Refugee Fact Sheet No. 9

[Castro]

Most Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Islam is the principal faith and is vitally important to the Somali sense of national identity, although traces of pre-Islamic traditional religions exist in Somali folk spirituality.

 

Among Somalis, there is a strong tradition of tariqa, religious orders associated with Sufism, a mystical current in Islam. Tariqas are social and religious brotherhoods that serve as centers of learning and religious leadership. Leaders of tariqas are said to have baraka, a state of blessedness, suggesting a spiritual power that may be invoked at the tomb of a leader.

 

In recent years, Islamic fundamentalism has gained support, with Somalis seeking comfort in a faith that offers an explanation for their national disaster. According to traditional Islamic belief, social turmoil is God's punishment for straying from the correct path; the way to regain God's favor is to repent collectively and redirect society to Islamic precepts. Thus, fundamentalism has served as a rallying point for Somalis exhausted from the factionalism and anarchy that has destroyed their country; it attracts Somalis who are intellectually adrift and seek the reassurance of a rigid code of conduct.

 

The fundamentalists view tariqas as superstitious and oppose their reverence for saints. They oppose secular government and advocate the introduction of sharia law and strict Islamic dress for women. Traditional religious men, clan leaders, and elders, however, still have a larger following than the fundamentalists, although the influence of the latter is on the rise.

 

Fairly accurate or total hogwash? You tell me.

 

Source

[Animal Farm]

I think the statement applies to many people, but not all. I remember growing up in Somalia, where religion was not that big of a deal, at least in our household – when the civil war happened, suddenly my parents were more strict on our behaviours, we became more knowledgeable about Islam, we memorized chapters, and some of my siblings memorized the Quran in its entirety. When we got to the west, we continued our education. Most Somalis become extremely religious, and some fell onto the wrong path. I’m guessing those left back home have similar believes, even stronger, which is a good thing --- when death is abundant and you’re experiencing hardships – that will draw you back to the religion. They’ve already got Islamic courts in Somalia, people get their hands chopped if they steal, stoned if they commit adultery, and so forth.

 

We have to understand, religion is powerful governing element in many people’s lives from the farmer in Somalia to the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. In that sense religion dictates a lot of things in our lives.

 

Clearly, Somalis will want Islamic elements incorporated in the government. I doubt we can have a secularist ideology – and that isn’t an ignorant causation on the side of ordinary Somalis, and people should not attack or question their intellectual capacity because they refuse the embracement of the western model of church and state separation. I say they’re smarter and more enlightened because they seek to get answers from Allah – otherwise the so called enlightened would have you look for answers from western political culture, primarily in philosophy.

[FatB]

Ok. My personal believe this that the civil war and unrest was both a blessing and a cures for our beloved nation of Somalia.

 

Interims of the ciaos being a blessing, well; form what my parents and uncles tell me of Somalia in the 60s and 70s, Islam was sort of considered more of a backward set rather than the past, present and future! From what I can gather; back in that era the night life in Somalia was second to non in the east African region. (To say it lightly)

And after the turmoil of dictatorship; people started to return to their religion and started practising to a degree of it. (With the exemption of the war lord, thieves and murders of course).

 

Sure there are those now that reside in the “west†who’s iimaan can be questioned, but to my knowledge the majority of us have implemented Islam effectively in to our life and have taught our children (me included) the fundamentals and once again re-ignited the light of iimaan in to us!

 

Of course the downside it that we must be constantly subjected with the continual failures and mistrust among our “parliamentary leader,†and the ever increasing degradation of our beloved Somalia….

 

So, I guess this is a text book case of a double edged sward

 

in the end i think that animal put it perfectly...but i would sujest that if somalia is to be once again established as a 20th centry sociatly then . islam must be the forth most fundimental governence

[Castro]

Originally posted by Animal Farm:

I doubt we can have a secularist ideology – and that isn’t an ignorant causation on the side of ordinary Somalis, and people should not attack or question their intellectual capacity because they refuse the embracement of the western model of church and state separation.

AF, seeing that Somalia has no state to speak of, such separation is a moot point at the moment. But do you not think there's a disturbing under current of what could be described, for lack of a better word, as religious fanaticism? And this is both in Somalia and outside. For example, I know someone (considerd religious by many standards) who went to Somalia recently. His description of the poverty, the lawlessness and despair was superseded by a tremendous sense of living in a Talibanesque environment. As the piece above correctly describes the reason for the shift, do you think such shift can bring about the intended changes (of peace and prosperity)? If yes, how do you suppose it could?

