A recent International Crisis Group (ICG) report entitled Christianization (Kristenisasi) and Intolerance has been misinterpreted by some commentators. The essence of the report was that the activities of some Pentecostal groups aimed at conversion of Muslims are exacerbating — not causing — interreligious tensions and are being used by hard-line Muslim organizations to stigmatize a much broader range of Christian activities, including church construction. We wrote the report because we thought there had been insufficient attention to the Christian side of the intolerance problem, and that while there has concern expressed about “fundamentalist” Islamic groups that receive funding from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, there has been very little about “fundamentalist” Christian groups funded from abroad, mainly the US. The rise of religious intolerance in Indonesia has many aspects, and we listed evangelical proselytizing in Muslim strongholds as only one among six. It is important to understand that not all Christian activity is proselytization (penginjilan), in terms of reaching out to congregations beyond one’s own, and not all proselytization is aimed at winning converts from Islam (pemurtadan). Just as some Muslim organizations like Jamaah Tabligh are aimed at making mainstream Muslims more devout, rather than seeking to convert Christians, much evangelical activity is aimed at mainstream Christians, not Muslims. While it is true that some foreign-funded groups are looking for converts, it is important to note that there are also Muslim organizations like at-Turots undertaking dakwah in strongly Christian areas of Indonesia such as NTT and Papua. Therefore, if there are moves to enforce the 1978 guidelines from the Religious Affairs Ministry that ban the followers of one religion from directing their activities atfollowers of another, then it is critical that the guidelines be enforced evenhandedly and through a formal process that is more than just a response to pressure from mass organizations. The issue of church construction is a separate issue. Christians build churches for the same reason Muslims build mosque — to worship, not to convert. Whatever the resistance to HKBP activities, it is an ethnically-based congregation, and if it is targeted by anti-apostasy groups, they are knocking at the wrong door. It is true that the Joint Ministerial Regulations of 2006 governing construction of houses of worship has discriminatory aspects, but it is important to note that the requirement of getting community support is one that was welcomed by non-Muslim communities in areas such as Bali and Flores. So if Kristenisasi is not the main cause of rising religious intolerance — a phenomenon well documented by groups such as Lembaga Survei Indonesia — what is? There are several factors. Since the end of the New Order there has been little effort on the part of the government to emphasize that six religions are equal under the constitution. Instead, what we see are large mosques built as part of government offices, as if separation between religion and state was narrowing; the intervention of the state in defining what is orthodox and what is deviant; and little effort to review local ordinances that discriminate against religious minorities. Democratization has created more political space for organizations with all kinds of narrow political and religious agendas and neither the government nor civil society groups have paid sufficient attention to what constitutes “hate speech” or where the line should be drawn between freedom of expression and criminal incitement. Particularly after the eruption of conflict in Ambon and Poso, anti-Christian sentiment has been growing among hard-line Islamic groups who see Christians as kafir and intrinsically a threat to Islam. This attitude, fuelled by international developments such the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon and the burgeoning of hard-line websites and publications, is undermining religious relations. Decentralization has brought with it the ability to influence local politicians, take part in campaigns, secure promises of aid. That’s all part of the democratic process, but hard-line organizations have proven to be far more strategic than their pro-pluralism counterparts in pushing their agendas at the local level. Local elections have also all too frequently produced weak leaders who all simply capitulate to the loudest voices. The failure of the police to stand up to religious vigilantes encourages new confrontations. The most generous explanation for this failure is the lack of clear guidelines from their superiors on when to act or what constitutes a serious threat to public order. The FPI routinely warns the police and local officials three times that they are going to take action before they do so. There is no excuse for failing to prevent violence and intimidation. There are several steps the government can take: The president should oversee the development of a national strategy for strengthening religious tolerance. He publicly condemns officials who fall asleep at meetings; he should publicly condemn — or replace — those who blame the victims instead of the perpetrators for violent attacks, or who welcome religious vigilantes as potential security partners. He should set a clear policy for his Cabinet that no one is to attend meetings or provide government funding to organizations that preach hatred, discrimination or intolerance or that have a record of attacks on religious gatherings. He frequently refers in speeches to the need for tolerance and to pluralism as a cornerstone of democracy, but there is little effective follow-up. A presidential taskforce could be appointed to examine recent attacks on places of worship; review existing laws and regulations including the 1978 guidelines and the so-called Perda syariat and how they are applied; make recommendations for improving police performance; and make suggestions for how values of tolerance and pluralism can be inculcated from primary school levels on up. Many of the solutions proposed by members of the House of Representatives and others involve new or amended laws: stronger provisions in the criminal code against attacks on religious gatherings or a new law on religious freedom and harmony. The problem is that laws are only as good as the people who enforce them, and until government decision-makers and law enforcers are more courageous about applying existing laws, then new ones are not going to solve the problem. Sidney Jones is Crisis Group Senior Adviser. The Jakarta Post

