Stoic- that is great to hear- living in Somaliland means I dont always get to read whatever I want or get leisure time to read! I did my undergrad thesis on American Foreign Policy impact on Palestine & Israel so I got very intimate and personal with the scholars of that time- great sadness at their loss. Just the other day I was re-watching on youtube Edward last interview- I think it was his 11th anniversary- youtube recommended it. Good times

Your most welcome. I think the guilt of being the "one that got away" is the hardest burden to deal with! and the resentment felt by those who got left behind fuels their sense of entitlement. A nasty cycle.

Safferz- you are not too far to pop along from years to year I can't imagine I would ever venture out that faaaaaaar- although I'd love to be in that environment! I wonder what happened to Edward daughter Nelia I think she was called? or even his son- the Palestinian course is almost but forgot with all the problems in the Middle East! Found lots of talks by Leila on Youtube- lets hope my internet stays!

Do Muslim Women Need Saving? The Western crusade to rescue Muslim women has reduced them to a simpl Somaliland floods means I can catch up with my reading! I am not too familiar with Lila Abu-Lughod but I was a big fan of her father Ibrahim Abu-Lughod may he rest in peace: Her writing on this issue has been compared to Edward Said work!! It would be nice to have the era of educated Arab intellectuals who provided an alternative view- particularly on Middle East discourse; I miss Edward Said, Ibrahim Abu-Lughod, Ibqbal (although technically he was Pakistani). Anyway enjoy reading. ------ A moral crusade to rescue oppressed Muslim women from their cultures and their religion has swept the public sphere, dissolving distinctions between conservatives and liberals, sexists and feminists. The crusade has justified all manner of intervention from the legal to the military, the humanitarian to the sartorial. But it has also reduced Muslim women to a stereotyped singularity, plastering a handy cultural icon over much more complicated historical and political dynamics. As an anthropologist who has spent decades doing research on and with women in different communities in the Middle East, I have found myself increasingly troubled by our obsession with Muslim women. Ever since 2001, when defending the rights of Muslim women was offered as a rationale for military intervention in Afghanistan, I have been trying to reconcile what I know from experience about individual women’s lives, and what I know as a student of the history of women and of feminism in different parts of the Muslim world, with the stock images of Muslim women that bombard us here in the West. Over the past decade, from the girls and women like Nujood Ali, whose best-selling memoir I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced was co-written, like so many of the others, by a Western journalist, to Malala Yousafzai, they have been portrayed as victims of the veil, forced marriage, honor crimes or violent abuse. They are presented as having a deficit of rights because of Islam. But they don’t always behave the way we expect them to, nor should they. (MORE: Forbidden to Drive: A Saudi Woman on Life Inside the Kingdom) Take the veil, for example. We were surprised when many women in Afghanistan didn’t take them off after being “liberated,” seeing as they had become such symbols of oppression in the West. But we were confusing veiling with a lack of agency. What most of us didn’t know is that 30 years ago the anthropologist Hanna Papanek described the burqa as “portable seclusion” and noted that many women saw it as a liberating invention because it enabled them to move out of segregated living spaces while still observing the requirements of separating and protecting women from unrelated men. People all over the globe, including Americans, wear the appropriate form of dress for their socially shared standards, religious beliefs and moral ideals. If we think that U.S. women live in a world of choice regarding clothing, we need to look no further than our own codes of dress and the often constricting tyrannies of fashion. As for Malala, she was subjected to horrible violence by the Taliban, but education for girls and Islam are not at odds, as was suggested when atheist Sam Harris praised Malala for standing up to the “misogyny of traditional Islam.” Across the Muslim world girls have even been going to state schools for generations. In Pakistan, poverty and political instability undermine girls’ schooling, but also that of boys. Yet in urban areas, girls finish high school at rates close to those of young men, and they are only fractionally less likely to pursue higher education. In many Arab countries, and in Iran, more women are in university than men. In Egypt, women make up a bigger percentage of engineering and medical faculties than women do in the U.S. A language of rights cannot really capture the complications of lives actually lived. If we were to consider the quandaries of a young woman in rural Egypt as she tries to make choices about who to marry or how she will make a good life for her children in trying circumstances, perhaps we would realize that we all work within constraints. It does not do justice to anyone to view her life only in terms of rights or that loaded term, freedom. These are not the terms in which we understand our own lives, born into families we did not choose, finding our way into what might fulfill us in life, constrained by failing economies, subject to the consumer capitalism, and making moral mistakes we must live with. (MORE: Brides Before Bombs: Nigerian City Fights Terrorism With Mass Weddings) There is no doubt that Western notions of human rights can be credited for the hope for a better world for all women. But I suspect that the deep moral conviction people feel about the rightness of saving the women of that timeless homogeneous mythical place called Islamland is fed by something else that cannot be separated from our current geopolitical relations. Blinded to the diversity of Muslim women’s lives, we tend to see our own situation too comfortably. Representing Muslim women as abused makes us forget the violence and oppression in our own midst. Our stereotyping of Muslim women also distracts us from the thornier problem that our own policies and actions in the world help create the (sometimes harsh) conditions in which distant others live. Ultimately, saving Muslim women allows us to ignore the complex entanglements in which we are all implicated and creates a polarization that places feminism only on the side of the West. Read more: Lila Abu-Lughod: Do Muslim Women Need Saving? | TIME.com http://ideas.time.com/2013/11/01/do-...#ixzz2kS7Oc4iz