[Animal Farm]

The best government would be a Islamic one, they see it as the best option – along with all the chaos that has taken place, the people need some sort of an explanation – although they missed a minor detail about tribalism that its only there so that we can distinguish one another, but its not there to kill.

 

Here’s a true story I was told couple of years ago to illustrate how important religion is, even when all of its elements are being violated.

 

The place was Xamar, and there were gangs who had set up roadblocks in the entraces of nieghbourhoods in Xamar. There was this old man, he needed to see his kids, and they were in a different block of the city. When he approached the entrance area, he was asked to pay up in order to pass through --- he told the gang of youths that he didn’t have money, and to let him pass for the sake Allah.

 

A youth approached him and said to him even if Allah himself comes here, he would not go through without paying, and therefore your prayer does not count here. All of the sudden, another youth gunned down his own gang member, arguing how could he say that. The old man told the youth to drop his gun and go home.

 

This illustrates that even amid all the civil disruptions, people are able to obey and respect the religion. The story indicates that people are willing to civilize themselves with the guidance of the deen – I believe the incorporation of Islam into public policy would help Somalia achieve stability – because the Somali psyche is naturally programmed to decline man made laws.

 

For now the religion is only governing on the personal level and not on the level of policy, look at the privatization of religion – clearly religion has been left out of the public domain in Somalia, at least when it comes to politics. The only way to get people to realize their predicaments is to get the new leaders of Somalia to preach the importance of religion in their politics, because that is the only way the population will believe them, otherwise they will think qabil politics is the only motive. Then again Somalis are the biggest skeptics when it comes to politics, and that itself is a difficult task.

 

Before I continue my ramblings, all I’m saying is this, clearly the people have faith in Islam, why not encourage them to manifest those ideas within the realm of politics, why perpetuate the privatization of religion. A little note, people have who tried to introduce methods of incorporating the religion in public life have been murdered in the south, Puntland, but I have yet to hear a case in Somaliland, but I’m sure there is one.

 

Castro don’t worry, Somalia will not evolve to a Taliban like state anytime soon, there are too many barriers, the secularists and the tribalists are clearly winning in the court of public opinion.

 

But I may have contracted a bad case of cultural schizophrenia, occasionally daydreaming about a Somalia that only exists in my imagination and carrying mock debates with the stakeholders of Somali politics.

[Cara.]

I think it's more or less right. I haven't been to Somalia since the Exodus, but what people tell me and the pictures I've seen show a far more conservative culture than the one I remember. Then again, Somalis in the U.S. are also far more conservative than you'd expect. I think the only thing standing between Somalia and a Taliban-like theocracy is the tribal nature of our society. But that's not going to be a barrier for long.

[FatB]

you now that a taliban sort of regime does not nessesarly mean a bad thing. ofcoure if, the sheria was implimented effectively there would be no need for the stigma of "talibaan = bad!" thing.

 

 

having said that, given the strong nature of the women in somalia i hardly doubt that even the idea would flowt.

[Castro]

^^ I agree with both of the posts above in that women and tribalism may be deterrents to a Taleban like existance in Somalia. Still, there's a gradual (rapid?) move to fundemantalism among Somalis, within and without the homeland. At some point, the forces for fundamentalism and those against it will come to clash. Now, there are only skirmishes. Fundamentalism itself is relative and on a sliding scale. What constitutes religious fundamentalism among Somalis? The London bombers? Sharia courts in Somalia? Expatriate children going to Islamic schools and wearing hijab at age 3?

[FatB]

Fundamentalism itself is relative

I beg to differ on this point my friend. Fundamentalism is the preaching and practising ones faith to the letter. Now correct me if I am wrong but isn't it a criteria that in order for people (us Muslims) to be a good umma; don't we need to follow the teaching of the prophit (scw) as it was taught and practised? Surely your take on fundamentalism isn't a reflection of that portrayed in the media? And no. fundamentalism is not factor of wearing a hijab at the age of 3 or children being suicide bombers! But simply I am (or try to be) a fundamentalist, I try to pray 5 times a day be extremely genoures...etc

 

And in terms of the rapid rise of fundamentalist in Somalia; my believe is that the most we can hope for is an incorporation of Islamic law into the day to day running of a viable society