South Sudan prepare new national anthem Southern Sudanese singers have been rehearsing a song for their country. If the south votes for independence in the current referendum then the region will require a new national anthem. If the south is declared a separate country then it will be the world’s youngest. At Juba University a contest was held in order to choose singers to perform the national anthem. An excited crowd gathered to see who would be chosen. Joseph Abuk who is leading the team chosen to write the lyrics of the anthem said that the idea to create the anthem was decided on because it is an important historical moment for Sudan. He added that they want to be prepared if south Sudan is made independent. The residents of the south are excited at the idea that they may soon be independent from the north who they fought during the civil war. At the end of each performance the crowd applauded enthusiastically. The singers each took the stage in order to share a song paying tribute to their country of birth. Musicians wanted the new national anthem to be different to the current national anthem which has a military style. The winner of the competition composed a more gentle song. Critics say that the words of the song do not always fit with the music. However some competitors misunderstood the instructions and attempted to join their lyrics with famous love songs. The judges assessed each competitor and dismissed those who were not singing songs that fit with the occasion. However this was not only seen as entertainment as many of the people in the crowd had tears in their eyes. The lyrics honored people who lost their lives during the civil war.

Ethiopian companies eye construction business in South Sudan January 18, 2011(ADDIS ABABA) – As the possibility of the formation of the new state, South Sudan comes closer to realisation, Ethiopia’s giant construction and water companies have shown broad interest in contract business in the area. Awash Welday Water Works and General Contractor are one among the leading companies in Ethiopia’s construction sector. Named after the owner and general manager, the company has a first grade general contractor license (GC-1) in both water works and in construction which enables it to undertake construction projects worth 25 million Birr (US$ 1.5 million) and above. “Regardless of the referendum outcome, we are ready to execute as much projects as offered, should we get the grants from south Sudan” Awash Welday told Sudan Tribune in an interview. “We have the skills, experience, financial capacity and the will to take projects in south Sudan. As neighbours, and with long-standing historic ties with Sudan we have the responsibility to support the brotherly people of south Sudan” he added. Awash’s company currently executes projects in Tigray, Oromiya, south Ethiopia and the inhospitable Afar region. Awash says his company is also well known for accomplishing projects on time and meeting the standards in difficult circumstances. “We have done several World Bank funded projects in the volcanically active Afar region’s Dallol, in the Danakil Depression [the hottest place on earth] battling temperatures that reach up to 50 degree centigrade. According to the owner, his company is fully equipped with machinery and undertakes the construction of multi-storied buildings, schools, institutes, government buildings, residential houses, bridges and in the water sector it executes water supply systems dams’ irrigation work, water treatment and sewerage systems." Awash noted. Preliminary results from the South Sudan referendum indicate support for secession. In Ethiopia 98.4% of the total votes have chosen in favour of independence. However, years of civil war devastated the region and infrastructure needs a great deal of work. If south secedes, analysts say health care, sanitation, water supplies, electricity and roads will need an immediate attention. Niat Building contractor PLC is also among leading Ethiopian companies keen to engage in construction business in south Sudan. Owned by Mokonen Alemayo, the company is well known of carrying out foreign-funded projects in the northern Tigray region mainly in areas affected by the 1998-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Mokonen Alemayo, also general manager, says his company could handle a multi-million dollar projects in Ethiopia or outside Ethiopia: “We can build condominiums, recreational areas, health centres, hotels amongst others. We have long been engaged in taking projects aimed to reconstruct war affected areas and with our qualified professionals and rich experience I have no doubt that we will do a successful job in South Sudan and in parallel we share our experience with the people there.” Rivan Co. Engineering PLC is also among the Ethiopian firms that want to engage, mainly in water works and water drilling activities. In charge of the firm is Natnael Gebremichael. He says the firm undertakes waterworks systems, building reservoirs, dam construction, irrigation, drainage and water drilling. Currently the company is executing projects in Tigray and in the vast Oromiya region of Ethiopia. “We have qualified professionals including civil structure and technical engineers, hydrologists and geologists. With deep experience in water works, hydro structure, dam construction and on top of that being well-equipped we are competent enough to undertake massive projects in Sudan.” Natnael said. Currently, there are two Ethiopian government owned financial firms in South Sudan, Ethiopian Commercial Bank and the Ethiopia Insurance Company. Source: Sudan Tribune

