Apophis;881797 wrote: You cannot advance any nation while handicapping half of it's population (unless of course you're "gifted" with unlimited oil wells). Somalia's social norms are what's handicapping Somali women. Women in Somalia today are less free and independent than they were in the 1960's. We need to change that for sure

I've been to Somalia a few years ago, and for a period of time I was in Beledweyne. What shocked me when I was there, was that the young Somali children went to Duksi Quran class everyday except for Friday. They sat in the Quran class, reciting the Quran from 7am-4pm. They never learned math, or science, or literature. All they learned was to memorize the Quran, and many of their Duksi teachers were themselves uneducated, capable of only reciting the Quran and nothing else. Now, memorizing the Quran is perfectly good, and I believe all Somali schools should have Quran classes alongside other classes. However, I think studying only the Quran all day everyday is a little excessive. Duksi teachers are basically fathers to these young Somali children, as these kids spend most hours of their day under his direct supervision. Now imagine that this Duksi teacher was suddenly replaced by an educated and competent Somali man who teaches these children positive values while at the same time using them to help improve the community. This would be extremely beneficial to everyone involved. This would require dedication from the Somali man, as he may have to work his entire life for the sake of the nation. P.S. Now, the reason why I'm so emphatic about educating the young Somali boys first rather than all Somali children is simply due to a lack of financial resources. In a nation with as little financial resources as Somalia, it is imperative that we make as big an impact as possible. Somalia is a very patriarchal society, and for a woman to gain influence would be extremely difficult. It would be better to first educate the males of the society, and then when they start moving forward we can focus on the young females in the country. This is not to be misinterpreted as sexism, it's just more strategic.

Apophis;881785 wrote: I think those who have grown up in the West will be the death of clannism, especially when they return en mass to the country. But on a wider point, I believe clannism is the end result of the loss of continental identity in Africa. People, in the 50s and 60s were proud to reference themselves as Africans and see other Africans as their brothers, then the rot of the 70s set in with nationalism and identifying with a country was strongly propagated by dictators across the continent. This has further broken down to what we see now in most of Africa (not just Somalia), where politics and governance is managed by tribal power and collusion. The Somalis from the West suffer from the same disease as the Somalis in Somalia. Don't pretend as if Tribalism doesn't exist in the United States or Canada. Also, many of the Somali teenagers in Europe/North America are indifferent to what goes on over there. They've lived their entire lives in the West, and they don't see themselves risking their lives just to visit Somalia. Also, Somalia--for all intents and purposes--does not have a real government. It's just a facade, and I'm very disappointed to be saying this. I would love for Somalia to be a prosperous nation in my lifetime, but I know that is extremely unlikely. However, we can start the wheels in motion, so that in 70 years Somalia can be a prosperous nation such as Japan or Germany.

What I'm saying could be an effective policy, would be to gather a mid-sized group of Somali men in the diaspora. (It doesn't need to be more than 100 men). They have to be men, as we all knowhow difficult it is for a woman in Somalia to be taken seriously. They would have to be scattered across Somalia, ranging from little villages to large cities. But these men have to have the same agenda, and it can be similar to the agenda espousedby the Somali Youth League (SYL) in the 1940's. And these men would have to undertake the long, arduous process of nation-building. They would have to gain the trust of the local Somalis by engaging in productive, honest behaviour. What I believe is a good strategy would be to target the young, and Somalia has an abundance of young boys/girls. 45 percent of the entire Somali population is under the age of 14. This is an immense pool of promising young Somalis. What we could do is start some sort of a Boy Scouts organization in Somalia. I understand that this sounds strange at first, but think of the enormous potential such an organization can have, especially in a country such as Somalia. The United States benefited immensely from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The BSA taught millions of young American boys the values of patriotism, hard-work, independence, honesty, respect, and tolerance. Some of these Boy Scouts went on to become military generals, Presidents, and prominent scientists. No one can doubt that the Boy Scouts have been proven to instill positive values in society. This organization in Somalia doesn't have to be called a Boy Scouts Organization, but it could be very similar to the one which exists in the United States. Different chapters can be opened up in various cities and towns, from Mogadishu to Beledweyne to Borama to Hobyo to Garowe etc. This would require significant funding (but the Somali diaspora is fully capable of funding such an endeavor). This Organization can start recruiting young boys from poor families. These boys can be between 4-10 years old. They can start feeding the boys, teaching the boys how to read while at the same time assisting the boy's family if they are in need. These young boys can be incorporated into this Boy Scouts organization, and then start the long process of instilling positive values into the children's mindsets. These boys can be taught things such as: 1. Hardwork 2. Respect for authority 3. Somali Patriotism 4. Respect for women's rights 5. Independence 6. Honesty This Boy Scouts organization would also have to gain their legitimacy by assisting the local community. They could dig wells, plant trees, build Masjids, care for the elderly, etc. Gradually, the local population would accept the presence of the Boy Scouts in the community, and grow to trust them. This newly elected Somali government is incapable of delivering even basic services to the people, so this new Boy Scouts organization would have to go places in Somalia where others might not want to go. Over the course of a decade or two, these young boys will grow into patriotic and honest Somali men, numbering in the thousands. The Boy Scouts would have a flood of applications from Somali families all hoping to send their young boys to such a fine institution. While delivering basic services to the people, the Boy Scouts would also gain political power while at the same time raise a new generation of capable and intelligent Somali men. These Somali men would be perfectly capable of being effective soldiers, teachers, engineers, doctors, politicians, and accountants. From a young age, they were taught these values, which would translate into a transformed society. This new generation of Somali men would see themselves as Somalis, rather then their tribes. They would respect their women, including their wives and be a positive force in the community.

