tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39916832012-02-01T09:24:45.559-08:00newsHorn of African News Update and AnalysisBashirnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-11001249182226064092011-12-09T12:33:00.000-08:002011-12-09T12:39:30.238-08:00Dignity is in peace, not in cowardly murderBashir GothAll Somaliland communities were shocked by the gruesome and cold-blooded murder of innocent people sleeping peacefully in their own homes in Seemaal area on December 5, 2011; a horrific reminder of the slaughter of innocent travelers on the highway near Kalabaydh area on July 11, 2009.As a relative of the victims, I can understand that the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-79116308611971453852011-09-24T01:30:00.000-07:002011-09-24T02:27:45.629-07:00Heestan soo socota “Qaaddirow Allow” waxan tiriyey maalmihii ugu horreeyey ee ay qaylo dhaanta abaarta iyo macaluushu ka soo yeedhay Soomaaliya bishii July bilowgeedii. Haddaba markii aan waayey cid muusig raacisa ayey ila noqotay in aan shucuurta ay wadato la wadaago dadka Soomaaliyeed.Qaaddirow AllowMiyaan qulbaaMaan qayliyaaMa qudhaan jaraaMise waa qaddare Lama quusto eeWixii lay qoraan Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-24313687522355083012011-08-18T22:07:00.000-07:002011-08-18T22:12:05.354-07:00The following haiku poem grieves the unending plight of the Somali people. Life is however stronger than any misery, and the poem had to end with a note of defiance, embracing the resilience and strength of the human spirit.
Eyes Frozen To Sky*
War in my country
No rain to wash the blood
- weeping in winter
***
Bang, bang, bang
Bullets, bullets and bullets
No one hears the wind
***
Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-27009066225032390182011-08-12T14:43:00.000-07:002011-08-13T02:09:48.907-07:00Somaliland finally comes out of its shameful silence By Bashir GothSomaliland has finally spoken. It says it is ready to participate in the international efforts aimed at easing the suffering of the starving Somali people who are experiencing what the UN has described as the worst humanitarian disaster. As welcome as this step may be, many conscientious Somalilanders, and other Somalis as well, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-46803413526921211362011-07-25T21:35:00.000-07:002011-07-25T21:37:43.810-07:00The following poem marks the terrorist attack that shocked the Norwegian people on July 22nd, 2011.Why Norway, why in this way?By Bashir GothWhy Norway, why in this way?Why? A question with no answerAs no answer fills the voidNo answer rises to decipherWhy Norway, why in this way?Why terror strikes without a thoughtWhy it devastates, demolishes, devoursWhy it raises hell that ends in naught?But Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-38211112441831304542011-07-17T09:26:00.000-07:002011-07-17T10:16:43.698-07:00Col Iyo Abaar - War & DroughtBy Bashir GothCol iyo Abaar, war and drought, were the historical enemies of the Somali people; the two disasters that played havoc with their nomadic life.The fear of these combined calamities was so engraved in the Somali psyche that it manifests itself in their prayers; Ilaahow Col Iyo Abaarba Naga Hay (O’ God spare us from both war and drought). There was also no Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-14478716822812496552011-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:002011-05-04T19:27:01.911-07:00Bin Laden’s death may end a painful era for the Muslim world By Bashir GothBin Laden is gone. He died as he wished to die, a martyr to some but to many others an evil incarnate who chose to live by the gun and surely died by the gun. But the nagging question is will the world be any different? Not so soon. As the Somalis say: Ayax teg, eelna reeb (gone is the locust, but it has left behind a Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-59469353625671382072011-03-08T09:34:00.000-08:002011-03-08T19:29:52.453-08:00A tale of two Shabab movements: Egyptian and Somali By Bashir GothAs I watched the youth-driven upheavals that have awoken the comatose Arab people into action to reclaim their dignity and their freedom, I could not help but compare the situation of the Facebook empowered youth that spearheaded the Egyptian revolution with the Al Qaeda inspired Somali youth Al Shabab. In the following paragraphs Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-40727385295327028332011-01-24T05:26:00.000-08:002011-01-24T05:52:53.103-08:00Mr.Silaanyo’s boomerang trajectory with free speechBy Bashir GothAs always; it has to start with gagging freedom of speech. Not bad governance and corruption and not even rampant ignorance, disease and poverty. It is the oppression of the freedom of speech that is the Mother of All Warnings that signals whether a regime is going down the slippery slope towards dictatorship or not. Just look at Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-21209485158717591832011-01-14T09:58:00.000-08:002011-01-14T10:02:57.900-08:00Somaliland: An alleged sexual deviant gets his day in courtBy Bashir Goth A court in Somaliland has found a German man guilty of making pornographic films of Somali women and has given him a four- year prison sentence and US$10,000 fine. This news story may raise some eyebrows or even evoke disdain from people who would dismiss the case as another botched trial from another infidel-obsessed Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-53424095926039022602010-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:002011-01-02T20:49:28.511-08:00A message to the Somali youth in 2011By: Bashir GothThe youth of my people, the future of the nation, I am addressing this letter to you as a person who grew up in a different era than yours. An era when stories about independence were still fresh; when feelings of Somali nationalism were stronger than clan loyalty; when we sang for a dreamland called Greater Somalia; an era when the blue Somali Bashirnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-17901147518459305202010-12-11T11:19:00.000-08:002010-12-11T11:21:12.699-08:00Haweenka Soomaaliyeed Waa Dheemanka Dalku U AayeyBy Bashir GothNin deeqba haweenle baan ahayHaddana dafiraaya baan ahay Dabeecado jaanle baan ahay ***Darbaal nin ku seexda baan ahayHaddana ka dillaalayaan ahayNin dayn lagu biiliyaan ahayDawaro ku xeraada baan ahayHaddana duhur jiifa baan ahay ***Duddada nin ka buuqa baan ahayDarroorrina joojin baan ahayDuqayda nin caaya baan ahayDigriiyo ku Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-48254278795180298982010-10-09T03:23:00.000-07:002010-10-09T03:25:20.305-07:00Suspending Universal TV turns more light on SomalilandBy Bashir Goth The suspension of the popular Universal TV by Somaliland Minister of Information is a classic example of an outsider eagerly yearning to close the door behind him once he entered his coveted palace. Abdillahi Geeljire was barking loud a long time from the outside of the government palace, dreaming one day that his barking would Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-48096791552627688882010-09-10T20:08:00.000-07:002010-09-10T20:12:21.904-07:00Shunning extremism on both sidesBashir GothBurning the Quran, what burning! As President Obama rightly said this is just “a stunt” and without the limelight given to it by the sensation-seeking, globalized media that makes a mountain out of a molehill, Pastor Terry Jones would have remained an unknown pastor holed up in his equally unknown Dove World Outreach Center.His prime objective was to Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-54427910442977128722010-09-08T10:55:00.000-07:002010-09-08T10:59:30.025-07:00Two roads, similar history – Awdal Road and Fairfax Country RoadBashir Goth, Washington D.C, Sept. 07, 2010It is more than 30 years since the people of Borama started their long journey for the building of the Borama-Dilla Road. They started their bidding in the early 1980s when the construction of the tarmac road coming from Hargeisa was abandoned at Dilla. Ever since, the elders of Awdal have Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-36997332072977765062010-08-28T15:15:00.000-07:002010-08-28T15:18:05.225-07:00Should Somaliland allow the formation of a unionist party?Bashir GothLudicrous idea, isn’t it? How can I suggest such a treacherous idea when I am known as an unflinching advocate for Somaliland’s independence and sovereignty? How could I dare even to utter the ugly U-word which I have denigrated so forcefully and irrevocably in many of my writings? I can see jaws dropping with bewilderment, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-22252446179216730812010-08-28T15:02:00.000-07:002010-08-28T15:15:13.938-07:00Mr. Cukusow Wax La Qariyo Qudhun Baa Ku JiraBashir GothSida aan ognahay waxa ay warbaahinta Somaliland fidisay digniin uu Afayeenka Madaxtooyada Somaliland Cabdillaahi Maxamed Daahir (Cukuse) uu u jeediyey saxaafadda isaga oo uga digay falanqaynta iyo faragalinta arrimaha Diinta iyo Qabiilooyinka.Ma aha markii ugu horreysay ee Cukuse uu isticmaalo erayga “digniin”. Waxana la yaab leh nin Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-13342801239228381632010-07-01T14:08:00.000-07:002010-07-01T14:15:56.435-07:00An open letter to Somaliland’s President-elect: Congratulations but take heedBy Bashir GothJuly 01, 2010Now that you have won the election; let me first congratulate you, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, on winning the long-awaited presidency. It has been indeed a long journey for you and you have shown the tenacity and the single-mindedness it takes to be focused on your goal. I have admired your Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-51332188262510560702010-06-08T08:35:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:47:11.647-07:00Ciddu Yey Didin – Maanso xisaabtan ah From a Poet’s Pen:By