Nuradin Farah: Who owns Somalia!

[Saxardiid]

Realities we always ignore.

 

Can we, Somalis, be responsible if our country becomes a terrorist haven when we do not own it - a Somalia where anyone can come and go without our authority; where American soldiers allegedly go in and out and abduct possible suspects; where Ethiopia invades at will; where our beaches are the dumping sites of other country's nuclear waste; where Arabs alter our educational system and secular tradition?

Read on

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

On the day I needed to fly out of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to get back home to Cape Town, my only choice was a Kenyan Fokker, normally used as a cargo plane, that was flying back to Nairobi with passengers. As we were being shown to our seats, the Kenyan captain told the passengers to hand over our passports. He said that he would hold them in the cabin until we landed in Kenya.

That happened in the flight I was in too, from Xamar to Nairobi. Exactly as Nuurudiin described. My mother was irated, for a different reason though.

 

However, I never thought the reason they collected the passports was for checking backgrounds. And even if it was intended for that, I don't think it would work. For a simple reason, most Soomaalis would use any passport they could grab on their hands as a convenient. My mother and sister, who were in the same flight, were using fake Itoobiyaan passports that were made in Suuqa Bakaaraha in about an hour on that same day.

 

And the article's other main points, maxaa sameyn karnaa, anagaa saas iska dhignay, adduunka in aan gees ka raacno waa diidnay, in aan isa soo saarno waa waa yeeli weynay. Ha naga saarto!

[Saxardiid]

were using fake Itoobiyaan passports that were made in Suuqa Bakaaraha in about an hour on that same day.

It must be the fastest and the most flexible passport office in the world.

 

And the article's other main points, maxaa sameyn karnaa, anagaa saas iska dhignay, adduunka in aan gees ka raacno waa diidnay, in aan isa soo saarno waa

Recognizing the problems and talking about them are the first steps of recovery and I think we are on to that route. Insha Allah we will pass these hard times.

[Haaruun]

Waryaa MMA ma nooshahey........Somaliya Soomali baa leh

[Yeniceri]

"...where Arabs alter our educational system and secular tradition?"

 

This guy likes to kiss Whitey's *** huh! We're Muslims! That lives little ground for 'secularism' because Islam isn't just a religion but a way of life! But I guess Whitey is happy with Nuraddin Farah's rhetoric.

[Jumatatu]

Originally posted by Nugaali:

This guy likes to kiss Whitey's *** huh! We're Muslims! That lives little ground for 'secularism' because Islam isn't just a religion but a way of life! But I guess Whitey is happy with Nuraddin Farah's rhetoric.

What has being a Muslim got to do with Arab? And are you sure Islam does not accomodate secularism?

[Yeniceri]

I don't think there's any place for secularism for Islam. The concept itself doesn't fit into the ideological foundation of the religion. That's why a state such as Turkey is the perfect place for Nuraddin Farah and like-minded people want to live.

[Gabbal]

Nugaali you have a good point there. Islam is a way of life, hence it is an Islamic way of life or another. Islam accommodates a lot of "secular" beliefs and themes, i.e democracy, because it is part of our religion, part of Islam.

 

Now Nuriddin, whom I have no problems with, is against Arabic being taught in Bilad as Somal. We need to remember that Somali is a language of the world, and Arabic is a language of paradise. We must keep, learn, and strengthen our Somali language, yet we must make the greatest effort to learn Arabic to fully understand our religion's original message.

[Saxardiid]

Even more disturbing because of the ominous omen for Somalia's future is the lack of education available. The Somali tradition of secular education is extinct. The schooling that does exist is financed by Arabs, which means Arabic has replaced Somali in school curriculums. This is tragic, especially because writing in Somali was in its infancy when the state collapsed - the standardization of the script having been adopted in 1972 - and Somalia is the only African country with a population numbering in the millions to boast of having one unifying language. This will no longer be the case if Arabic continues to be the medium of instruction in schools.

Although I don't agree with him on Secular education in Somalia i.e. leaving religion out of the classroom but I totally share with him his anxiety about Arabisation of school curriculum. I for one who supports multilingual Somalia but one puts great emphasis on Somali language.

Lets not reverse the progress of the last 30 years on Somali language.

