Do we have an example in this leader? The Fox News TV (US) asked the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; ” When you look into the mirror in the morning what do you say to yourself”? He answered: I see the person in the mirror and tells him ” Remember, you are no more than a small servant, ahead of you today is the heavy responsibility, and that is to serve the Iranian nation”. And this was how the broadcaster introduced him. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President who astonished many when he first reached to the office of the Presidency by donating all the high valued Iranian carpets to one of the mosques in Tehran by replacing them with the low cost ordinary carpets. He observed that there was a huge extravagant langue for receiving and welcoming the VIPs and he ordered it to be closed and asked the protocol office to arrange for an ordinary room instead with the wooden chairs, though more impressive in fact! On many instances he joins the cleaning staff of the municipality for cleaning the streets in the area where his home and the Presidency office locates. Under his authority whenever he appoints any minister to his post he gets a signed document from him with many points, particularly highlighting that he shall remain poor and that his personal and his relatives accounts will be watched and the day he leaves the ministry shall be with dignity, and therefore it is not lawful for him or his relatives to take any advantage of his office. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born on October 28, 1956. He is the 6th and current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on 6 August 2005 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Ahmadinejad’s current term will end in August, 2009, but he will be eligible to run for one more term in office in 2009 presidential elections. Before becoming president, he was the Mayor of Tehran. First of all he declared himself all the “Big” wealth and property he owned was a Peugeot 504 car, model 1977, an old small house inherited from his father forty years ago in one of the poorest zones in Tehran. His accounts with a zero balance and the only money comes in to his a/c was from his salary from the university as a lecturer with an amount of US $250 only. For your information the President still lives in that same house. This is all what he owns; the president of one of the world’s important countries; strategically, economically, politically and with regard to its oil and defense. He even doesn’t take his personal salary with the argument that all the wealth belongs to the nation and he is the safeguard over it. One of the things that impressed the staff at the presidency is the bag the president brings with him every day, which contains his breakfast; some sandwiches or bread with olive oil and cheese prepared by his wife and eats and enjoys it with all happiness, While he stopped all the deliveries of the special food used to come for the president. One of the other things he changed was his personal carrier “The President’s Aircraft” to a cargo aircraft in order to save the spending from the public treasury and he ordered that he will be flying with the ordinary airline in the economic class. He organizes meetings every now and then with all the ministers to know their activities and efficiency and he closed down the office of the manager of the president and any minister can enter to his office without any permission. He also stopped the welcome ceremonies like the red carpet, the photo session or any personal advertisement or respect of any kind while visiting any place in the country. Whenever he has to stay in any of the hotels he asks them to make sure not to give him a room with any big bed because he doesn’t like to sleep on beds but rather likes to sleep on the ground on a simple mattress with a blanket. Does any of such manners and practices shows any disrespect for the high post of the president? The Iranian president is sleeping in the guest room of his house after getting away from his special guards who follow him wherever he goes and photo is taken by his small brother according to the Wifaq Newspaper which published this photo and the next day the photo was published in most of the world’s newspapers and magazines and particularly the Americans. Blog

Ciidamo Itoobiyaan ah oo Nin rayid ah ku dilay, Tiro kale oo Dad ahna ka kaxeystay Xaafadda Towfiiq Axad, Siteember 30, 2007 - Ciidamo Itoobiyaan ah oo fariisin ku leh garoonka Kubadda Cagta Muqdisho Stadium ayaa waxay dil u geysteen Nin Rayid ah oo ku sugnaa Xaafadda Towfiiq ee Degmada Yaaqshiid, iyagoo sidoo kalena halkaas ka kaxeystay Dad 20 Ruux ku dhawaa. Ciidamada Itoobiyaanka ayaa ninka rayidka ah dilay kadib markii Ciidamadaas oo marayay Xaafadda Towfiiq lagu tuuray waxyaabo qarxa, iyadoo kadibna ay ceyrsadeen Ninka ay dileen oo sida la sheegay ka cararay Qaraxa dhacay, kaasi oo ay ku dhex dileen guri uu galay. Falis Maxamed Cali oo ehello la ah ninka la dilay ayaa sheegtay in markii qaraxa dhacay kadib uu guriga u soo galay marxuumka oo ay ceyrsanayeen Ciidamo Itoobiyaan ah kuwaasi oo marxuumka ku dilay sariir uu hoos galay. Ciidamada Itoobiyaanka ayaa sidoo kale waxay dad tiradooda ku dhowdahay 20 ruux saaka ka kaxeysteen Xaafadda Towfiiq, gaar ahaan halkii ay qaraxa loogu geystay, ilaa iyo haatanna lama oga meeshii ay dadkaas la aadeen, iyadoo ay jiraan warar sheegaya in dadkaas lagu hayo gudaha Garoonka Kubadda Muqdisho Stadium. Ugu dambeyntiina, Ciidamada Itoobiyaanka ah ee ku sugan Magaalada Muqdisho ayaa mar kasta oo weerar lagu qaado ama qaraxyo lala beegsado waxay si naxariis la’aan ah ula dhaqmaan dadka degan xaafadaha lagu weeraro, iyagoo aan dadka u kala soocin Dad dembi leh iyo kuwo aan xitaa dembiyo laga maleysan karin oo biri-ma-geydo ah. Xigasho