Hadda anigu gabaygaa maan tirin ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, don't even know cid tirisay

Damage ?? there was no damage waaryaa

According to the report issued by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) “More people were taken hostage at sea in 2010 than in any year on record. Pirates captured 1,181 seafarers and killed eight. A total of 53 ships were hijacked.” Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre said “These figures for the number of hostages and vessels taken are the highest we have ever seen since 1991 and the continued increase in these numbers is alarming.” As the IMB’s 2010 Piracy map shown above depicts, the Somaliland waters are completely free from Piracy attacks and attempts in 2010 despite the record number of hostages taken and ships hijacked; the number one reason is because many Pirates who made attempts to hijack ships from Somaliland waters in 2009 have been captured by authorities and are in Somaliland jails. Somaliland is the only nation that has convicted more than 60 pirates who are currently serving long jail time after being convicted by local courts. Throwing this many Pirates in Jail has had the intended consequence and it has been reported that pirates warn each other to avoid Somaliland waters when attempting to attack ships in the Red Sea waters. Despite its meager resource this little country spends far less (about .0001%) than the International community and shipping corporations do, yet it has achieved much better results. Perhaps it is time for interested parties to recognize this remarkable achievement and collaborate closely with the Somaliland authorities and engage and support the proven record of Somaliland if eradicating pirates from the coastline of Somalia is ever hoped to be achieved. Somaliland has been in the news lately in large part because of the continued success in holding free and fair elections (local government, parliament, and presidential) and the stability and peace it has achieved in an area that has become synonymous with lawlessness and rampant violence. The people who live in the coastal areas in Somaliland are just as poor as their counterparts in Puntland and Somalia who engage in piracy , the different is the presence of law and order in the former and the lack of it in the latter, and an administration capable of reaching all its citizens and impressing on them the need to safeguard the security and the territorial integrity of the nation. The men pictured below are busy patrolling Somaliland coastal waters and taking any unwise pirate that comes into view to jails in Somaliland, where they will spend prolong periods and cursing the day they went to sea. Being captured by the International flotilla is no deterrent, because they know if they survive the encounter, they will either be handed over to friendly Puntland which by all accounts is a pirate heaven or be transported to Europe or even the US, which they consider as a step up from the harsh life they are used to. The international community could make considerable progress in slowing down if not completely eliminate the pirate issue from the Somali coast if they would seriously engage the Somaliland administration and seek its cooperation and input from it. Providing adequate resources to Somaliland and using its ports will definitely put a huge dent in the illicit activities bedeviling the Indian Ocean waterways. It is time to use common sense and use what works, instead of repeating the same mistake time and again. In the question of piracy Somaliland offers solutions, Puntland offers piracy!, and Somalia offers piracy and Alshabaab. Somaliland offers its people peace, elections, democratic values, and success against piracy. The International community must support Somaliland to help its people much more. Source:SomalilandPress

