ElPunto

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  6. Posted

    Some young Somali men in London say they are being treated unfairly by authorities after assault in Nairobi.

     

    Hamza Mohamed Last Modified: 11 Oct 2013 14:02

     

    London, United Kingdom - More than two weeks have passed since a siege on Nairobi's Westgate Mall led by Somali rebel group al-Shabab ended in the deaths of at least 67 people. For some members of the UK's Somali community, however, the Westgate attack is still at the top of their discussions, especially among younger Somalis.

     

    Every attack in the Horn of Africa registers closely with the community here, a continent thousands of kilometres away. On a chilly Sunday evening, a group of young Somalis gathered at Savannah Restaurant in West London, to discuss how their lives have changed since late 2006.

     

    That year al-Shabab, a rebel group linked to al-Qaeda that takes a hardline interpretation of Islam, was established, following Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia.

     

    Since its inception, it is estimated that up to 50 young Somali men have left the UK for Somalia to join the group and wage war against the weak Western-backed government in Mogadishu, the capital.

     

    Many young Somalis living overseas have been adversely affected as governments across the world try to gather intelligence and stop young men, especially those living in the West, from going to Somalia to fight and then return to wage war in the West.

     

    'Treated like a criminal'

     

    After al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege in Nairobi, Somalis here are feeling under more pressure than ever before.

     

    "You are treated like a criminal," said 25-year-old university student Abdikarim Muse. "Those who are supposed to protect you [security agencies] treat you like you are a suspect."

     

    In May, while returning from a political conference in Amsterdam attended by senior Somali politicians and government officials, Muse was taken aside and interrogated for more than an hour at Heathrow Airport without anyone explaining why, he said.

     

    When he asked the plainclothes officers who interrogated him why he was the only one chosen from more than 70 people queuing at the airport's passport control, he was told it was a "routine" and "random" check. All the questions, he said, were about al-Shabab.

     

    The experience left him shaken. "I haven't left the UK since May. I cancelled my summer travel plans. I don't want that experience again," he said in a barely audible voice, making sure patrons at the eatery didn't hear him.

     

    Less than two kilometres away from the restaurant, on a third-floor music studio, sits British-Somali musician Aar Maanta.

     

    Maanta, who sings about issues affecting Somalis in the diaspora and has written a song about the treatment of Somalis at airports by immigration and security officials, is preparing for the first UK-wide tour by a Somali musician. He said things were tough before for the community but now, with the attack in Nairobi, it will only get worse.

     

    "Some people have a fear of flying, others have fears of missing flights … us young Somali men, we have fears of security officials. I have lost count of the number of times I have been stopped at UK ports of entry," he said while clutching a kaban - a pear-shaped stringed instrument used in Somali music - in his left hand.

     

    "One time I was interrogated alone in a room and released after eight hours. No one has ever told me why it keeps on happening to me and not to the non-Somali members of my band," he added.

     

    Like Muse, Aar said all the questions he is asked have to do with al-Shabab and terrorism. "I'm a musician. Terrorists don't like music or musicians. I'm the last person they should ask these questions," he said.

     

    With fragile peace returning to Mogadishu after the Islamist group withdrew from the war-weary city, many UK citizens of Somali origin are travelling back to visit family members who did not flee the war, and to assess potential business opportunities in Somalia.

     

    'Too much risk'

     

    But, afraid of being labelled as members of al-Shabab, many Somali youth are in no rush to board a flight and return to Somalia.

     

    "Too much risk. Anything can happen to you. Your passport doesn't mean anything. We now know that," said Abdi Rashid, sitting opposite Muse at the restaurant.

     

    In June last year, 23-year-old Mahdi Hashi from London disappeared while in Mogadishu, only to surface in a New York courtroom to face alleged terrorism charges. Before his disappearance and surfacing in New York, the British Home Secretary revoked his citizenship. Many Somalis believe this was done to pave way for his rendition to the US.

     

    Awale Olad, a Somali-born local London councillor representing an area with a sizeable Somali population, says the community has a lot to fear - and rightly so. "Even when these youth have British citizenship it can be revoked. When that happens, they can easily be extradited to another country or targeted by a drone strike," said Olad.

     

    Parents are beginning to take note and make decisions they never thought they would.

     

    Mohamed Nuur, a taxi driver from West London, returned from Somalia last month where he had gone to visit his frail mother. He said he left his two teenage sons behind while he took his two daughters to visit their bedridden grandmother.

     

    "I'm a father, and will never want problem for my sons. Visiting Somalia can bring them a lot of problems and unnecessary harassment," he said, flanked by fellow Somali taxi drivers on their lunch break. "We have heard of sons disappearing and appearing in cuffs in strange countries. Not taking that chance with my sons."