Dagaalkaan aan loo baahneena oo aan dhamaadka lahayn aad ayaan ugu xumahay soo noq noqshadiis. Dhiig Soomaaliyeed ku daadanaayo. Hanti Soomaaliyeed ku baaba'eyso. Wax uu faa'ido u leeyahay ummadda Soomaaliyeed iyo dalka Soomaaliyeed haba yaraatee ma jirto.

Originally posted by Tahliil: quote:Originally posted by Fahiye: but ******* troops with SNM will pay sooner than later man. Moderators were in a high gear, crackin down pple misusing the forum left and right in the past few months...I have no idea how u will get away with this deliberate reference to Qabiil names...am rooting for u by the way We are not here 24/7 on this forum. Some offensive posts can stay a few hours unnoticed. It would have been better if you reported that post to us as well since it helps.

Abaaba Butus Baanjar la bax aan ku dhahay, iska dhaaf waxaanee. Mise Taltaliini. Ciyaal jaaba jaabiyaashaan iyo kuni kunigaan xee ka yaqaanaan waxaas?

Hooyada should not politicize her son's plight. Plus unnecessary accusations against other Muslims would not help her either. The media will only use it as a shot against Muslim community. Eebba ha u gar gaaro, wiilkeeda nabad qabana usoo celiyo, hadduu noolyahay.

You are going to vote the very party of Mike Harris, the one who probably created his ideology itself, because of single issue? Do you have some siblings going to private schools? Most of us have or had nieces or nephews going to Islamic schools. But voting one that far-right, anti-immigrant for a single issue only -- that borders ridiculousness. Where do you honestly think John Tory will take the revenues from to enlarge private schools into public-like? Of course, it will drain from the healthcare, public school and other socially-funded programs. John Tory is a millionaire, a spoon-fed rich man since he was born, from a wealthy family. He cares less about the plight of public schools since probably his children [if he has any] attend or attended private, poshy schools. Max'ed Qaasin, the Soomaali Tory candidate, should have lobbied the NDP party to nominate him in Etobicoke North riding, which he might have had a chance to make a historical MP for Soomaaalis, instead of taking that opportunity of being Conservative candidate. Not many Soomaalis are going to vote a party of Mike Harris. That man wrecked the province of Ontario from late '90s to early '00s. Ontario has yet to recover to what he did to it.

Tuujka, duqa, iga dhaaf Carabtaan iyo hinaasigooda ee iiga waran Galbeedka. Meeshaas badar badan aa lagu sheegay, oo many friends moved to, ee inaa anigana soo taab taabto waaye yaaqeey. Laakiin qaboowgaas aan ka cabsanoyaa. Aniga koolba'aariyo.org aan ka cararoyaa maadama meeshaas qaboowga ka jiro yahay kii qalalnaa oo waliba jirkaaga dhagax gaduudan ka dhigaaye. Meel bilooyin lagu noolan karo miyaa, koley sanadooyin ma rabee?

It is two full weeks now that idaacadda Shabeelle being off air. If these Xabashi stooges can shut Shabeelle, then imagine if they had the power, the puppets would even try to shut SOL! That is what is at stake: The complete freedom of information. They are taking tricks from their Xabashi master of abusing warbaahinta, after they abused, murdered, committed genocide against shacabka iyo masaakiinta. I am glad and am comforted by a fact that they will never last. Let the Xabashi traitors and stooges enjoy for now of abusing masaakiinta with the perceived Xabashi power.