Che -Guevara;688606 wrote: Jb...What's new is the opportunity presented by the referendum in Southern Sudan and how Somaliland can capitalize on this referendum success as the Foreign Minister suggested and hopes to do. The Ethiopian Foriegn Minister essentially kicked Somaliland in teeth by saying Somaliland is no South Sudan and independence lies with the Somali people aka Mogadishu in political terms. And I'm saying Ethiopia is in the same position of 1991 if u just woke up. Even US has the same or similar stance on this issue. That is what we've been dealing with since 1991 and still dealing with in the near future. Ethiopia can say that tomorrow but it is still the same thing they said today. So, unless you wana tell me something new .... u don't have to waste energy on this.

An intertainment group called Clowns without Borders based in Ireland was visited in Hargeisa and Buroa with the help of UNHCRS Sub-office in Somaliland. This comedy group was engaged in performing drama show to the refugees and internally displaced children and youths in Somaliland. Over the past 20 years when the former regime of Somalia was casted out, it had been experienced continuing callous chaos and alluring insecurity that resulted in heavy internal displacement where the most vulnerable groups of the population including children, women, elderly, disabled, ethnic minorities and other poor and marginalized people are greatly suffered. The recurrent severe droughts and overwhelming poverty have similarly wholly contributed to the continues displacement. New arrival of IDPs either from South-Central Somalia, Putland and Eastern parts of Somaliland reach at Hargeisa capital and other regional towns including Berbera and Buroa. Somaliland is already hosted almost 100,000 IDPs whose condition was extremely poor and disappointing lacking about all necessities for life, which was similarly overstrained by the new IDP arrivals.

They said that in 2010, in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 ,,,, and so on. Tell me something new .................

They said that in 2010, in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 ,,,, and so on. Tell me something new .................

Ku masuugimaayee, Horta waxan u ahay marag Maskaxdaad safaysaa, Ninka meheraddaadiyo Macnahaaga badiyaa, Markuu kugu murqaamuu Kolba maayad riixaa, Mayay soo dhoweeyaa Intuu mooso gacamada, Webi mala-awaaliyo Mawjado is-dhaafiyo, Badda kala macneeyaa Haddba muudsigaaguu, Marba daan dhaqaajaa Ka ku xiga mar eegaa, Hadal uu mar hore yidhi Midh yaroo kasoo hadhay, Mid kasii kacaayiyo Oday meesha soo galay, Hadba mid u talowshaa…. Markuu laasto miiddana, Hadba macawistiisiyo Bac yar oo murguxanbuu, Markuu dhaafo koonaha Mefreshkuu kasoo kacay, Meeshii xashiishkiyo Masallaha jin geeyaa.

Is this the first time for you ?? ,,,,,,,,, then there must be a reason why u realized this ,,,

“Our case is not a secession, it’s a withdrawal from a union,” And this is what u ignoring mate ........ Well, what is new here now ?? ,,, that has been said for the last 20 years.

NGONGE;688470 wrote: If he's mad at least his advisors should be sane Who ?? ,, His Son ??

After listening to the BBC Interview of Farmaajo this morning ,,, I'm here by declaring a war on the said Farmaajo aka Mr. Niic ..... Watch this space .....

Silly Map ......................... since when Badhan is not in Somaliland ???

I heard it is promotion ............ but I don't need a title with no dufan u know Now I have to meet him and pretend that i don't know anything about it .... lol

Ohhhhhhh ,, and the Boss is back ........ Now i can take my leave and get some rest. And i'm told he came with a really GOOD NEWS for me ,,,,,,, Only.