I am not sure who is behind these illustrations but my heart-ached as I read through these- Not only does it only speaks volume about Somali experiences, but also depicts the reality many Somalis have been through and still going through everywhere. To battle general life issues, carry all the scars and emotional baggage of troubles and conflicts, yet burden by immigrant tag while they try to get a leg up in life and restart. I find all the stories so so incredibly sad! but Saafi story www.opensocietyfoundations.org/multimedia/meet-the-somalis#saafi Probably not healthy to read them all in one go "Meet the Somalis is a collection of 14 illustrated stories depicting the real life experiences of Somalis in seven cities in Europe: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Leicester, London, Malmo, and Oslo. The stories allow readers a unique insight into what everyday life is like as a Somali in Europe. Meet the Somalis is based on the firsthand testimonies of Somalis in Europe interviewed during six months in 2013. The Somali community in Europe is a vibrant, diverse minority group, including people of Somali origin born in Europe, Somali refugees and asylum seekers, and Somalis who have migrated from one country in Europe to another. There are no accurate figures for the number of Somalis in Europe, but on the whole they are among one of the largest minority groups. The illustrated stories focus on challenges faced by Somalis in their respective cities in Europe and issues raised in the Somalis in European Cities research, including education, housing, the media, employment, political participation, and identity. Meet the Somalis depict experiences many of us will never know, like fleeing a warzone with your children or, worse, leaving your loved ones behind. But more often, these stories portray the values shared amongst many of us, like the importance of family, well-being, and identity in an ever-changing world. Stay tuned: Meet the Somalis will be translated into Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Somali."

I am glad this is sorted; Somaliland had no problem with students accessing anything whether it be educational or scholarships under the banner of Somalia. However the current Somalia government has been waging a war on Somaliland students- I am not really sure why- I am glad the Egypt problem is solved- Now Ethiopia (this is more terrorist related) and Sudan are problem that need solving. I don know what Somalia wanted to gain by obstructing students, and if they make it difficult, then Somaliland will be forced to seek for other states to accept the Somaliland passport and even issue different quotas for scholarships. Although on second thoughts, Somaliland probably needs a little hostile push over the edge and having their passports accepted might be a boost in their quest- particularly now that the UK are upgrading their passports to International standard.

Ka dara oo diib dhal :D lol

Based on Somali life expectancy- he is probably dead. Good luckto Saeed Al-Somaal

Wow!! Lol How amazingly insulting. Only thing left is for him to run and WIN- :eek: mad world. Although to be honest, warlords, murders, mass corruption all run and win presidency posts- so a little mayor who is an addict is not so high on the moral outrage scale I guess.

***^^^I know that, but the MOCAT is here- so if it is Kenyan Airways, it is only logical he meets them. Sa'ad is going to burn out- SDF is already big and complex, not to mention all the committees he heads. He is an asset to Somaliland people, and by extension the government.

Why is the ministry of planning welcoming and meeting with them instead of Muhanad? Sa'ad Shire naftii baa ka baxadey- ciid walba isaga aya loogu yeedhi!

lol lol hahaha qarxis.com iska dheh! Safferz caadi matiihiid- that was a legendary first account! lol

In all the songs they sing about women with horse hair and hairy arms! When ever someone asks me what Somali men find attractive I have an image of a girl with a long neck, small waist, horse hair and hairy arms (xaad).