Somali philosopher;881754 wrote: Best we can do is not pass the disease of tribalism to our children and instill in them the value of Somalinimo. We already know our generation is going to miss out on seeing the Somalia we all want so let's at least help our grandchildren achieve that dream of unified strong Somalia Well, there's no way that can be implemented nor organized. I have no control of how the average Somali man raises his children. And unfortunately, many of the Somali diaspora children who grow up in Europe/North America are tribalists themselves. There has to be an effective policy to counter this. Even Somaliland and Puntland are nothing more than facades. It is a lie, there is no real functioning civil administration and society is in turmoil in both those regions.

When I watch the news of what's going on in Somalia, I'm concerned by the conduct of Somalia's politicians, as they consistently put clan/personal interests ahead of national interest. For example, Ahmed Madoobe and his RasKamboni militia is allied with AMISOM, which is allied with Ahlu Sunnah Wa Jama'ah (ASWJ), which is allied with Ethiopia--to defeat Al Shabaab. All of these disparate groups have absolutely nothing in common, other than their common opposition to Al Shabaab. Some of the Islamist groups who oppose Al Shabaab share many common characteristics with them. Many of them commit human rights violations against civilians, leading to public anger. If RasKamboni were truly serious about bringing peace to Somalia, then why don't they start the process of integrating their forces into the Somali National Army? Why doesn't ASWJ do the same thing? Why is Faroole abusing the rights of Reer Khaatumo? Somalia is a nation filled with men of different agendas, who hardly trust one another and refuse to cooperate. There are already talks of Reer Bari attempting to "secede" from Puntland, Galmudug state is struggling to get off it's feet, and the creation of "Azania" State is being delayed by different clans opposing one another. Hiiraan state could be split into 2, just to appease a few clans. Different tuulos are now attempting to set up their own administrations, and being "autonomous". It's as if Somalia is headed on a trajectory where in a few years, our "nation" will be filled with autonomous clan states all opposing one another. Men like Siad Barre, Aidiid, and Sayid Hassan are heroes in one clan, but villains in another. It is scandalous for a Somali to marry someone of Maryan Mursal's clan, and most Somalis are more loyal to their clan then they are to Somalia. Somalia needs a comprehensive nation-building program. It needs to enlist the support and cooperation of the average Somali citizen, and put pressure on different clans to start cooperating with one another. Most of all, Somalis need to stop thinking of themselves as “H-Block” or “D-Block”...but instead see themselves as Somali. But this is the major problem: Many of the Somalis who profess to be anti-tribalist are in fact very tribalist and they take actions which harm the functioning of Somalia. Even many of the diaspora Somalis engage in this toxic tribal behavior in North America and Europe! The corruption exists in the minds of Somalis born in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. Obviously, mandating that parents teach their children values such as patriotism, hard-work, and cooperation would be impossible to carry out. There are just too many families and each child would be inclined to listen to his parents rather than the government. Somalia is not a nation yet, and we're not a mature society yet. We haven't let ourselves mature as a people, capable of forming a functional state. Most nations in the past were like this, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, they started the process of nation-building, forming into functional states. A classic example of this is Germany, which only existed since 1871 when the “Prussians” and “Bavarians” saw themselves as German instead of something else. I am confident that Somalia will be a functional, prosperous state with a high standard of living, but I'm also aware that this can never happen during my lifetime. However, we can start the process now so that my grandchildren and benefit from a better Somalia, inshallah. It's far easier to destroy then it is to create. Constructing a building can take years, but one explosion can tear the building down in a few seconds. Creating a state is far more difficult than destroying a state. Somalia has seen progress in the 1960's, only to have this progress reversed under Siad Barre. The civil war destroyed us even further. The election of Hassan Sheikh may/may not be a positive development, but the events which took place after the election shows us that Somalia still needs a lot of work. What do the people on SOL think is the best solution to this serious problem, as we can't honestly expect AMISOM to be around for very long. If you advocate a bottoms-up approach to this serious problem, how do you suggest it be carried out?? http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-0112-bc5a-788d/somali-flag-lng-life-mogadishu-somalia+1152_13000501101-tpfil02aw-27353.jpg