The Bum and the Khat Affect In khat circles there is a well known argument that once a man finishes chewing he suddenly gets an uncontrollable urge to be with and around beautiful women (they call it the kac sii tuf theory). For most chewers, of course, this is a simple fantasy that is unlikely to ever be fulfilled. But for Ali BM things were different. In Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland as in many other parts of Africa, men that drive their own cars and are known to have a bit of money are always popular with the ladies. Ali BM was such a man. Today, like every day, he was chewing in his usual place. He looked at his bag of Khat and noticed that he was almost running out. He wanted to top up his khat and maybe stick around for an hour or two more. Alas he knew his reputation and good name would suffer if he were spotted still chewing at such a late time! After struggling with his thoughts and cravings for a few minutes he finally decided to give up and head home. Once home, he had a quick bath, changed into his nicest pair of trousers, put on his best shirt then showered himself with his most expensive bottle of perfume. Ali was planning to go out to dinner with a beautiful lady. Initially, It was not clear if this was due to the K.S.T theory or if Ali had planned this dinner in advance! However, once he was in his car and started to drive aimlessly around the Hargeisa streets, it became obvious that Ali was planning to randomly pick his queen tonight. This was Ali’s lucky night. It was dark, cloudy and rainy. People were scampering along the sidewalks and trying to get to their destinations as quickly as possible. Ali, on the other hand, was cruising and looking out for suitable prey. Since all the people were walking ahead of him and he had no chance to check out their faces on such a dark night, Ali had to adjust his criteria for choosing his lady tonight. ‘They’ll all have to be judged on the state of their bottoms’, he said to himself and started chuckling. The rain was a godsend and Ali had a perfect chance to assess all the candidates as they scurried to the nearest shelter. Some resembled flags fluttering in the wind. Others reminded him of wobbling jelly. Some bottoms looked like a couple of badminton shuttlecocks whilst others looked like a pair of satanic pumpkins! Finally, as he scanned the roads ahead and considered the various bottoms ambling about, Ali noticed a beautiful pair of bottoms gliding around in unison. They were beautifully similar and they moved to the beat of the hip-hop song Ali had blaring from his car sound system. Left, right, left right left. Left, right, left right left. It was beautifully mesmerising and Ali wondered if he was still slightly intoxicated from his earlier khat session. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and that he was suffering from some sort of optical illusion. Surely nothing could be so perfectly round, so symmetrical and move with such grace. What’s more, it was not just one bottom but TWO! The hallucination was still continuing and Ali thought he spotted beauty, wisdom, virtue and intelligence in the way those two bottoms were bouncing around in the air as their owners distantly walked to their destination. Ali started to slow down as he drew parallel with the owners of the heavenly bottoms and shouted the words “inakeena aan roobka idinka sii qaadee”! One uttered an incomprehensible exclamation and, upon hearing her gruff voice, Ali got ready to hear some endless insults. Instead, she commenced to pray for him and praise him for being so kind and helpful. Ali was still uncomfortable with her husky voice and told her (and her friend) to hurry up and get in the car. He was looking in his rear-view mirror as the car doors opened and the two new passengers got in. Ali almost chocked on his own saliva! The heavenly bottoms had beards and what he thought were dresses and hijabs turned out to be white robes and head coverings! Ali took a real good look at both men then commenced to slam his hands against the steering wheel and laugh at his own foolishness. ‘Take us to the mosque at the end of the road, brother’, said one of the heavenly bottoms. Ali nodded his head and started the car as he carried on loudly chuckling to himself. This was a few years ago. Ali had proven that the K.S.T theory actually works but has not touched one stick of khat ever since.

Sick Man ............. should be kept in a cell for the rest of his life ,,,, (that is if he is not mentally fit).

Somalina;687968 wrote: Interesting. Sharif v Farole match miyaa? :D ... Cadho Shir ka kacday maxaa lagu qaboojiyaa ??? looooooooooool

Qandalawi;688080 wrote: ^Yeah, a male nurse, Shariif is not only wounded he's decapitated, a dead man walking and Faroole is chilling firing the shots She is shooting a dead man ??? ,,,,,,,,,,,,, Kee baa waalan markaa ???

Talking from experience ,, eh ??