Caanogeel, exactly, brother. That crap piece is far from journalism. I wanted to email to that site, then I realized that paper's editors do not even know what slander and libel are, let alone publishing a sheer xenophobic article. It is too erroneous piece too, doted with little facts misrepresented, including a complete misunderstanding or, worse, distortion of xawilaadda system by the reporter and the few he interviewed. "Money laundering" kulahaa. What the ... It seems they cannot believe those "poor, slum-dwelling refugees, immigrants" are doing well and much better than the average citizens of their country. Even google could have answered his basic questions. Heck, I bet the reporter did not even hear one of the largest suuqs in East Africa -- Islii district of Nairobi. I even bet he never heard the true industriuos spirit of Soomaalida when it comes to business and enterprising.

One more reason you married sisters out there should appreciate nimankiina inay yihiin jaamacyaal. Otherwise, tan camal ayaa idinku dhici lahayd. No watching of Conan O'Brien or Jay Leno. Waxaas ayaa maseer la dhahaa inta kale been.

Wife divorced for watching male TV host RIYADH: A Saudi man divorced his wife for watching alone a television programme presented by a male, an act he deemed immoral, the Al Shams newspaper reported on Saturday. The man, whom the paper did not identify, ended his marriage on the grounds his wife was effectively alone with an unrelated man, which is forbidden under the strict Islamic law enforced in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the paper said. Men in Saudi Arabia have the authority to divorce their wives without resort to the courts. Xigasho

Waraa butus baanjar, tan adoo Rabigaaga balaq kaa dhigay xee "bajaqa" kugu wacoysaa? Iska dhici nooh. Hal sabaaxad sii yaaqeey. Intee kor ku maqantahayna sabaaxada sida Jeekeey Jaan camal shaafto usii diyaari, haku taraaraxdee. Bishimahaas ee taagoyso mar dambe makuu taagi lahayn runtii. Butus Baanjar.

Yes, SOL waxaa ka geeriyooday walaalkeen Maxamed Ismaaciil, who did in fact pass away just a few short days after meeting many SOLers at a gathering in London. I was at that dinner night as well. That was really shocking. There was that healthy, out-going, funny, down-to-earth person that you just met a few nights ago and suddenly hearing his sudden geeri a few days later. His brother is a known SOLer as well. Eebba ha u naxariisto walaalkeen Max'ed Ismaaciil -- aamiin, aamiin.

Originally posted by Khayr: I heard that at Columbia, he made a comment to the effect that the Holocost did happen but what does that have to do with the Palestenian people??? (in reference to Palestenians paying for the suffering of the jews by having their home invaded!) If anyone can post that quote, it would be appreciated. "MR. COATSWORTH: A further set of questions challenge your view of the Holocaust. Since the evidence that this occurred in Europe in the 1940s as a result of the actions of the German Nazi government, since that -- those facts are well-documented, why are you calling for additional research? There seems to be no purpose in doing so, other than to question whether the Holocaust actually occurred as an historical fact. Can you explain why you believe more research is needed into the facts of what are -- what is incontrovertible? PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: Thank you very much for your question. I am an academic, and you are as well. Can you argue that researching a phenomenon is finished forever, done? Can we close the books for good on a historical event? There are different perspectives that come to light after every research is done. Why should we stop research at all? Why should we stop the progress of science and knowledge? You shouldn't ask me why I'm asking questions. You should ask yourselves why you think that it's questionable. Why do you want to stop the progress of science and research? Do you ever take what's known as absolute in physics? We had principles in mathematics that were granted to be absolute in mathematics for over 800 years, but new science has gotten rid of those absolutism, gotten -- forward other different logics of looking at mathematics, and sort of turned the way we look at it as a science altogether after 800 years. So we must allow researchers, scholars to investigate into everything, every phenomenon -- God, universe, human beings, history, and civilization. Why should we stop that? I'm not saying that it didn't happen at all. This is not (the ?) judgment that I'm passing here. I said in my second question, granted this happened, what does it have to do with the Palestinian people? This is a serious question. They're two dimension. In the first question, I --" Full speech and questions and answers.

This might also interest you. I am sure you've already read it.

