Mogadishu. Sheikh Sharif, may Allah protect him, is the greatest leader we have had in Somali history since Sayyid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan!

Elvis:

Poor somalis need education

sheikhabdullah:

Those are nothing but lies fabricated by the enemies of the movement of Sheikh Abdul-Wahhaab and they are not unlike the lies against the Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him). If you believe in a Western-style government and Sufism, then you have a very weak understanding of Islam and Tawheed, the foundation of Islam and what you want to call "Wahabism". In the Holy Qur'an, Allah tells us that whoever rules or governs by other than what He sent down to us, then they are wrong-doers, oppressors and non-believers(they are NOT MUSLIMS). The Shari'ah is the only way for muslims to live by and without it, there is no peace, only bloodshed. Only under the rule of Islam will Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan stop bleeding. The Prophet's Madinah is our model and we must strive to follow that, his Sunnah. Why are you trying to be like the kuffaar(non-muslims) when Allah ordered us to follow the Shari'ah(His legal way), and not way of those who don't know(that Islam is the TRUTH). May Allah continuously destroy people who pass off Sufism as true Islam, denounce Tawheed, rule by man-made laws, call for legalization of "khat" and deviate from the straight path. You are not calling for anything except an evil way and destruction from Allah.

Ali Ahmed:

You cannot build a nation based on warlordism and that is something the world cannot comprehend. The so-called Transitional Government is filled with warlords from the top to the bottom. The president Abdullahi Yousuf is one of the biggest warlords in Somalia and so is Hussein Aiideed, Qanyare, Mohamed Dheere, and Mohamed Geedi all who hold leading roles in TFG. Many people are willing to forgive these warlords after they have killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions more to flee Somalia, yet the world cannot find anything better to focus on than a banned soccer game here and there and pornographic cinemas. It is this apparent bigotry and Islamophobic tendencies of the West that pose the most clear danger to peace and security in the World particularly in Somalia. Today Hussein Aideed (the son of the famous Mohamed Farah Aideed) the interior ministry said that borderlines between Somalia and Ethiopia are irrelevant and that Somalis will have to start using Ethiopian passports. What more can we expect from such people who cannot even respect the territorial integrity of Somalia?

shukri ahmed:

first i'm remainding my brothers and sisters who are somali people we don't need help for samebody we can rebuild our country if we try. stop asking help for other people.they tried but they didn't, so this is our turn.lett us build our motherland lets trust ourselfs that we can rebuild. and second stop fighting we are somali not abdi,or ali.you guys lets try to see the name somali!

Abdullahi Ahmed:

Just because the UIC brought their Wahhaabi brand of Islam doesnot mean that we should go to the other extreme and become westernised sheep. Somali's have always followed the Shafi School within Islam, its time to stick to that understanding of Islam explained to us by our scholars and Sufi Imams. Wahhaabi brand of Islam brings nohing but blood shed to the muslim nation, you only have to read bout their actions in arabia were they slaughtered tens of thousands of muslims.

Abdi:

Thank you Bashir Goth got it right again. I too say good riddence to those Wahabist militia called Islamic Courts. They can take their style of islam back to Saudi Arabia or where ever they got it from the first place.

Somalia under the TFG will be a successful one and I urge all Somalis to support our government.

sheikhabdullah:

It sounds like you are saying "it's time to leave Islam!". You are obviously ignorant about what is permitteted in Islam, what is not permitted, and why. You are calling for Sufism, which has deviated from the path of true Islam. Therefore, you are calling to "kufr", disbelief. "Wahhaabi" Islam is true, and Sufis is bid'ah. You cannot find Sufism in the Qur'an or Sunnah, but "Wahhaabism", the teachings of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab are based soundly on Qur'an and Sunnah. You saying nothing except ignorance. Long live the Union of Islamic Courts. True Islam will reign victorious. It is not over yet.

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