According to this quiz I am Ambivert but considering I actually have a severe dislike for interactions with other people I've always though of myself as an introvert. It is not that I can't do it, I can and I do, I just find it boring and draining. If it was not for work, I wouldnt see or talk to other people outside of immediate family and friends. lol Haha

Salaax out of 21288 criminal acts in 2013 only 3 cases were terrorist related (involving 21 people)- Classified history is based on memory- therefore by default it is always somewhat distorted- however the ones you need to worry about are those who purposefully distort it. I very much doubt you had a nanny- unless you mean your relative who looked after you from time to time. In any case, I hate kids, so definitely not me. And yes utilize your pen and paper ayeeyo- my first wisdom waan kuu sheegey- write it down.

Classified- anigu I dont think old age is an insult- markaas waxaba 1970s iyo mid 30s cay ha moodiin. Although your maths is a little rusty, you are probably not too far off. Well since you insist, we will agree you was playing with your kaadii in the 1990s- no wonder you think history started with Sayid ayeeyo.

Also it would be scary if it was their 20th Police Force!!!

Originally Posted by Mintid Farayar Ibtisam, What you don't understand is that 'for some people, their family history started with M. Siyad Barre!' Lol, have you noticed that too. Cajib! Classified;984242 wrote: Lol, have you noticed that too. Cajib! Sorry must have missed THAT particular Memo!!! Okay, as you were then.

Is that what you thought? Oh, I am sorry kiddo- it is not my role to convince you or educate you- I am a nontraditional Ayeeyo but of course in this age of connectivity and internet it is already on a platter for you if you seek it. Now stop being xasiid and say congratulations to the Police Force- haadii kale maxaa kaga shan iyo tooban aha their uniform iyo afaraha? :confused:

Horta- why do people thinking that if they add "lol" at the end of the sentence it makes it funny or less... well silly! lol Police uniforms are generically similarly globally and mostly designed to suit regional weather conditions- there is nothign unique about them. How often do you see purple, yellow or pink uniforms. P.s.s. Also the uniform existed before Siad Barre- I have seen pictures before his little dictatorship. lets not pretend Somali history started with him. Will cusb: Thanks for posting them

Che- I dont like preachers- all of them- even those who have the same views as me, let alone ones I disagree with. In any case I think our people need constructive and basic Islamic education- not propaganda material. I said the same thing about the Egyptian Library opening in Hargeisa- they have stocked it only with books in Arabic for starts, and then the books are all about Egypt and how great Egyptians are- how does this benefit us as Somalis? I would not even mine if it was Arabic perception of the world, early sciences or something a little wider than just Egyptian civilization. I understand why they want to open it, but I dont understand Somaliiad ka dabo ordeysa and advocating for them maxaa uga shan iyo tooban aha? I asked their Somali counter part and his response was Egypt was so great that everyone should read about it- yes as leisure but how can you argue that it is a Somali natural priority to read about Egypt.

Some images from today's Somaliland Police Force 20th Anniversary. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJViV4CUAAeHE0.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJU_0rCAAAIYSJ.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJUt8XIAAAT1_z.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJUY24CUAAJyhD.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJEuVLIEAAMBph.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYJVVmlCAAApl42.jpg:large Can't get the picture to show but you can follow the link.

This should worry Somali people. Last time I saw a delegation from Iran in Somaliland they were looking for a translating team to translate religious books into Somali- the books were basically propaganda for their history and religion- 100s of books. I know some greedy people who will take that contract despite the impact and confusion it can cause Somali people. We should have a problem with any group whose soul intention is to influence people's believe- even those sunni Muslim from Qatar or anywhere else. Wiix diin loo bahayanhey we can pick and choose what to translate or teach- laakin some group dumping an ideology or 100s of books, should be a no no.

There are no less than 3 vocational and technical education schools in Hargeisa, and then one in each of the four main cities-

^^^^ Loool Sii dhacad aha baan uu qosley. Actually they requested an invite- and it was extended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mayor- there is a large Somaliland population in Finland and they have started many developmental projects in Somaliland. Also the MP/councilor for Turku is Somaliland national Roda Hassan- and she is always bringing Finnish politicians to Somaliland- this would be her 3rd visit to the country this year. Today they are swimming in Berbera and checking out the port.