Soomaalida, as historically being an oral community, badanaa waaka dhumeyn taariiqdooda, siiba kuwii pre-Islaamka ahaa. Kuwa dhif ayaa kasoo jeedo ama ka haray. Still kuwaan, the few historical deities haray, some do not like it since it basically wipes out to the dust the bogus and mythical, unsubstantiated childhood stories they believe. The few following names, which I believe you already know dated pre-Islaam: Wacad [basically can be defined as an oath, like "wacad aan ku maray" or wacdale, which the latter is equivalent 'walaahi'] Waaq [a pre-Islaam deity] Wad ["Lord of Death(?)" Or "Angel of Death(?)" The basic definition is death, e.g. wadkaaga baa soo galay. Also the word 'wadaad' has its root to this word.] Eebba [We share this with many Semitic and Cushitic groups. It is the equivalent of being Rabi. There are more that aanan xasuusan now. I will be the first to buy your book, Daa'uud. Keep the good work up, walaaloow. NB - Completely unrelated, laakiin do you know the word "biyo" that we share with Greeks? Yea, same meaning of being water. The Greek word, of course, is "bio," [or bios] which, in Greek's sense, also means life since there is no life as we know without water. Thus the many Greek terms in English based on this word: Biology, biography ...

Kuusha, you might need the lawyer mentioned the following article one day. NB - Ileen you are one of those who are anti-Soomaali when it comes Soomaalis being professional. I have a friend whose car once ka halaaway and I asked him why don't you take it to Soomaali makaanik. He laughed. His laughing gave me the answer. -------------- A game of khat and mouse Stewart Bell National Post September 29, 2007 TORONTO - The shop was empty. The shelves behind the glass display counter were bare, no one was playing at the pool table. But the storekeeper, a woman in traditional Somali dress, was remarkably busy for someone who looked to have nothing for sale. One after another, customers entered her tiny corner store and left carrying small plastic bags containing foot-long plant stems sprouting dark green leaves. Another shipment of "khat" had arrived. Khat is a shrub that grows only in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and it has suddenly joined the ranks of Canada's most problematic illicit drugs. Seventeen tonnes were seized last year in crackdowns in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. Police now seize more khat than cocaine, heroin, opium, crack, meth and Ecstasy combined. That's partly because it's a bulky drug. Still, there were almost 900 seizures in 2006. A National Post investigation has found that, despite a crackdown at the border and police probes of the major smuggling rings, shipments are still arriving regularly at Canadian distribution points such as restaurants and coffee shops, where it is sold from backroom counters. The Post found khat being openly bought, sold and consumed in Toronto. Khat is also the topic of an emerging debate in Canada, one that touches on thorny issues, from the rights of immigrants to the limits of multiculturalism and the influence of Islamist extremists. "It'll never be stopped," said a young Somali shopping for khat at an Etobicoke strip mall, who gave his name as Mohamed but like the others did not want to give his full name for fear of arrest. "People are coming up with new ideas to bring it in every day. It's going to be the same as Prohibition times. "It's the best business to get into." The reason it is such a good business is that there is a steady market in Canada, mostly in Somali neighbourhoods such as the Dixon Road area of Etobicoke. In Somalia, chewing khat is a daily ritual that dates back hundreds of years. Men gather in the baking afternoons to sit, chew and talk. Khat sessions can last all night. "It makes you relaxed and more hyperactive, but you don't lose your head like alcohol," one chewer said, in the alley outside a restaurant that sells khat at a back-room counter. "It's like having three coffees, so you are awake all day." When civil war erupted in the late 1980s, and Somali refugees scattered around the world, khat followed them. Canada responded by banning the plant, formally known as catha edulis, under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act. "It is an offence to possess, to traffic, to import," said Inspector Lise Crouch, officer in charge of the RCMP's Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service. "It's an illegal drug." But Canada's khat law is a sore point within the Canadian Somali community, which numbers about 150,000, one of the largest in the world. Khat users complain it has criminalized part of their culture and that it was a result of lobbying by Saudi-educated imams who want to impose their austere codes of conduct on the entire community. "Khat is part of Somali life," said Toronto lawyer Mohamed Doli. "It is entrenched in the Somali communities. It is the way people come together and express themselves, just like you calling a friend and saying, 'Can you join me for a drink today?' " Mr. Doli's law office on Lawrence Avenue West is only a few blocks from the strip mall where khat is sold at three secret counters. An ethnic Somali, he represents clients who have been charged with khat smuggling and possession. The anti-khat law has not stopped Somalis from chewing, only pushed the industry underground, he said. The price also jumped when it was outlawed, from $15 to $20 a bundle to $60 to $80. "It is coming in at the same rate as it used to, it's only that it's more expensive. So in terms of preventing khat from reaching Canada, we are not successful. But we are successful to enrich