Gunmen kill two in central Somalia Aweys Osman Yusuf Mogadishu 29, May.07 ( Sh.M.Network) Two people were killed after gunmen opened fire on a commuter bus that was passing between Jalalaksi and Bulo Burde in Hiran province, central Somalia on Tuesday. Residents reported that the number of armed robbers in the area has multiplied recently. The victims were the driver and a passenger, according to witnesses. The local administration in the region has made no comments on the incident. The news comes as the chairman of Baled Weyne, the main town of the province, was shot dead by unknown gunman in the Somali capital Mogadishu yesterday afternoon. The chairman was back from the farming town of Baidoa, 245 km south of Mogadishu, and was intending to travel to Baled Weyne when unidentified man armed with a pistol shot the victim twice in the chest and escaped immediately, according to relatives. Since the Ethiopian backed government seized control of the insurgent strongholds in north Mogadishu, several bombings were launched on the foreign troops including the vanguard Ugandan forces from the African Union. The exiled Islamist leader in Eritrea, along with former parliament speaker who was fired in absentia, called on the Somali population to boycott the upcoming reconciliation conference and increased battling the foreign troops and the Ethiopian backed Somali interim government. Despite the violence, Somali president, Abdulahi Yusuf, said the conference will take place in Mogadishu by mid June. Shabelle Media Network Somalia E-mail us: info@shabelle.net

^^To migrate faster than other normal Somalis

^^is that Fidel in purple?

^^the pimp/hustler hat?

^^Three spidermen and captain Somalia

Lol Red, be careful man. You will be the new kid on the block. Many people will invite themselves to your house just to say 'hello'. Mid june? For how long? See you there IA

Khalid Yassin lived in my old city in the UK. He was very active mashallah. From weekly lectures to lessons on how one should give Dacwa. I would advise all SOLers to get Huda TV. A light in every home :cool: a few clips

Paragon I see you are enjoying a trip. I have a friend heading there for business in July who keeps telling me to visit while i'm in SL. I have another friend who is going there for pleasure . Do enjoy and post pics as i've never seen any pics of Mombasa.

I'm sure someone will say this will just draw the usual suspects JB never fails to disappoint (he is predictable our lad from Svedska). Great rant there by the way As for the skin heads, they have their beliefs/convictions (doesnt matter if you agree or not) and will never give it up. An admirable trait no? (in the context of where this thread is heading) I rephrase my earlier comment. You gotta love them skin headz 'sometimes'.

Gay activists beaten and arrested in Russia · Police watch as neo-Nazis attack protesters · MEPs among 30 detained as aggressors go free Luke Harding in Moscow Monday May 28, 2007 The Guardian A Russian ultra-nationalist about to punch veteran British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell during a denonstration in Moscow. Riot police used violence to break up a gay rights demonstration in Moscow yesterday and arrested several European parliamentarians in what critics say is the latest violation of human rights in Russia. A group of gay rights activists came under attack from neo-Nazi thugs when they tried to present a petition asking Moscow's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, to lift a ban on a Gay Pride parade. He has previously dubbed gay rallies "satanic". Witnesses said riot police watched as far-right skinheads chanting "death to homosexuals" beat up several activists. The police failed to arrest the skinheads but detained several of the Europeans - including the German MP Volker Beck, a member of the Green party, and the radical Italian MEP Marco Capatto. Riot police threw Mr Capatto into a police van. "Why don't you protect us?" he shouted. "It was absolutely shocking," the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told the Guardian yesterday. "The police stood there while people knocked me to the ground and kicked me. Four or five neo-Nazis attacked me. The police watched. At a certain point the police then arrested me and let my neo-Nazi attackers walk free." Religious orthodox protesters and skinheads hurled eggs and stones - injuring Mr Tatchell in the eye. They also attacked Richard Fairbrass, the gay singer from the pop group Right Said Fred. "When we were in the police van the police taunted us," Mr Tatchell said after his release. "They said, 'Are you a member of the sexual minority?' We said yes. They said, 'We are going to have some fun with you at the police station.' What happened here shows the flawed and failed nature of Russia's transition to democracy. There is no right to protest in Moscow." The arrest of European parliamentarians is likely to further depress relations between the EU and Russia - which are at a lowpoint after an acrimonious summit this month in the Russian city of Samara. The chairwoman of Germany's Green party, Claudia Roth, yesterday called on the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to raise the issue of rights with President Vladimir Putin at next month's G8 summit. As a member of the Council of Europe and signatory to the European convention on human rights, Russia is obliged to allow demonstrations. "It has been shown once again today that human rights are systematically abused in Putin's Russia," Ms Roth said. The activists had tried to deliver a petition signed by 50 MEPs calling on Moscow's mayor to respect freedom of assembly, but 30 of them were arrested and they did not make it to his city hall office. Mr Beck was later released. Three Russian gay rights campaigners were kept in custody and charged with disobeying police. Neo-Nazi thugs and an orthodox priest attacked the activists when they were freed several hours after their arrest, witnesses said. "This is terrible but I am not scared," a Russian named Alexey said, blood streaming from his face. "This is a pretty scary place, a pretty scary country if you are gay. But we won't give up until they allow us our rights." Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, but the gay community is still widely reviled. Last year Mr Luzhkov refused to allow a Gay Pride rally to take place. http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2089413,00.html Gotta love them skin heads

