^^harsh luck, i have taken my months leave to be back in the UK for most of the tourny these arabs are abit slow when it comes to the beautiful game

Round about this time last year a crazed man ran inside shouting he had a bomb as we listened to the khutba. It was panic stations as people thought he was telling the truth. Anyway he was apprehended and handed to security who initially thought he was a muslim. There were angry scenes outside afterwards. Could they have been MI5 these guys dressing as women?

Mogadishu battle - turning point for peace? While some Somalis - and certainly the US - are deeply dismayed at the sight of the Islamic militia seizing control of Mogadishu, others argue that it may prove it to be a turning point in the peace process. Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi says he would rather deal with the Union of Islamic Courts than the warlords who have controlled Somali's capital for the past 15 years. "It was an excellent step forward... because they [warlords] were not ready for a government, they were not ready for peace," he told Radio France Internationale. Mr Ghedi's transitional government was set up after two years of sometimes tortuous peace talks in neighbouring Kenya between all of Somalia's different clans and armed groups. Great care was taken to ensure that all sides were represented. As a result, the Mogadishu warlords were all named as ministers even though many did not really believe in the government. 'Opportunity' Optimists say that if the Islamic courts do consolidate their grip on the capital, negotiations between just two groups may prove simpler, leading to the country's first effective national authority for 15 years. Islamist leader Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mr Ghedi, based in Baidoa, 250km (155 miles) north-west of the capital, have both said they are ready for dialogue. Editor of the BBC Somali service Yusuf Garaad Omar says the fact that a single entity controls the capital is a huge opportunity to bring peace to Somalia. "The Islamic courts and the transitional government need each other," he says. "One is the legal government, the other is a popular force in control of the capital." But he warns that it is only a step forward on a long road towards the end of war. He says the Islamic courts are likely to become whatever others want them to be. If treated with respect - as partners - they could turn into the group which delivers the capital to the government and so end years of conflict. But if they are viewed as a hotbed of Islamic extremism, that too, could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Personal history The moderate leader of the Islamic Courts Union, Sharif Shaikh Ahmed, has said that his militia does not want to impose a Taliban-style Islamic state on Somalia. But some Islamic courts officials have said they would only support a government based on Islam. Furthermore, President Abdullahi Yusuf fought a successful campaign against a previous Somali Islamist armed group, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, when he was in charge of the northern region of Puntland. Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys is a key figure in the Islamic courts. Mr Aweys has said he has nothing against Mr Yusuf personally but this history could make negotiations difficult. President Yusuf condemned the US for allegedly backing the warlords against the Islamic courts. But he did not say it was morally wrong - just that the money should be channelled through his government instead. Mr Ahmed has said he wants an end to the fighting, which has killed at least 350 in the past few weeks. But there are reports that his militias are advancing on Jowhar, where some warlords have fled. More conflict? Fresh from what seems to be a comprehensive victory in Mogadishu, the Islamic courts might seek to achieve what no other group has managed since 1991 - to conquer the whole country. President Yusuf was last year trying to build up a new national army and may command the loyalty of gunmen from Puntland. However, US-based Somali analyst Omar Jamal says the Islamic court could defeat government forces, if they so wished. "If the Islamic leaders want, they could kick the government out of Baidoa very easily - not only on military grounds, but also on political grounds, the government is so weak, the Islamic extremists are far ahead in gaining the hearts and minds of the people," he told the AP news agency. "This war will not stop in Mogadishu." Another possibility, just as bleak, would be that the US is so concerned that the Islamic courts were harbouring al-Qaeda elements that they hugely increased their support for whichever group promised to fight them. This would only prolong the instability that most Somalis are desperate to put behind them. bbc

