Thursday, June 25, 2015

'Rer hebel' syndrome – Somalia’s clan cancer.


If there is any single invention that might be a national hit in Somalia it would probably be an anti-clan pill which once ingested automatically reduces the level of adrenaline released into the blood of a Somali to reduce the clan madness, affinity and allegiance beyond reason in the name of equally defending his clan rights or wrongdoing.

And If you really want to know how we Somalis react to any negative connotations against our clan just check the comments section of the tens of thousands of Somali websites available online. Social media has not been spared either as Facebook and twitter lead in that front. Almost all articles, opinions and news carry a comment section where ordinary readers most of who are Somalis themselves express their views.

Let me state clearly here that this article is never intended to ridicule or negatively impact the quoted websites, writers or contributors but rather to simply justify my point that clan interests often blind us and surpass national interest pulling us down into the abyss of clan chauvinism.

For the record the worst offenders and supporters of this backward reasoning are the elite and the most learned amongst us Somalis. Yes, I have said it and its the damn truth. It is so sad that those of us who are learned and who ought to led the ignorant majority are the worst offenders and misusers of the clan card?

Really? No wonder Somalia is taking too long to heal and settle because of this double faced clan card the learned folks keeping pulling.

Can the real Somali in us stand up?

With the above self explanatory personal plea not to turn this observation into one-big-clan-ball, sample the following links I randomly picked from several Somali websites. This does not endorse or implicate the said sites but rather is intended to be viewed as an example. I must also admit apart from some of the hate filled responses, I found some remarks rib-crackingly funny!


1. http://www.hiiraan.com/op4/2014/jan/52852/clan_federalism_poison_injected_in_the_somali_mind.aspx

Check out some of the comments:


Jama fartaag· Top Commenter (signed in using Hotmail)

Honestly this person is clueless go and see whether Mogadishu is one clan city or not before you jump to wrong fake conclusion.

The only way out Somali problem is federalism with democracy. When implement good federal system 95% Somalis will feel more comfortable where they live within Somali territory.


Yixisqil Xababaaq · Top Commenter · Works at Self-Employed

OH MY GOD WHEN I SEE YOUR NAME IS CULUSOW THEN I UNDERSTAND THAT WATEVER YOU WRITE OR SAY WILL BE USELESS BECAUSE YOU ARE SIMBLY CULUSOW AND CULOW HAVE NO BRAIN AT ALL WHERE HAVE U BEEN IN 1991 OR DID YOU BORN AFTER THAT. GO TO HELL WITH YOUR "CAQLI XUMO NACASYOW TOOGAA" - Useless brainless thief


Janno Gale · Top Commenter · Iska waran secondary school

Kuwaan daaroodka sheegtaa waxay ku oran lahaayeen sidaan Mr Culusoowoow.

These people who claim to be Darood (Clan) should have said the following to Mr. Ulusow

He goes ahead to post a Somali poem that starts like this:

Mar haddaad Hawiye tahay - As a Hawiye (Clan)
Aniguna Daarood ahay - And am a Darod (Clan)


ashekow (signed in using yahoo)

Ahmed Said; Dr. Ulusow has never been against federalism. He is only against the clan based federalism. The system itself has no problem. Today's Somali federalism is neither good for Somalis in general nor make anything to the clans orchestrating today. It is misguided and badly designed federal system. What kind of federal system can call the defection of its federal government? It is a joke bro!


Tanadeh Tanaad · Top Commenter · Stanley, Falkland Islands

This guy must be getting social welfare. He has all the time in the world to author this puerile articles every now and then.

PM Sharmarke should appoint this guy for a post in the local government of GURICEEL so he can shut up for good.


Usama Farah · Top Commenter · Perth, Western Australia

Puerile? I wonder what makes you say that. They guy seems to have legitimate talking points.


2. http://hiiraan.com/news4/2015/Feb/98139/djiboutian_in_fight_for_fortune.aspx - This is a story about a Djiboutian opposition tycoon accused of links to terrorism.

Check out some of the comments:

sigmasoma1 (signed in using AOL)

Well, there were one dictator and one thief. The thief was the right hand man of the dictator but the thief put his hand deep into the dictator's pocket. The dictator felt it and tried to grab the thief's hand but he skipped and disappeared into the bush. Now the dictator has to catch the thief so this damn ass is worse then the dictator.

gedigedow (signed in using yahoo)

who is this arab man mothers fuckers this is somali land


Ali Abdi · Top Commenter

SOMALI-Aamaanadii buu labaxsade, markii horeeba soo isagu xoolihii shacabka lagadhace nin carab ah gacanta umagalinin?

ENGLIS-He fled with whatever he was entrusted with, in the first place isn't he who handed over the public wealth to an An Arab?



Zami @ 2/14/2015 12:36 PM EST


Top Three Somali Traitors

1) Abdullahi Yusuf
2) Hassan Sheikh
3) Omar Guelleh



wiifgarow @ 2/14/2015 9:19 AM EST


This Arab is an Isse (A CLAN). Only his actions make an Arab. All Mankind are Issas and All are Equl. I suppose you are not familiar with either of those declarations mr Bashir


bashir326 @ 2/13/2015 6:05 AM EST

Woow
Is this a joke or a bad dream?
This onion chewing ARAB wanted to become the president of Djibouti.
This is not Yemen my friend.

---------

This is now me speaking! Surely, the above conversations are just but a tip of the iceberg!


Back to my point about the clan madness amongst Somalis, I sometimes wonder what can Somalia really do to undo the chest thumping and superiority complex around the myriads of clans which people continue to kill for, steal for or even shamelessly defend it with their own blood and pride.

I wish I knew a way out of this complex and sensitive issue that touches on our own very existence.
You meet a Somali man anywhere, after the normal greetings the next question he would most likely throw at you is always this:

Warya adigu yad tahay?

Hey, what clan are you?

You are expected to say your clan, sub clan, sub-sub clan down to your family.
I used to try to avoid answering this question but over the years my resistance has somehow faded largely due to the numerous arguments my resistant has led to.

So what makes us so intertwined with our clans? why is the clan issue so important in Somalia?
The answer to that lies in how our forefathers used the clan for personal gain and protection. During those old days, the clan protected you and your precious herd of camels from robbed by other rival clansmen, which was the order of the day then as riches amongst Somalis then so measured on how much camels you had. The more camels a man had the richer and nobler he was!

Times have changed my fellow Somalis, we no longer keep camels or live in those old days. Can we sober up please and stop being so trivial.

A simple Somali man in the streets working so hard to earn a decent life is simply Mohamed, Ali, Warsame or Guled. But as soon as he becomes rich or famous then he becomes Abgal, Marehan or Habar gidir.
What is this nonsense?

As Muslims this is actually contrary to the teachings of Islam. Allah says in the Holly Qur’an in Surah al-Hujurat Chapter 49, Verse 13: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things".

Even with this clear verse that is well known by many Somalis, we continue to look at each other along clan and tribal lines and segregate against each other or look down on one another.

I sincerely hope we will learn from our mistakes and stop making a fool out of ourselves. This madness must stop and we have not love each other and stop the bloody war that continues to rob us of our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers.

If we don't stop, we might end up having no more Somalis because at this rate we are killing each other on flimsy grounds of tribal or sectarian beliefs, then God forbid, we might as well as disappear on the face of the planet.

Peace, salam, nadab!