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: LooooL Anyone else would have drawn a simple gun (pistol) but a Somali must draw a sub-machine gun (Mack 10/Uzi)

^^It was a sarcastic comment.

If indeed he uttered those words then thats very sad. Hes not one to be taken seriously (unless your anti SL of course).

^^You get your land from the sheikh for free. You get a loan from the bank and develop the area sell then it before the first foundations have been put in. Then you move on with the profit. Easy money.

^^waa caadi saxib. Laakin waxan kasi baqaa sida meesha gaariyaasha luguwado

You are right in many respects. The gradual decline in their daqan is very evident where people talk of cars and how much they spent last month and on what. I suppose money (huge amounts of it) will make people slightly 'kibir' laakin these guys are stretching the kibir. These project are getting out of hand. Every day you hear of new projects with freehold for anyone who wants to buy. Ajman's law stipulates that only Muslims may purchase in that Emirate. Gotta love the little place. Why I'm I complaining? :rolleyes:

Of course i do, laakin they also arguably do alot for charity to be far to them. These super projects are getting over the top by the day,,,,,,,,

^^Oo waayo?

What was the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him)? Dubai to have at least six supertowers by '15 By Saifur Rahman, Business News Editor Dubai: The fast-changing Dubai skyline will sport at least six "supertowers" of more than 100 habitable floors, more than any other city in the world, as per information available. The supertowers are Burj Dubai (where work continues after the completion of 126 floors), Burj Al Alam (slated to rise to 108 floors), the 101-storey Marina 101, Princess Tower (107 floors), the 120-storey Pentominium and Al Burj (which is expected to have between 180 and 200 floors). Most of these buildings are in various stages of planning and construction although Burj Dubai - tipped to become the world's tallest tower - is powering ahead, adding a floor a week, and at least three others are in the early stages of construction. Work on Al Burj is not expected to start until Burj Dubai, whose height and floor-level are closely-guarded secrets, is completed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So Dubai will remain in the news for developing supertowers until at least 2015. No city other than Dubai and Chicago hosts more than one supertower. Chicago has two - the 108-storey Sears Towers and the 100-storey John Hancock Center. A third, the 118-floor 7 South Dearborn tower, is under construction. The development of six "supertowers" will raise Dubai's stature among the world's megacities, not only in terms of height, but also beauty, aesthetics and design quality, architects and designers say. Apart from Burj Dubai or Al Burj, which will probably be remembered more for their towering heights, Burj Al Arab, Dancing Towers and Dubai Towers might be photographed by tourists for their striking design and aesthetic appeal. "When we design, we design the present, which shapes the future. It is about shaping a contemporary world," Karim Rashid, Designer with Karim Rashid Inc of the US, said at an IDF panel yesterday. In terms of development, Dubai has one of the highest number of towers and skyscrapers under construction including hundreds on both sides of Shaikh Zayed Road, while more than 1,850 will be constructed at the Dubai World Central Airport City in Jebel Ali. By 2015, Dubai will have six "supertowers" that will rise more than 100 habitable floors making it the only city with so many towers with more than 100 floors once completed, according to available information. These are Burj Dubai, which has already reached 126 floors and is still going strong; Burj Al Alam, slated to rise to 108 floors; the 101 storey Marina 101; Princess Tower with 107 floors; the 120-storey Pentominium and Al Burj which, as "one of the tallest towers" is expected to be between 180 and 200 floors. Apart from these, a number of skyscrapers that will rise 80-100 floors are being built, including the 90-storey Marina 23 by ETA Star and the 90-storey Al Sharq Tower on Shaikh Zayed Road - all iconic projects. When completed, the number of supertowers in the city will be more than those developed in the rest of the world. source

Thanks for the piece. A good read about a scholar who Muslims in the west can relate to. His work has gone a long way in breaking down the Arabic/English barrier.