     

    Last week the UK's security minister, James Brokenshire, met the Somali community to assuage their fears and reassure them they are not being unfairly targeted.

     

    A home office spokesperson told Al Jazeera: "Our security arrangements are designed to keep all British citizens safe and do not target a particular group or community in any way."

     

    Aar Maanta says he wants to see the government do more in the Somali community. "They need to work with us on an everyday basis, not just when there are terror alerts or explosions. More importantly, they need to stop the 'random' checks that only pick on Somalis at airports."

     

    http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/uk-somalis-uncomfortable-after-kenya-attack-201310912584252146.html

  9. Posted

    Haatu;980815 wrote:
    Examples? And no, the US is not a good example. What does Germany, India do?

     

     

    No one is disputing this.

     

    I already mentioned the illegitimacy of the government. You saying it's up to the locals to sort out the qalqalooc in the contracts IS clapping for your clan leader. This is a resource that is intedned to benefit all Somalis, not one qabiil.

    Canada, Australia or Switzerland. And why is the US not 'a good example'?

     

    I can't tell if you're obtuse or have qabiil issues or both. Cid is ogol majirto in Somalia today. That is the stark reality. The best case that can be made is to share whatever resources we have as a people. If the SFG is working on a sharing formula or advising on the fairness or appropriateness of a deal - I am ok with that. But the SFG cannot control or dictate another region's mineral wealth given it's lack of genuine legitimacy/competence and its inability to create and engender trust among Somali stakeholders.

  10. Posted

    Haatu;980787 wrote:
    In a normal federal country, the federal government would sign the contracts and then share the profits with the states. In Somalia's case, this is near impossible. The
    candhawadaag
    doesn't have the legitimacy to dictate anything to the northern clan states. The northern clan states in their lack of vision are signing bogus highly unfair deals with cowboy explorers, ripping off locals in the process. Whilst all this is going, the clan zealots will continue to clap for their clan chief like the mindless fools they are.

    You need to go back and look at other federal countries. That is not how the process works. States make the agreements - federal government just gets a cut.

     

    Northern 'clan states' are the only functioning part the country called Somalia. I don't support Somaliland's secessionist aspirations but Somaliland functions. Puntland has major issues to deal with but it also functions. Whether the deals are bogus, unfair or rip off the locals is upto the locals to sort that out. And if the SFG was trying to address these issues - their input would be welcome. But for an entity barely in control of its seat of power to attempt to dictate these matters is beyond ridiculous. And when people criticize this - it isn't clapping for clan chiefs - it's looking with clear eyes at the reality of Somalia today.

  11. Posted

    Tallaabo;980692 wrote:

    I think you are missing the point of this article. There is no price tag on national passports unless of course it is in the black market;)

    What this article is comparing is the relative usefulness of the world's passports when it comes to the ease of travel and access to all the countries of the world. The British passport(ka cas)
    ;)
    tops the list because the Brits have unfettered access to a staggering 173 countries thanks to the power of the British diplomacy and economic and political influence. The Kuwaiti and Emirati passports are not as good for travelling as those of western countries because those Arab nations despite their enormous wealth are not as influential as the west. Luxembourg is a small country and yet its passport is more important than that of Saudi Arabia thanks to its relationship with the other European and western powers.

    You are right. But this is only because the dominant economic and military paradigm is the western one and the whole world is chasing after them. If you're part of the club - then you can move around freely. If in a couple of decades - the paradigm shifts to China/Southeast Asia and they decide to impose restrictions on those not part of their club - will a Luxembourg passport be any more useful than a Somali one?

  14. Posted

    ^I don't agree. He is not a prisoner of circumstance. No one is asking for a transformation to Singapore from him. But he could have moved the needle quite a bit especially considering the outpouring of support and goodwill he had in his first few months of his tenure. And the increased financial and diplomatic support his election prompted;

     

    Al-Shabaab is not the big undefeatable bogey it's made out to be. They need to be engaged militarily and they will surely be wiped out. Sadly - the folks who are supposed to lead this charge are asleep at the wheel. The SFG/Amisom control Merca which is 100 km from Barawe - which is a major AS base. Why haven't they moved on it? Is there a plan to move on it? What is the logic here? Are they really trying to defeat AS or just prolonging this whole enterprise?

  25. Posted

    ^Optics matter. And not saying anything breeds further resentment and suspicion. I think you do more harm by staying silent. And in cases like this sticking to noble conceptions of individual responsibility and Muslims are not a monolith isn't going to lead to a productive solution.