those who bring it in the black market." Moreover, Mr. Doli said he believes the law is unconstitutional. "Every community in Canada has something that is special to their culture," he said. "Khat is specific to the Somali and Yemeni communities. So when khat is criminalized, in essence you have criminalized the culture of these communities. "Any law that affects specifically a group of people to the exclusion of other Canadians is a direct violation of the Charter," he said. The law was only enacted because of pressure by radical Muslim clerics, he said, echoing a view held by many Somali-Canadians. "What's most painful is, the whole thing is born from a very myopic-thinking people who just see the whole world in a very narrow slant." Mr. Doli is not the only one who thinks the law violates the Charter of Rights. Ed Morgan, who teaches law at the University of Toronto, thinks it should be struck down. "In Somalia, khat is not like drugs in Western culture," said Mr. Morgan, former president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. "It's a very open part of the culture." Mr. Morgan has already filed a constitutional challenge on behalf of one of Mr. Doli's clients, but it died when the Crown stayed the charges. The basis of the challenge: the law unfairly targets Somalis and is unjustified, since there is insufficient proof khat is harmful. As many Canadian chewers are quick to point out, khat is not illegal in Britain. As a result, a bundle of khat that costs $80 in Toronto sells for about $5 in London. Some Canadian Somalis travel to London to bring back khat, or simply for khat holidays. "People fly to U.K. now to chew and come back," one Toronto khat dealer said. "It's cheaper that way." Khat must be consumed fresh, so it usually arrives in Canada aboard commercial airlines. Smugglers bundle it in moistened newspapers or banana leaves and stuff it in suitcases and parcels. Most of the khat that reaches Canada comes via the United Kingdom, but it also arrives from the Netherlands and elsewhere. As customs officers have cracked down, the smugglers have adapted. Importers will now send non-Somalis on free holidays to London, the catch being they must bring back a suitcase full of khat. One load of khat was found hidden in a shipment of fresh cut flowers. "We have a lot of experience with black market," one chewer said. "We come from Africa. Everything is black market." Few issues divide Somali-Canadians like khat. Depending on whom you ask, it is either a harmless pastime comparable to drinking coffee or eating peanuts, or a menace that makes those who chew it lazy and broke. At the Country Style coffee shop on Dixon Road, in the heart of Toronto's Little Mogadishu, heated arguments broke out when a reporter asked about khat. Hussein Duale, 70, said he had chewed khat all his life without consequence. "It makes you awake and happy," he said. "I never had a problem chewing the khat." As for the Canadian law banning khat, "That is totally wrong. The only time you have problems chewing khat is if you over chew, like everything else." But Gaal Yacqub said it causes economic and family hardships. "If you drink alcohol, you can work tomorrow. If you chew khat, you can't work. You can drive today, but you can't work." Mohamud Abdi said husbands and wives are always fighting over khat, mostly because of the cost to families that can ill afford to spend $80 three times a week. "Most people in the Somali community, they don't like khat," he said. It causes "health problems, financial problems and the person, he can't work. He like to sleep 24 hours." Some Muslim clerics have declared khat haraam, or forbidden by Islamic law. Aden Esse, a Somali community leader who helped found the Khalid mosque in Etobicoke, said khat is not specifically mentioned in the Koran, but it is prohibited because of the damage it causes families, health and wealth. "There are a number of ways that it is haraam," he said. At a strip mall near Lawrence Avenue West and Weston Road, there was anticipation. It had been days since the last shipment of khat and the men were getting anxious. They cruised the parking lot in their cars, looking for the dealers. In an alley behind a restaurant, men sat at tables playing cards. Dried twigs littered the ground -- the refuse of the last shipment. Those too desperate to wait resorted to chewing graba, dried khat leaves that are considered a poor substitute for the fresh stuff, but that will do in a pinch. A few days later, a shipment arrived via the Netherlands. It was a variety of khat known as mira, named after the region in Kenya where it grows. (Ethiopian khat is called herere.) An elderly man took his bag behind the restaurant, sat down and began to chew. He said khat helps his diabetes. "It makes me feel happy and I have pressure before I chew but now the pressure is going down. I feel relief." An SUV pulled up and someone said the men inside were dealers, but they denied it. The driver said he was already facing criminal charges after police searched his car last winter and found khat. He said he was released on the condition that he not use a cellphone or be around khat. But when the Post talked to him he had a cellphone in his hand and a bundle of khat in his front seat. Like many Somalis, he wants the Canadian government to stop what he considers the futile fight to ban khat. "It should be legalized," he said. "Why not?" A man emerged from the back door of a coffee shop and opened his plastic bag, showing the half-bundle of khat he had just purchased for $40. Asked how much he had earned at work that day, he looked embarrassed. "Seventy-two dollars," he said.