Who will pay for the construction of this new embassy i wonder?

Syria has welcomed Somalis and let them be unlike other Arab states. For that they deserve acknowledgement and a thank you. The people who live in Damas have spoken.

America's Muslim success story New research suggests that Europe could learn a lot from the US in how to treat its Muslim minorities. After printing the new Pew Research centre report, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream," on my Samsung four-in-one laser printer/digital copier/laser fax/color scanner, I buckled my four-year-old son into his car seat in our family's Dodge Caravan minivan, picking up his new McDonald's Happy Meal Shrek toy when he dropped it. We dashed across town to the 4.30pm Tiny Tigers class at Casey's American Taekwondo Association, tucked behind the local West Virginia State Police station. I pretended to ignore my son as he asked, "Can we go to Burger King?" At taekwondo, sitting in a waiting room of folding chairs with other American parents, I read the Pew report, breaking only to wave back to my son, beaming happily at me through the glass window. When I left the cover page face up, I quietly wondered if any parents would freak reading the big font headline, "Muslim Americans." I quickly flipped it over. I would have analyzed the Pew report more but we had to zip across town again for T-ball, a mini-version of baseball. I'm the coach for my son's team, the Citizens Bank Dinosaurs. And I also happen to be Muslim. American Muslims as middle class? Mostly mainstream? That's an understatement. But with big headlines from USA Today ("Poll: American Muslims reject extremes") to the Sacramento Bee ("Upbeat portrait of US Muslims: study finds most embrace America, denounce extremism") and the Christian Science Monitor ("In many ways, US Muslims are in mainstream America"), we would have thought we'd learned that, indeed, Muslims aren't Martians. To me, the brouhaha over the study's findings underscores how little we've understood a basic fact: give folks something to lose, and they probably won't want to destroy you. Success in America has taken an edge off Muslims in America; the same can't be said for their counterparts in Europe. In large part, I blame institutionalized racism and discrimination that doesn't slap us in the face in America. According to the report, around one in five Muslims in the UK, France, Germany and Spain earn low incomes compared with the general public, while in the US it's a miniscule two per cent of Muslims who are low income compared to other Americans. To me, contentment is directly proportional to tolerance and progressive thinking. Muslims in the United States rejected Islamic extremism "by larger margins," the study reports, than did Muslim minorities in Western European countries. In an issue important to me, one in five Muslims in America said women and men should be allowed to pray alongside each other in mosques - something that is hardly allowed in any mosques in the world, except, ironically, in Mecca. About two of three Muslims said it's "okay" for Muslims to marry those who aren't Muslims. Journalist Paul Barrett interviewed hundreds of American Muslims for his book, American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and says that "the overwhelming majority seek what my immigrant relatives sought: a chance to make good in a wide open society that provides economic opportunity and freedom for those who work hard." Immigrants to America from India in the 1960s, my family realized the American dream - living examples of public diplomacy in action. We've even got the picket fence. My father earned his PhD after first arriving in the US on a scholarship from the US Agency for International Development. He became a professor of nutrition at West Virginia University, and my mother ran a boutique in downtown Morgantown for over 20 years. In retirement, they'd join the local Rotary Club if they had more time. Born in India, my brother and I grew up on a steady diet of The Munsters, Bewitched and Sunday school classes at the mosque. I've got Lynard Skynard, Dr Phil, the Sufi rock band Junoon and Canadian-Muslim singer Dawud Wharnsby Ali in my car visor CD collection. I interrupted writing this piece to play "Scooby Doo! Pirates Ahoy!" for my son. And almost four decades after my arrival in the United States, I'm a writer-activist in the Muslim community for women's rights and tolerance by Muslims. To stem hostility and rage among Muslims, the governments of western Europe - including the UK - could borrow a lesson from America's culture of (mostly) meritocracy: let your Muslim immigrants prosper. Give them something to lose. CiF

^^ great reaction another sell out nigga LoL, the streets of LA!

^^The crazy guy in 12 monkeys, his best performance