Khadafi;881276 wrote: I might even suggest that we are entering a new somali civil war phase in southern Somalia. The politicians that hastily agreed to to the federal system without considering the segmental clanism has is now full opportunists that have turned the clan agenda into land grabbing! Some segments of somalis are nomads with no defined clan boundaries, once we start to land grabbing by declaring clan.-based regional states who will be the mediator in making real clan-borders? The clans are even themselves are divided? which sub-clan will have greater rights? Their are many somali towns that host different clans? Yaa sheegan karo these towns?. The upcoming years will determine how Somalia will be! Well... I think a great way to overcome this is for the appointed politicians of any regional administration to pursue a policy which benefits all the Somali clans (such as pro-growth economic policies, education, jobs, healthcare etc.) This may not sound likely but maybe this strategy can bury the clan issue and eventually make it irrelevant

*Ibtisam;880331 wrote: Shaqolaan.com Porn or sex are not culture. So to answer your question nothing has happened to culture, It is still there and doing fine. You've just decided to find Somali porn and when you did you got pi*ssed off. I agree...There are Arab pornstars and White pornstars and Chinese pornstars etc. But if there's a SOMALI pornstar, it seems like our "dhaqan" has been lost. There are MILLIONS of Somalis, do you really think that a few wouldn't do such disgraceful things? Relax saaxib

sharma-arke451;879855 wrote: dragging saudia in the geopolitical happening between syria and turkey, is neither here nor there. Only a political orphan will link saudi government to ''terrorist'' funding. economic interest drives the political wheel of our universe today. War is an economic tool for off setting gov't budget deficits,,,,,,for those who know. turkey knows best its political interest, and the pm is an expert in the game. i don't think turkey will loose anything, may be a compromise for humanity sake,,,,, You have to be incredibly naive to believe that countries only act out of economic interests. Maybe you're unfamiliar with this, but people--and nations-- have something called "principles". People naturally want to make a country into their own image. That's why there is a proxy war in Syria between Saudi Arabia/NATO/Iran/Russia. Each nation (or nations) want to see a Aria which they can live with

90% of Saudi exports are OIL They have absolutely NO manufacturing base and no industry. They were blessed by Allah with all this oil wealth and have NOTHING to show for it. Not only are they corrupt but also incompetent If we manage to develop electric cars and electric powered airplanes, the price of oil will drop and this would hurt the corrupt administration of Saudi Arabia.

Apophis;879839 wrote: ^^ nothing to be done before the wells run dry but when that happens, man o man; you'll have all these rich hypocrites (most likely their descendent) doing the cleaning at your local cinemas, hospitals and streets. Hopefully we find a method to get rid of our oil addiction in the near future. There's no need to support a duplicitous and corrupt administration like Saudi Arabia.