Kisenyi: a haven for Somali tranquility or scams? Patrick Jaramogi New Vision MANY people perceive Kisenyi, a shanty neighbourhood in Kampala city to be nothing more than a haven for thugs, pick-pockets and those who snatch people’s bags and phones. As such, it is a place to be a dreaded or so we believe. But this, admittedly one of the filthiest and supposedly the largest crime-ridden slums in Kampala, located just a stone’s throw away from the central business district is a paradise to the Somali refugees who call it home. An estimated 10,000 Somali refugees and nationals inhabit the wooden shacks and shanty residential blocks strewn across the maze of dusty streets and pot-hole ridden roads in Kisenyi. To these Somali nationals, who are no ordinary refugees, the slum is a welcome home way from home. “Somaliland”, so they call it. It is common to see groups of between three to five Somalis seated and standing together, a sign they say depicts solidarity, togetherness and unity. As the wind blows through the dusty streets and the noise from the banging of steel fills the air, sending chills in the brain, a cross section of the refugees are busy smoking cigarettes and chewing miraa (a local drug). Since the early 1970s, the Somalis have left behind a trail of influence in this filthy slum, leaving many Ugandans who could not adopt to their culture, no option, but to abandon the area. “We tried to adapt to the culture of Uganda but found it rather hard. So we had to devise means to continue with our usual Somali life,” says Mahmud Hassan, a hotel proprietor in Kiganda zone Kisenyi. The refugees lead a typical Somali life; they have huge families, some with more than three wives but all living in harmony under one roof. Prayer is conducted faithfully at the nearby Tawhid mosque. Most families have between five to eight children. It is common to find camel meat and milk on sale in Kisenyi. It is a delicacy for the Somali . Camel meat costs sh5,000 a kilo and the milk costs sh3,000 a litre. But the supply rarely meets the demand here. Camel meat sells like hot cakes. The milk, which is purchased daily from Kenya is known to last up to six months without going bad even when not refrigerated. “The milk arrives in Kampala by 7:00am everyday by an Akamba bus, while the camel meat is slaughtered right here every weekend,” says Hassan Hussein, the chairman of the Somali Community in Uganda. The camels that weigh over 500 kilos are transported in fuso trucks from Moroto every week. “A few Ugandans who have acquired a taste for camel meat flock here every weekend for the meat, especially the hump that has special oil,” says Hussein. This flourishing Somali culture is supported by an equally prosperous economic life, at least for some. Kisenyi is among the places in Kampala synonymous with metal fabrication and flour milling machines. Many of the Somalis who have earned themselves Ugandan citizenship, own huge businesses, shops, buildings, as well as lodges, guesthouses and hotels, but their source of wealth is still shrouded in mystery. The rising guesthouses have put a positive mark on Kisenyi, dispelling the belief that Kisenyi is a haven of crime. In fact, Hussein claims that at least $3m (sh5.2b) is in circulation among the refugees in Kisenyi. Hussein attributes the success of the Somalis to the fact that they are united and work as a team. “They are refugees, but many lead even better lives than some Ugandan nationals. Because they are hard working, they are able to save and start businesses on their own,” he says. Moses Nkoyoyo, the defence secretary, Muzata Zone in Kisenyi says: “These Somalis have lived here for as long as we know. They are refugees but they are hard working. They own businesses and we have no problem with that, as long as they maintain peace, which they do.” But many observers maintain that Hussein’s assertion is far from what actually happens in Kisenyi. They claim that the life Somalis live is so luxurious for the jobless refugees. Somalis attribute their survival to businesses, but questions linger about how their wealth was acquired. “We know for a fact that these refugees operate in secret and you need an owl’s eye to ascertain how they attain their wealth and how much it is,” said a senior Internal Security Organisation official who preferred anonymity. A special branch police officer at Old Kampala Police Station attached to Kisenyi says: “We can’t rule out crime. We have received reports of money laundering, drug abuse, fights and sexual abuse, but whenever we try to establish the truth and apprehend the culprits, we fail to get sufficient evidence to pin.” The New Vision independently established that it takes less than three minutes for one to get over $500,000 (sh852m) wired from America, Canada or the UK to Uganda. Money laundering is the act or practice of engaging in illegal specific financial money transactions, metaphorically termed “cleaning of money”. It involves the transfer of money through several countries in order to obscure its origin. The most common types of criminals who launder money are drug traffickers, embezzlers, corrupt politicians and public officials, mobsters, terrorists and con artists. “People get money wired from any part of the world in minutes. And the money is cashed in dollars. Now even prominent Ugandan business personalities throng these places for dollars,’ says Hussein. In one of the shops that serves as a forex bureau as well as offices, computers with internet access are on display to hoodwink law enforcers and local authorities. But just inside the inner room, the real transaction of illegal money transfers take place. Just about a week ago, Mohammed, aged 17, was kidnapped and whisked away in a speeding vehicle soon after getting $10,000 (sh17.5m) from one of the shops. Notably, a case of kidnap was reported to Old Kampala Police Station, though it was reported that only $1,000 (sh1.75m) was snatched from him. Hussein, however, defends the transactions: “The money that they receive is from their relatives who migrated and settled in Europe.” This type of transaction is worrying to the Bank of Uganda, the controllers of cash flow in the nation, who say such a scenario can lead to inflation. “What they are doing is wrong and it is against the law. Once we get proof, we shall alert the relevant authorities to avert that,” says a senior bank official in charge of foreign exchange. Disaster preparedness state minister Musa Ecweru, who is responsible for refugees, recently sounded a warning to the Somalis: “As refugees they are not supposed to engage in activities that may jeopardise their status. In any case, they are supposed to live in settlement camps unless they have urban refugee status,” he said. Refugees with urban refugee status are those granted permission by the Prime Minister’s Office to engage in gainful employment in urban centres. Ecweru, who promised to investigate the saga warned those involved: “This should act as a warning. Those nabbed will have their refugee status evoked and they will be deported.” But as we wait for the investigations to yield results, it is business as usual for Somali refugees. -------------- One of the most ignorantedly reported articles I had read.