Somali Islamic state 'ruled out' The Union of Islamic Courts does not want to impose a Taleban-style Islamic state in Somalia, says their leader. Sharif Shaikh Ahmed told the BBC they had no political aims beyond enabling the people to decide their own future. His militiamen have been seeking to shore up support after taking over the Somali capital from warlords on Monday. President Bush has expressed concern over the recent unrest and has warned the US will ensure Somalia does not become a safe haven for terrorists. "Obviously when there's instability anywhere in the world we're concerned. There is instability in Somalia," Mr Bush said on Tuesday. "First concern of course would be to make sure that Somalia does not become an al-Qaeda safe haven, doesn't become a place from which terrorists plot and plan," he added. The US was accused of backing the warlords defeated by the Islamists but has neither confirmed nor denied the persistent reports. Sharia law concerns Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told the BBC Arabic service that the Islamic Courts were not a movement. Map of Mogadishu "They are a kind of popular revolution by the Somali people after 16 years of anarchy and killing, plunder and kidnapping," he said. "This body is not a political one. Rather we want to give power back to the Somali people so it can make its own decisions and decide its own destiny." The violence in Mogadishu has been the most serious for a decade with some 330 people killed and about 1,500 injured in the past month. It began when warlords who had divided Mogadishu into fiefdoms united to form the Anti-Terrorism Alliance to tackle the Islamic courts, who they accused of sheltering foreign al-Qaeda militants. The Islamic courts deny this. They were originally set up in Mogadishu as a grassroots movement by businessmen to establish some law and order in a city without any judicial system. 'New era' The Islamic militia warns it is now within 20km (12 miles) of Jowhar, the town where the defeated warlords fled. However, clan elders have warned the Islamists not to attack Jowhar. A senior Somali MP told the BBC's Network Africa programme that the takeover of Mogadishu could be a step towards ending years of anarchy. Former Information Minister Mohamud Jama said the Islamic courts might improve the security situation in the capital and make negotiations with the interim government easier. On Monday, Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi, whose government wants talks, sacked four Mogadishu-based warlords who had been serving as ministers, as they were losing the battle for the capital. bbc

^^i will not make a prediction as they usually go terribly wrong.

A politically savy UIC is a very encouraging sight. To draft such a letter in order to pre-empt the mis-understanding of the situation by foreign powers is very well thought and executed. May there be eternal peace IA, ameen

But who will be taking it home?

Rooney '300% sure' ahead of scan England striker Wayne Rooney has told coach Sven-Goran Eriksson he is 300% certain he will be fit for the World Cup finals in Germany. The 20-year-old will leave England's base near Baden-Baden and return to Manchester for the crucial scan on his fractured metatarsal. Eriksson said: "I'm confident he will take part in the World Cup and he is 300% confident he will play. "I have been saying for one month that I'm sure he will take part." Rooney will leave Germany at 0900 BST on a private jet and fly back to Manchester with England doctor Leif Sward. The scan is scheduled to take place at the Whalley Range private hospital at about 1200 BST. United doctor Tony Gill will discuss the results with Sward and specialists at the hospital. If they cannot come to an agreement over his fitness then an independent consultant could be drafted in to make the decision. Eriksson will then be informed by phone how the recovery is progressing and whether Rooney can fly back to Germany and re-join the squad to continue his rehabilitation. If not, his place will be taken by Jermain Defoe of Tottenham, but it is possible that an announcement may not be made until early on Thursday. The deadline for a decision on whether to replace Rooney in the squad is Friday at 1400 BST, 24 hours before England's opening game against Paraguay. Eriksson has remained confident Rooney would make it since he suffered the injury in April, and has been boosted by the striker stepping up his training in the last few days. "I think he looks very good - but let the surgeons and the specialists have their say," said Eriksson. "I look forward to the point when we don't discuss scans and Rooney's foot any more. "Very soon we will know what is going to happen about him but I have always said I think he will be ready." The Manchester United player spent Tuesday's training session in Buhlertal, near the squad's base, with one of the England physios going through some sprinting skills and some limited ball work.

Well people, its finally here, the much awaited tournament that pitch the greatest teaams in the world against each other. Time for the talk to stop and for the walking to begin. We all have our favourites, we all have our prediction of surpsises and we have the wish to see the African teams do well. Things will be unfolding during the coming month. Here is the essential information: Schedule So grab your comfortable armchairs, the take-away leaflet on top of the fridge, the TV guide to catch all the action, the remote (very important for those of us married), send the kids to summer camp (in-laws), get your excuses ready for going missing in the middle of the day at work, your pocket change to purchase the tabloids, get the shopping done for a whole month instead of the usual weekly shopping, the items needed for watching in the local cafe , service the car (dont want to break down do you?) and so on,,,, Enjoy,,

Well my Arabic has seen much improvement (still a long way to go) so thats an encouragement i suppose. Other aims which i have slept on for many moons include understanding the Quran fully, travel (not always possible), a sustainable farm back home, Hajj (soon IA), buy a house (not sure where yet)

Did you even read my posts? Not really, i usually know what to expect then proceed to 'skim' through it. Of course I can, I'm SB. Man of stats and facts. Ibn Waraq (spelling!). Regardless of your view of him, agree with him or not, you gotta admit the man knows his stuff. How does he know his stuff SB?

Sheh some good points indeed. I shall respond in due time. For the record i did not mean 20 somthings to be islaamo.