Apophis;879826 wrote: ^^ They can't do that; this whole thing is financed by extremist central aka Saudi Arabia; they're trying to isolate Iran. Then we have a huge problem don't we. It seems like we're dealing with a duplicitous Saudi Arabia, where they hold the hands of George W Bush while at the same time they fund Islamic extremists. Something needs to be done http://freund.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/bush_saudi.jpg

My Uncle's house in Mogadishu was taken over, and he's long given up hope in ever reclaiming his house. He lives abroad and if he ever moves to Somalia, he would live in Boosaaso simply because he feels like he wouldn't feel safe nor welcome in Mogadishu. This new government had better change the way he feels. A major clean-up of Mogadishu is needed.

Those Islamic Extremists are my biggest worry with this conflict in Syria. They would want Syria to resemble Afghanistan or South-Central Somalia. Even if Assad steps down or is ousted; controlling these extremists is gonna be a huge problem. What Turkey COULD do is to arm like-minded rebels, either Seculars or Moderate Islamists and see if they can steer the conflict in their favor

^^As Turkey is right next to Syria, there is no way they're gonna take a neutral stance on this conflict. It's not like Turkey is a country like Canada, where Canada really doesn't give a damn what goes on in Syria because it's so far away. This Syrian war directly affects Turkey

Any conflict that involves Turkey also involves NATO. I doubt the Russians are gonna make a move against Turkey knowing that NATO would step in after that

Under Obama, the United States has been surprisingly indifferent to world affairs when comparing him to George W Bush. Under Obama, the US has set a timetable to withdraw from Afghanistan, ended the Iraq War, refused to participate in the Syrian Civil War, and chose to "lead from behind" during the Libyan Civil War. Obama, however expanded drone strikes, but that can't be compared to Bush's sending thousands of troops to foreign lands. And this foreign policy is far more favorable to me than Bush's unilaterism. I'm afraid if Romney comes into power, he might give in to the neo-con Republicans

Don't you think it's a little excessive to state that just because Godane hails from Somaliland, that this automatically means that Godane was a tool used by the Somaliland Government to destabilize southern Somalia in some sort of massive conspiracy? There are 3 million "Somalilanders"....Some good, some bad. Some are unionists, some are Federalists, and some are Secessionists. You can't honestly expect the Somaliland Government to control the actions of 3 million of their citizens. Al Shabaab was a threat to everyone in the Horn of Africa, including Somaliland

Bakara Market has the potential to be the most diverse and prosperous market in Africa. You can find almost anything there, and if the Government starts regulating and cleaning up the place, it would blow Eastleigh away

Apophis;878702 wrote: Maybe all the major cities should be owned and run by the federal government. This way none can claim an important city for themselves. Or maybe we should form 1 Federal State which invites all Somalis to live and work. Every Qabiil is welcome. I'm thinking we form this State in the Middle Shabelle or Galgaduud area This Federal State would definitely be the most vibrant and wealthy State in the Somali Union. This may set an example to Somalis of other regions, and then they would also invite Somalis of all clans to live and work. That's actually a pretty good idea

You do realize persuading Somalis to embrace "sharing all of Somalia" is going to take generations. It's not like Reer Hiiraan wants to share with Reer Nugaal or Reer Gedo. It's not gonna happen. Stop being unrealistic. However, we can get Somalis to share their capital city, and as peace and stability return to the country, Somalis would start to see themselves as One Nation, but this is gonna take decades.

It's okay....many Somalis don't seem to grasp the fact that you can't claim the National Capital for yourself and exclude every other clan. Only in Somalia can something outrageous like this be promoted. I don't see Americans demanding that the President be from the Washington D.C. area. Losers like these should be excluded from Somali political affairs. Just keep quiet and go to sleep

I still don't think he was the right man for the job. The President should've appointed someone more qualified than Shirdoon

It's just the 1st debate. George Bush lost the 1st debate against John Kerry in 2004, but he still won and was re-elected. Mitt Romney is an outright liar...He told outright lies during the debate and I'm surprised Obama never called him out on his lies. Either way, Obama's gonna be re-elected. Romney doesn't stand a chance

Naxar Nugaaleed;878442 wrote: The pm is not that tall and the solder is standing on the last step on the platform. FYI, this elaborate ceremony to send of and receive gov officials needs to end, it's pointless lol Bro, you really need to change your Avatar. It gets kinda confusing