12th Day.

A maryooleey jaamac jaad suu u cunaaye asagana dhan cagaar noqday. Suu u fadhiyaa i dishay. What a mulac! Muniira, we all are good, sister. Eebba ha naga wada dhigo ummadiis jidka saxsan ku toosan. Kuusha, I didn't know jaad cunid, sigaar cabid iyo club aadid -- not to mention qamri cabid -- inay ahayd 'enjoying life.' For your information, I never went to any fancy foreign, non-Soomaali maqaayad ka ahayn fast food ones, which is laga maarmaan sometimes. Maqaayadaha Soomaalida kala nooca ah ayaa igu filan, and I am firm believer who spends his dollars at Soomaali businesses, even haddee qumaneen. Eebba mahadiis in this city, we Soomaalis have everything we need, which is offered by Soomaalis, even if you want to buy a house, there is a real estate agent or want a lawyer or a mechanic or or a barber or an accountant or going to a dentist or a doctor. We even have Soomaali movers. Dankis, I am indeed enjoying life.

Waraa balaq, welkam. Laakiin adi maaba maqnaa horta? Wali tareebiyaaniyaashii Alta Vista ayaa quuqdaada ku heysaa miyaa? Kuunto cambuulo isbisiini asasiino. Iskiifana ma kugu daraa?