Never personally met a Somali non muslim but i hear they do exist. SB, let me get this right, you are prepared to accept an apostate's view on Islam but you are not willing to accept the well grounded/researched knowledge of Islamic Scholars/Students? Your argument was something along the lines of "i dont believe everything i hear" but in this case you are prepared to accept 'everything you hear'. Is it because it is anti-Islam by any chance? (Ibn Warraq's view)

I dont know, i'm a little sceptical about this report. Does a high population of a minority group(s) make an area 'deprived' as opposed to an area with a high concentration of whites? If you live in London your house is probably worth over 200K, but you are probably still in a 'deprived' area. The study, carried out by researchers from the universities of Derby, Warwick, Birmingham and Oxford, found that the UK's 1.8 million Muslims were more likely than other religious minorities to be unemployed with 50 percent of those aged over 25 jobless. Again this is not what can be described as 'descrimination' as many of our (Somali/Asian) 'islamo' do not work. Yes things can be better but the level of unemployment will change if this is considered. There is an increasing level of descrimination towards muslims yes but this report is either half complete or a straight 'dig' at us.

^^So long as you dont do it before i finsh reading saxib. That may take time due to a busy schedule :rolleyes:

So these guys atteneded the same mosque and took part in the same activities organised by the mosque. That is enough to arrest them? Give me a break Canada. Mr. Bukhari said Mr. Jamal never openly embraced violence or talked about Al Qaeda, but was "very vocal and I believe could incite these young kids for jihad." Not violent, never spoke of terrorism but 'could' still be a threat. What a load cr*p based on falsified information. What happened to the freedoms and rights of the Canadian people? If they are muslims then its ok i suppose?

School books bring hopes for harmony SCHOOL children in Oldham will learn about Islam under an educational programme devised by the Muslim Council of Britain. Their 'Books for Schools' project is being introduced into the borough by the council. The initiative will provide 45 primary schools with a number of educational materials including books, cds, dvds, posters, worksheets and a collection of objects that are commonly used by Muslim children across the world. The aim to create a better understanding of Islam. It will raise concepts that Muslim leaders in the UK often claim are misunderstood like jihad which is often portrayed as the principle underpinning suicide attacks but which the majority of Muslims see as a peaceful struggle for faith in Islam. Nick Hudson, the Council's assistant director of school improvement, believes the pack will strengthen youngsters understanding of different faiths and cultures. He said: “The ‘Books for Schools’ project is designed to supply teachers with educational materials that enable them to provide informed lessons and promote a positive image of Islam. “Oldham’s communities are incredibly diverse and by giving the children of Oldham a better understanding of different faiths and cultures at an early age, we can break down barriers and move forward in our efforts to encourage a cohesive community throughout the borough.†Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, added: “The ‘Books for Schools’ is a practical demonstration of the Muslim Council of Britain’s aim to work for the common good of all British people. “Supporting an accurate and authentic teaching of Islam within schools will, we hope, in time result in greater mutual understanding, respect and tolerance between all of Britain’s diverse communities.†hfgfggdfdf

Muslims most deprived in the UK: report Regional-UK, Politics, 5/16/2006 Britain's 1.8-million Muslim population suffers from the worst deprivation in the UK, according to a new government-sponsored study. Muslims were found to be more likely than other religious minorities to be unemployed and live in poor housing in the most deprived parts of England. Half of Muslims aged over 25 are jobless and one in three live in the worst deprived areas, said the study carried out by researchers from the universities of Derby, Warwick, Birmingham and Oxford. The community is also particularly vulnerable to long-term illness, poor levels of education and housing conditions. "Taking the Muslim population as a whole, they face some of the most acute conditions of multiple deprivation," said the report, commissioned to review the prospects of faith communities in England. The academics were asked to review existing evidence, including information from the 2001 national census on the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities by the Office of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. It found that the three faith communities were likely to remain concentrated in the same areas where they were geographically concentrated across England. The "dispersal" of the groups is likely to be limited by the desire of families to stay close together and remain near their places of worship, the research said. Between the 1960s and the 2000s, the regional distribution of the communities had remained largely stable. It included one in three Muslims in England living in the 10 percent ratio of most deprived areas, but where white Christians formed the majority. A government spokeswoman has reportedly said that the study will be used to encourage equal opportunities for members of all religious communities. The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Monday castigated the findings. "Despite the recent EU initiative to make religious discrimination in employment illegal, there is still no support-structure in place to address the needs of victims of such discrimination," the IHRC said. Its chairman Massoud Shadjareh said that it was 'incredible' that such a situation exists in 21st century Britain, whereby it is perfectly legal to discriminate against certain religious communities and not others. "Despite the Muslim community continuously raising this issue with the government, nothing has been done and as the report shows, Muslims continue to face discrimination in every section of society," he said. The study, carried out by researchers from the universities of Derby, Warwick, Birmingham and Oxford, found that the UK's 1.8 million Muslims were more likely than other religious minorities to be unemployed with 50 percent of those aged over 25 jobless. It also confirmed that Muslims were also most likely to live in poor housing in the most deprived parts of England and were particularly vulnerable to long-term illness and poor levels of education. The Muslim Council of Britain said the research showed the poverty and other deep-seated problems that have contributed to the marginalization and disaffection felt among many young Muslims. "We hope that this report serves to highlight the need to develop policies that are able reach into these communities and fulfill their needs," MCB Secretary General Sir Iqbal Sacranie said. The IHRC said that it deals with many victims who have consequently been left to suffer in silence. It called for reformed laws to outlaw religious discrimination in all sectors and service provisions. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060516/2006051609.html