[NGONGE]

Even more disturbing because of the ominous omen for Somalia's future is the lack of education available. The Somali tradition of secular education is extinct. The schooling that does exist is financed by Arabs, which means Arabic has replaced Somali in school curriculums. This is tragic, especially because writing in Somali was in its infancy when the state collapsed - the standardization of the script having been adopted in 1972 - and Somalia is the only African country with a population numbering in the millions to boast of having one unifying language. This will no longer be the case if Arabic continues to be the medium of instruction in schools.

To be frank, I’d have Chinese, as the medium of instruction in Somali schools if it meant those schools will stay open. As for the “Arabisation†of Somalia, well, if the Somali language and culture is so weak as to allow this to happen, I see no problem with that. I doubt it of course. Anyway, I always keep hearing Somalis going on about how the Arabs never help out and on the only occasion I hear of Arabs helping out, they’re being criticised for doing so! Cajeeb.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

The Somali tradition of secular education is extinct. The schooling that does exist is financed by Arabs, which means Arabic has replaced Somali in school curriculums.

Nuurudiin has a point. However, he also missed a point. I don't know where he got the idea of 'secular' education from, for as long as I remember there always was a mixed of religious and secular educations in public school courses.

 

From what I recall in the primary/middle school, especially in middle school, each period had two subjects combined, thus it went: Taariikh iyo Juquraafi, Carabi iyo Diin, Xisaab iyo Saynis, Kacaan iyo.... So, there was a Carabi iyo Diin subject taught at all middle schools. I didn't personally learn much, however I surely remember that subject existed.

 

And why didn't he mention the "English," which permeates to have as roughly same influence as Carabi?

 

I personally felt sad when I asked my nephews and nieces what language was primarily instructed at their respective schools, their answers weren't positive. When I asked if they teach them Soomaali history, they laughed. Or if they were taught in kindergarten the basics of BTJX of Soomaali language, they didn't even know what BTJX was. And those are only the privileged that has the means to afford to go to good schools at all.

 

A whole generation are being "miseducated" {a lack of better phrase}.

 

It is not only limited to schools, though. Now most of the company, restaurant, hotel names either are English or Carabi. Nation, Global, Saxaafi, HornAfrik, Ambassador, ex-Barakaat, etc, that you sometimes wonder who are they targeting for, a midtown guy from Ohio or a Yemeni from Sanca? Kudos for those companies that have distinct Soomaali names, namely Hormuud, Dahabshiil, Jubba, and Daalo; they aren't many, but still they are growing.

[Cawralo]

The Somali tradition of secular education is extinct. The schooling that does exist is financed by Arabs, which means Arabic has replaced Somali in school curriculums. This is tragic, especially because writing in Somali was in its infancy when the state collapsed - the standardization of the script having been adopted in 1972 - and Somalia is the only African country with a population numbering in the millions to boast of having one unifying language. This will no longer be the case if Arabic continues to be the medium of instruction in schools.

..this is hilarious! If NF is so concerned of the somali language and it's fate, then maybe he should consider doing his part. His article is on a somali site - but - written in english. And about the 'secular' somali culture (Oh no he didn't jus go there!)..what has it done for us? Obviously, it wasn't a good system.

 

He's just using all of this as a phony excuse to continue with his antisemitism - not very cute :rolleyes:

[Warmoog]

Some of you nomads seem to have gotten a little distracted by Nuruddin Farah’s claims of secular education being a "Somali tradition" and, in the process, appear to have also missed the real point of his article. Regardless of their validity, those claims were not the crux of his argument so let's give greater or as much consideration to his more significant message. He’s telling us that we need to reclaim our land, our problems, our responsibilities, etc., so that we can mold a future for ourselves, instead of forever being putty in other people’s hands. Doing so includes, and should perhaps even begin with, reclaiming our language.

 

His concerns about Somali school curriculums becoming monopolized by Arabic instruction and the new Somali alphabet fading into oblivion are not the fantastical thoughts of a wild imagination, by the way. They’re well-founded. Our newfound alphabet has a greater possibility of becoming extinct than Arabic ever will and that horrid possibility, however remote, could cripple our literary traditions and reverse whatever literary advancements we’ve made in the last 3 decades… to say the least.

[Yeniceri]

I think everyone clearly understood his message of regaining control of our land. However, that's an idea most of us Somalis are ALREADY familiar with. Hence, why most of the responses caught on to the 'secular tradition' bit. Like I said, he comes across to me like an appeaser. And if there's something I dislike, it's those who live their lives by the standards of others.