Fanaaniinta ku sugan Madasha Shirka oo dhaleeceyn u soo jeediyay shirguddoonka Shirka Qeybo ka tirsan fanaaniinta qaranka Soomaaliyeed ee ku sugan madasha shirka dib u heshiisiinta beelaha Soomaaliyeed ayaa cabasho iyo cambaareynba u jeediyay shir guddoonka shirka iyo ku xigeenadooda Fanaaniinta ayaa ku eedeeyay in ay xaqireen doorka ay ku leeyihiin dib u heshiisiinta isla markaana ilaa iyo iminka aan la siinin wax mushaar ah. Maxamed Aadan Shamuuri oo u hadlayey fannaaniintaas ayaa sheegay in mudo labo bilood ah ay iyagu howlaha dib u heshiisiinta dhinaca kaga aadan ay habeen iyo maalinba qaban qaabadeeda ka wadeen madasha shirka iyadoo guddoonka shirka ay u sheegeen in la siin doono fanaaniinta min 50 Dollar sidii ay u soo yaraaneysayna ay iminka guddigu u sheegeen in la siin doono min 20 Dollar-ka ayuu yiri Shamuuri. “La yaab ma leh hadii 50 Dollar si loo waday 20 la gaarsiiyay, waxaase ka sii daran inaan 20-kiiba hada aan la nahay iyadoo dhaqaalihii loogu talagalayna ay gacanta ku hayaan Cali Mahdi, Kadare iyo Axmadey Sh. Muqtaar, balse waxaa nasiib daro ah in doorka fanaaniinta aan waxba laga soo qaadin iyadoo raali gelin iyo duub bash qadeysan horteena lagu siiyo ergooyinka” ayuu si caro leh u yiri Maxamed Aadan Shamuuri oo ka codsaday guddoonka shirka in ay kaalinta fanaaniinta ay il gaar ah ku eegaan. Tixraac

Qaar ka mid ah Ergooyinkii lagu xumeeyay Shirkii Dib u Heshiisiinta oo maanta banaan bax cabasho ah ka hor sameeyay Guriga Cali Mahdi Siteember 20, 2007 - Qaar ka mid ah ergooyinkii ka qeyb galay shirkii dib u heshiisiinta qaran ayaa maanta banaan bax cabasho ah ka hor sameeyay Guriga Cali Mahdi Maxamed oo madax u ah Gudigii Shirka Dib u Heshiisiinta. Ergooyinka ayaa ka ashtakoonayay guna la'aanta soo wajahday, taasoo ilaa iyo iminka aanan helin lacagihii shirka oo ay sheegayaan in la duudsiiyay. Banaan baxa Ergooyinka oo ay ka qeyb qaateen in ka badan 500 oo ergo oo xaalad aad u xun ay ku heysato Caasimada Muqdisho ayaa ku eedeeyay Gudoonka Shirka in ay lusandeen Lacagihii Shirka looga tala galay, iyagoo ku andacoonaya in bilowgii shirka ilaa iyo hada aanay helin guno. Mid ka mid ah Ergooyinka ka qeyb galay Banaanbaxaas ayaa sheegay in ay qatar ugu jiraan in ay ugaarsadaan kooxaha Dowladda ka soo horjeeda, isagoo xusay in xaalada haatan ay heysato ay tahay mid aad u weyn, iyagoona ku laaban karin Deegaanadoodii iyo Hoteladii ay degan yihiin oo ay halis ugu jiraan. Gudiga uu madaxda u yahay Cali Mahdi Maxamed oo ka mid ahaa qab qablayaashii Soomaaliya ayaa lagu eedeeyay in ay lunsadeen lacagihii shirka, iyadoo hadal uu Qanyare Jeediyay uu ku sheegay in Gudiga Shirka ay dhaceen shacabka Soomaaliya. Si kastaba ha ahaatee waxaa si isdaba jooga isu soo taraya cabashooyinka Ergooyinka Beelaha Soomaaliyed ay muujinayaan, waxaana banaanbax cabasho ah oo kan ka horeeyay loogu balan qaaday in la siin doono gunooyinkooda, laakiin sheekada ayaa u muuqata mid ah fari kama qodna faanoole. Xigasho

Dibad bax cabasho ah oo ay ka dhigayan Muqdisho ergadii lagu xumeeyay shirki dib u heshiisiinta Muqdisho Siteember 18, 2007 - Dibad Bax cabasho ah ayay ka sameynayaan Magaalada Muqdisho ergadii lagu xumeeyay shirkii dib u heshisiinta Muqdisho,iyadoona dibad baxaasi uu ka dhan yahay gudoonkii shirka. Ergada oo aad uga soo horjeeda lacagahoodii la duudsiiyay,iyo qaabkii loogu dhoofay dalkaasi Sucudiga ayaa sheegay in ay doonayaan beesha Caalamka in ay u muujiyaan sida aysan ugu qanacsaneyn shirkii la qabtay. Ergada waxa ay dibad baxooda iminka qaban qaabintiisa ka socotaa meelo kamid ah magaalada Muqdisho,iyadoona ay ergada sidoo kale qaadanayaan borar ay ku qoran yihin erayo ka dhan ah shirkii la qabtay. Wixi kusoo kordha waan idinla soo socodsiin doonaa. Tixraac