Detainee OO: 'The Cruellest Case in a Catalogue of Cruelty' (There is at present a Contempt of Court Order by SIAC prohibiting the publication of the name. Instead he has been given the initials “OO†by SIAC) The decision by the then Home Secretary last August to lock people up and deport them to countries which actively practiced torture was a shocking one. All of the men arrested on August 11th last year had already been accepted by the Home Office as being so at risk in their respective countries of origin that they could not be deported; i.e. they were acknowledged as being in grave danger. The Home Office’s sudden decision was that they could be deported, and that all the UK had to do to avoid being in breach of its binding obligations under the Refugee Convention was to get the country of origin to sign an agreement that they would not torture those particular individuals. Thus the United Kingdom broke ranks with the International Human Rights Community who view such memoranda as giving the green light to those countries that continue to practice torture as the norm in their society. Furthermore, such memoranda are universally acknowledged as “not to be worth the paper that they are written onâ€. However the most shocking and the most baffling decision to deport an acknowledged refugee came on 26th January 2006, when a wheelchair-bound stroke victim, a respected and law abiding imam, (who had never been questioned by the police in this country where he had lived since 1991 entirely lawfully with his family (all British citizens), was suddenly arrested. This arrest came as the cruellest shock of all to the informed community however accustomed that community had become to injustice and cruelty. In the most simple of humanitarian terms, even the police who arrived at Detainee OO’s house to arrest him on the orders of the Home Secretary were shocked; they had not been warned to expect a man unable to walk, confined to a wheelchair, paralysed down one side, suffering from diabetes and possible kidney failure. His general practitioner and the doctor who had treated his strokes immediately signalled their extreme concern; an application for bail was initiated the day after his arrest; but SIAC in return gave the Home Office the latitude of extended time to respond to the urgent medical reports filed within 24 hours on behalf of Detainee OO. Meanwhile the Home Office served its “evidence†as to why Detainee OO was a risk to national security and why he should not be granted bail. Their objections revealed nothing concrete with which Detainee OO could even grapple. It was simply stated “he is assessed to be a member of an Islamist extremist group which has been linked to extremist activity in the UK and overseas†and it was suggested that there was a significant risk that he, an immobilised invalid could abscond even if allowed home under conditions which amounted to complete house arrest. The Home Office used SIAC’s secret hearing procedure to make good its case. No one knows what is said there. SIAC refused Detainee OO bail despite compelling medical evidence. He had to be taken almost immediately from prison to hospital with bleeding to the brain. A second bail application was immediately initiated. It was again refused. Even Detainee OO’s own attempts to monitor his food within Belmarsh prison (in order to intake the few foods he knew that his system could absorb, he being a trained medic himself) met with the suggestion that his condition was his fault because he was “not cooperating†with Belmarsh. He was refused bail a second time. On Thursday night he was rushed again from Belmarsh to hospital, suffering again from bleeding from his brain. This time, his condition was even graver; he was transferred overnight to a specialist neurosurgical unit where drainage could take place; he for a while showed no reflexes at all; he remains unconscious. His family have struggled to see him. Every conceivable difficulty has stood between them and their vigil with a man unlikely now to survive more than days. There is no prospect whatsoever that this man could be deported. To subject him and his family to any continuing pretence that this is possible is merely a device that impacts totally upon their rights (and his) to privacy, to respect for their religion and their family life and their right to freedom from the infliction of cruel and inhuman suffering, mental and physical. This is the cruellest case in a catalogue of cruelty. We should be ashamed. Birnberg Peirce 1st June 2006 SOURCE: Muslim Prisoner Support Group

Rageh Omaar, who went from boy immigrant to ‘Scud stud’, is angry with pundits and politicians who claim to understand Britain’s Muslims but don’t know what they are talking about Sunday 18th June: 4-6pm: Celebrating Sanctuary'. Refugee Week event at South Bank, organised by the Refugee Council. Organiser: Orlando Arnold and Maeve Sherlock, Chief Executive, The Refugee Council, 240-250 Ferndale Road, London SW9 8BB. Tel (direct) 020 7346 6709 Monday 19th June: 2pm: Event with Bristol Libraries at Bristol Central Library, College Green, Bristol. Mumawar Hussain - 0117 9037 244. Tuesday 20th June: 7pm: Evening event at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, in assoc with Newham bookshop, 745-747 Barking Road, E13 9ER. Vivien Archer - 0208 552 9993. AF to attend. Saturday 24th June: 12.15pm: Camden Libraries event at Chalk Farm Library. Bob Gryspeerdt Camden Libraries, London Borough of Camden. Tel. 020 7974 6509. Fax 020 7974 6532 Sunday 25th June: Brighton Refugee Week event. Tuesday 27th June: Event at West Bromwich Town Hall. In assoc with West Bromwich Central library and local Muslim organisations. Paul Voyce - 0121 556 0351. Wednesday 28th June: 7pm: The Road to Kandahar event at the ICA. The ideal of Umma. Event with Jason Burke, Azzam Tamimi, Director of the Islamic Centre of Islamic Thought in London and Ziauddin Sardar. Organiser: James Harkin, Director of Talks, The ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH Email: jamesh@ica.org.uk . Tel: 02077661424 Bookselling by ICA bookshop. Russell on 02077660438/52 Thursday 29th June: Event at the Museum of Film and TV, Bradford. In association with Bradford Libraries. Paula Truman - 01274 433915. Sunday 2nd July: 10am: Train from Paddington 12.30pm: Lunch with Somali leaders in Cardiff. 3pm: Event at National Museum of Cardiff in conjunction with National Festival of Muslim Cultures and Beyond the Border Lit Fest. David Ambrose, 20 Ewenny Rd, Wick, Vale of Glamorgan, WALES, CF71 7QA. 44 (0) 1656 89 02 89 Monday 3rd July: 6pm: Event at Grand Opening of Richmond library, Little Green, Richmond, TW9 1QL. Praveen Manghani, Acting Assistant Head of Libraries & Information Services, 1st Floor, Regal House, London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3QB. 020 8831 6100 ------------------------------------------------ I shall certainly try and attend one of the events,,,,IA

lol@rocko Viking, Ghana are playing some good stuff! Stars of the WC? Appiah - Ghana (will he finally realise his huge potential) Kewell - LFC lad Gerrard - LFC lad Fabregas??

What happened in Canada is a classic example of using fear to force a population to support a war mysterious to the public. Recently, a Canadian soldier was killed in combat. She was young, white and blonde and her picture flashed across the tv screens the world over. Canadians started asking questions. "Why are we in Afghanistan spending our money and the lives of our youth?" They asked their politicans. And the death of that fine soldier coincided with the extension of the Canadian "mandate" in Afghanistan an extra two years through 2009. The public wanted answers to the death and the extension but the politicians have not the desire nor does the public have the aptitude to comprehend the answer. So to solve this problem, they find 17 "terrorists", of which 5 are children (LOL), and flash them across the screens. Ditto for Britania. Recent killings of troops, pressure on govnt to set a date for withdrawal, other high profile issues etc. Solution, arrest a bunch bearded fellas, splash it across the papers, news tv and all is forgotten.

^^the media rules and has the power to manipulate the minds of the western population. Islam = Terror is the usual card thrown at them which they are often quick to believe.

In 1993, the US sent in a massively armed task force, the overwhelmingly dominant member of a United Nations mission to Somalia, to smash the warlords. The end to the operation, with an American helicopter shot down, is recalled in celluloid in the endless showings of the film Black Hawk Down. By the time Operation Restore Hope ended, between 6,000 and 10,000 Somalis had died. The shock of the reversal, one of the most embarrassing episodes in the recent history of the world's only superpower, paralysed the administration of President Bill Clinton for years and was a major factor in Washington's unwillingness to intervene in the Bosnia conflict. Now the US is backing the same warlords who humiliated them the last time. Among the beneficiaries of Washington's new policy is Hussein Mohammed Aidid, the son of Mohammed Farah Aidid, on whom the Americans had once placed a bounty of $1m (£535,000). Aidid died 10 years ago. :rolleyes:

Uncomfortable questions are being asked about Britain's Somali immigrants - and the answers are by no means easy to find. When Adam Dirir and his colleagues at Somali Voice take to the airwaves on Friday evenings, they face an image crisis. Headline after headline has talked about Somali crime gangs terrifying communities. And yet, in reality and after more than a century of Somali presence in the UK, little is known about who they are. There's a similar dearth of knowledge about the apparently very serious problems they face in adjusting to life here. And so Adam, who also produces Somali Eye magazine, goes on the airwaves on London's Sound Radio to tell it like it is - a mixture of harsh reality and encouraging words to a community he says can make it. "There is a lot of anger out there," says Adam, referring to the unrest among fellow Somalis. "We need to show the role models and we need to show other communities that we have been here for decades - and will be here for decades." Somalis have long formed close-knit communities in Britain. For more than a century, their faces have been familiar in London, Cardiff and Liverpool after the arrival of seamen and traders. But the situation changed dramatically with the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing civil war in the 1990s. Since the ousting of Somalia's government in 1991, much of the country, situated on the eastern "Horn of Africa", has been in a state of violent anarchy, perpetuated by warlords heading rag-tag armies of young men. Countries don't get more chaotic than Somalia, and many who fled are now living in Britain, having originally gained refuge in other European states. In Britain, anecdotes have percolated into wider society that suggest many of the internal disputes that have bedevilled Somali society have travelled with the diaspora. Unclear picture Telling the story of Somalis in Britain is hard because there is a chronic lack of nationwide research. The 2001 census suggested there were 43,000 Somalis in the UK. But other experts suggest at least 95,000 and as many as 250,000. While they represent one of the largest ethnicities, the only significant research has been localised case studies. These tend to show that Somalis children are widely regarded to be underperforming at school. Although there are naturally many stories of individual success, the limited statistics that are available from some boroughs are mixed, showing below average exam grades, but improvements, particularly among girls. The community is also extremely mixed, coming from different clans and different social backgrounds, including a high proportion of skilled professionals who have not been able to find work in their field in the UK. Nobody knows how many of the young Somalis in Britain have brought with them traumatic experiences of war. Until society understands the needs of those communities, they will always have problems Mohamed Ali, former Somali councillor, Liverpool The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (Icar), a body of experts at London's City University, recently pulled together all it could find on Somalis in Britain. Dr Chris McDowell, head of Icar, says that the experience of Somalis in the UK is extremely complex and differs greatly to comparable communities that have fled war zones. He says a key factor is the Somali tradition of nomadic and collective identity - what you are part of informs who you are. "The politics and power struggles in Somalia has had an impact on the coherence of the communities within the diaspora," says Dr McDowell. "The same thing cannot be said for groups such as the Sri Lankans because they are overwhelmingly Tamil and have a coherence and unity within themselves which keeps them together in a new place. "In Somalia, you are part of something, part of a clan along with your family, your co-religionists. If you remove that anchor, because these groups are not recreated, then people feel adrift." Crime The contrast with the Tamil communities is important because, in general terms, large and unified groups get cash for projects, such as language integration schemes, advice bureaus and so on. London has a plethora of small Somali groups, many of whom are essentially directly competing with each other for the same state or charitable funding. Other ethnic minorities in the UK have avoided this pitfall because they don't suffer from inter-communal differences. And it's in this potential vacuum of missing social networks that some alienated young Somali men have forged a defensive gang identity, say experts. Unclear of where they stand between the traditionalist clan viewpoint of their elders and the individualist creed of Western societies, between protection through community and standing alone within society, the easy answer for some is to adopt a readily available, aggressive street persona, largely based on "gangsta rap" culture. "I think many of these young people try to find a group they can ally with," says Dr McDowell. "Gangsta culture provides that identity because it's about male power, is about making people scared and it seems that some Somali boys gravitate towards it because it allows them to be in control." Mr Dirir says that this defensiveness is not helped by the under-reporting in the media of incidents where Somalis are victims, and the over-reporting of incidents where Somalis are the alleged perpetrators. Nevertheless, he says the priority has to be support for youths who have fallen out of education and have drifted apart from their community. "We need the Somali youth workers who can communicate with these kids. If you don't have the youth workers, how can you hope to understand their problems? "We need one voice, one fusion and to be more open about the problems and issues. We need to accept that we are here, not with one leg in this country and another in Somalia. "There are a lot of angry kids and we just don't know what to do. There's a lot of pain in the community." Outsiders Mohamed "Jimmy" Ali says he has witnessed that soreness - and says we need to ask questions for how Britain integrates troubled minorities. Two years ago the Liverpool social worker became Britain's first Somali councillor, although he has since lost his seat. "Somali kids just don't get any help," he says. "They come from a war zone and they have no idea about [britain] in terms of its culture, religion or even how education works. And that is why they need support." In Liverpool, Mr Ali has found Somali children unofficially excluded from lessons, sitting alone in the corridor, because teachers had effectively given up trying to communicate. This compounds the feelings of alienation, frustration and increases the likelihood of racist bullying. In turn, young Somali men on the receiving end are all the more likely to become defensive and see society in terms of "us and them". "Until society understands the needs of these communities, it will always have problems. Some asylum seekers are simply released into society without any funding or support, and one wonders how on earth they manage to exist." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The BBC News website will be featuring more stories about Somalis in the UK later in the summer. As a community development worker in central London I do not agree with many of the comments made on this page. Alan, London Although there is the element of government not paying attention to the Somali community, I honestly blame the Somali community itself. There is a Somali oganistion in every borough, town and county - what do they do to help the same community in need? Nothing. When will we change? Khalid, Hounslow, London I'm a Somali-Brit and I came here to the UK ten years ago. My father and my grandfather both lived and worked London and Liverpool. I, however, when I read your above article had tears on my eyes, the reason being that we the Somalian community does not have that unity or one vision comparing to other communities Mohamed Donyaliqe, England Bristol has a large Somali community in Lawrence hill, an area among the most deprived in the UK. Rumours are rife of huge state handouts, queue jumping on housing lists and even cash benefits for car purchases and resentment is building among other black and white communities. It's time for Somalis and the local government to speed up integration and dispel these dangerous rumours before community relations reach crisis point. Simon Bartlett, Bristol Why is the answer always to spend more money on touchy feely 'support programmes and youth workers'? If a pupil is disruptive in class the teacher has at least 30 other children to consider and shouldn't waste time on the trouble makers. If you are given a free education and don't appreciate it you should be permanently excluded whoever you are. Mike Tyrrell, Reading Belonging to a minority group is no excuse for adopting an "aggressive street persona, largely based on gangsta rap culture". When is this culture of excuses going to stop? If you don't like it here and don't feel part of the country and culture then leave. Eric Blair, London Parental control would be one way of dealing with the rude, aggressive and antisocial Somali kids that roam the streets where I live in West London. It's all well and good saying that the taxpayer needs to hand over yet more cash for another troubled minority. Is it not good enough that they live in a safe country away from the hardships they faced in Somalia? Phill, London We're demonising Somali immigrants, they have no more or less problems than other immigrant group, although like many in [my] the Afro-Caribbean community the boys and young men in particular are heading down a questionable socio-economic route. Andy, London, England This article is quite interesting as it shows people how to live life and what is happening around the world. Zahid, huddersfield The Somali communities are facing problems that are of any diaspora community - that of disposession, alienation and marginalisation. However, this problem is further compounded by the failures in planning and settlement of immigrants in British society. Immigrants are segregated and holed up in sink estates and deprived area with existing problems of crime, poor educational attainment and high rates of unemployment. Aren't these communities simply adapting to the new environment that they have because they don't know any better? Layli, East Ham, London The asylum system is a joke - it does no one any favours. It is absurd that someone can come all the way from a remote region such as Somalia to claim asylum in the UK. The Geneva Convention was written in the entirely different circumstances following WWII. At some point we will have a Government which will have the guts to withdraw from the Geneva Convention so the process can begin of negotiating a refugee system appropriate to the circumstances prevailing in the 21st Century. Until that time comes, the present chaos will continue with predictable results. Richard Marriott, Kidderminster, England The report talks about Somali, but there is NO mention about Somaliland?? Does this report include the Somalilanders struggle in the UK. I have visited Somaliland once in 1999 and more recently in Jan 2006. I feel the country is improving without major funding from the EU and the USA. But feel more could be done for a country that is stable and is NOT run by so called WAR LORDS!!!! Mr Carl Clarke, Crewe England To a higher degree, the articles holds some truth. Particularly when it mentions the sub-communities. Whether it's a disadvantage or not, the minority Bravanese community has maintained the relatively close and tight links with each other over the years we have been in the UK. But on the wider view, true to the report there is a serious problem of identity and 'fitting' in. Whether this will infiltrate even the tightly knit communities like the bravanese communities remains to be seen. Omar Ahmed, Ilford I was friendly with a Somalian who came to the UK to train for a couple of months in 1979. I remember about the class differences because he was extremely proud of the fact that he came from what had been British Somaliland rather than the Italian part. He was well educated and had a sister who was married to a British seaman and lived in Cardiff. He worked for the State Insurance Company and in those days there was virtually no crime in the country, even in Mogadishu. Having lived in Africa for many years I realise what teerible problems have been caused by tribal and religious differences, but this seems to be one of the worst cases in Africa. Organisations in Britain need to understand these problems and help all Somalis living here. Lyn Cooper, London, UK The situation is not all doom and gloom as they are now second and third generation Somali kids who have integrated into society very well. If anything is a problem with the Somali community it is that of clan rivalry. We must forget our differences and become united. Mohamed Ibrahim, North West London I am sick and tired about our own community blaming other forces in "society" for not helping us or understand our culture. I just came back from Mogadishu after fleeing my birth city 23 years ago. What I witnessed is appaling. I had always blamed outside interference being responsible for most of our problems. NO NO NO. I have concluded that we have to shed off all our backward cultural/societal practices and only retain our positive attributes and move forward. I am infinitely grateful for the golden opportunity that I got from the UK. For the rest of you out there who prefer to whine and protect your lazy khat chewing lifestyle my only message is don't bring Somalia to the UK, bring out the old and true Somali decency. Kassim Jibril, Toronto I think the problems and challenges of this group adjusting to British Society is really no different to that of any other immigrant community and in the long run like the Asians before them they will show themselves to be hard working and productive members of society, immigrants in general being more hard working and inventive than the native community. Trevor Huckstep, Tunbridge Wells, UK My city has a fairly substantial number of Somalis, the majority of which are loathed by the other ethnic communities - Asians and Afro-Caribbeans. The general feeling is that they "big trouble". This is probably based mainly on their appearance and not on what they actually do. Norman Day, Birmingham We should try to remember when we are criticising the behaviour of African immigrants in Britain that many of the problems in Africa itself were a direct result of British colonialism and carving up of the continent without consideration of tribal borders. Although I hate gang violence, we always forget the brutal legacy of our colonial past, on which our wealth is built. Maybe we are paying our dues. Simon Rowe, Norwich, England Richard calls the present asylum system absurd. He may be surprised to learn that the countries with most asylum seekers are those that directly border conflict zones. The UK has a tiny, tiny proportion of refugees when compared to places like Guinea. We should be proud of the 1951 convention. The gutsy decision is not to pull out, but to stick with it. Mark Pallis, London Fifty Years on and the British authorities have not learnt from previous experience. Being of Caribbean descent and born in England, I wonder why the British government continues their policy of multiculturalism when the results seem to destroy both the lives of immigrants as well as the indigenous population. You just don't have the will, or apply the means to make it work right. Mervelous, Norcross USA I was amazed, even disgusted, when I saw graffiti in North London from rival gangs openly threatening one another and those from other ethnic backgrounds, white, Asian etc. They were basically dividing the local area up into their own territories. Richard, London I find this quite odd. I am an 18-year-old Somali male "Born" in London. Growing up here the issue is much larger than the Somali community. I have witnessed first hand from all areas of the community drug dealing crime and unemployment. Though it's a sign of weakness on our part most of these young men have tried to get legit means of making an income only to have the door slammed on there face. Luckily for me I was able to get my self to uni but considering out of about 50 people I grew up with only two have reached this stage and the rest just "chill" on street corners. Something needs to be done but where do we start? Abdul Egeh, Islington, London Having worked for extensive periods in both Southern Somalia and the autonomous region of Somaliland it comes as no surprise to hear that Somali's struggle to integrate into British society. What does surprise me is the willingness for so many in the UK to go for the soundbite and put this down to a combination of 'post traumatic stress and gangter rap'. Britain has had gangs and crime since Boudicea was in pigtails, these problems didn't arrive with nor are they exclusive to Somali's.! Some of the Somali community are clearly trying to work towards a solution and it is these people who need recognition and assistance. Southern Craib, Hargeisa, Somaliland I worked in a GP surgery for a year, where about 10% of the population of the surgery is Somailian. In those 10% I saw wildly contrasting people, I saw the young teenage boy who spoke clear English and read the Guardian newspaper. I also saw other teenage boys riled by violence, unable to fit in and tormented by the horrors of their homeland. Mo Salam, Manchester, UK here