Bashir GothIt may seem unbecoming for a poet to take pains to elucidate his work for the general reader. And I may absolutely agree with Robert Penn Warren who said: “The poet is in the end probably more afraid of the dogmatist who wants to extract the message from the poem and throw the poem away than he is of the sentimentalist who Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-18100088467081329462010-05-09T09:00:00.000-07:002010-05-10T00:05:35.690-07:00Maalinta HooyadaI wrote the following song as a tribute to my mother on the occasion of the Mother's Day, 9th May 2010. My mother, Sheikha Rahma Egeh Dirir, was also my first teacher who taught me reading and writing and imbibed me on the beauty of the Somali literature and culture through her stories, lyrics and poetry that she used to tell me during my childhood. The song is also a tribute to Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-90779219888465262502010-04-09T06:08:00.000-07:002010-04-09T14:03:43.793-07:00Somali music between Maryan Ali’s refined taste and Al Shabab’s philistine manners By Bashir GothNever have I felt so much hope and gloom at the same time for Somali music; that wonderful aesthetic product by default of the otherwise harsh Somali pastoral life. Onboard a plane from Minneapolis to Washington DC, I read an interview that Professor Ahmed I. Samater conducted with Maryam Omar Ali, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-7741950443955996682010-03-24T05:44:00.000-07:002010-04-24T06:41:26.971-07:00Somaliland: America’s underestimated friendBy Bashir GothThink about Somalia and all that jumps to mind is the image of a lawless country where extremist forces have turned it into killing fields, where people are butchered, maimed and their dignities and human rights are trampled on in the name of a mangled Islam, where piracy is a lucrative business that brings brides and undreamed of wealth Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-34119159369763069392010-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:002010-02-24T08:54:29.142-08:00Ha Iga Ooyine Aamu(Waa hees ay cod qiiro leh inagu soo gaadhsiinayso Ubax-Fahmo)By Bashir GothCurashadii sannadkii 2008 markii caalamku u damaashaadayey soo dhaweynta sannadka cusub, waxan anigu xusuustay dadka Soomaaliyeedna ku booriyey in marka ay carruurtooda la dabaaldegayaan xusuustaan waxa dhib, dhiilo iyo ciil haysta carruurta iyo hooyooyinka dalkeenii, gaar ahaana magaalada Muqdisho, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-24992296881702986282010-01-03T10:44:00.000-08:002010-01-03T10:49:00.320-08:00Qasim Sh. Yusuf Ibrahim as I remember him By Bashir Goth“…Xiddigihii DilaadeeDaadanaayay waayadanMaantana qod baa dumayDabayshaygu soo furay…”These words were part of a poem I wrote on hearing the death of Haji Hersi Awale on January 16, 1982 but they stand true for the death of any important person anywhere. And they stand truer today for the death of my friend Qasim Sheikh Yusuf Ibrahim.It was Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-53613759158804098602009-10-09T16:06:00.000-07:002009-10-10T06:24:06.157-07:00Puntland’s media poodles versus watchdog mediaBy Bashir GothPuntland’s media poodles versus watchdog mediaWith the recent decision to suspend the reporters of VOA and ban VOA affiliate FM relay stations from broadcasting in its domain, the Administration of Somalia’s autonomous region of Puntland has shown its preference for supine media poodles to objective media watchdog. It seems Puntland Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-25870508643138457162009-09-29T21:13:00.000-07:002009-09-29T21:17:11.690-07:00Somaliland is rescued by foreign friends and a watchful media By Bashir Goth Sept. 28 , 2009 With its latest decision to extend or should I say reject the extension, depending on where one stands on Somaliland’s slippery political landscape, of the President’s term of office; the Somaliland Guurti (Upper House of Elders) have loosened the noose on all parties.As the political crisis Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-45497064360452167552009-09-11T22:29:00.000-07:002009-09-17T07:48:07.453-07:00An open letter to Mr. Dahir Rayale Kahin, President of Somaliland By Bashir GothMy cousin, Mr. President, let go with dignityAt the outset I should congratulate you on a work well done. Your overall performance is highly commendable, given to the difficult circumstances prevailing in the region and the insurmountable challenges you face at home. The fact that you have maintained the peace and Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-46557906168987252682009-04-16T08:54:00.001-07:002010-12-31T11:11:38.995-08:00America Balks On Cuba
By Bashir Goth
Lifting the Cuban travel ban is a commendable step but as I 'advised' President Obama in an earlier post, it's not enough. As Fidel Castro said, Cuba needs more than charity. Lifting the travel ban will no doubt benefit Cuban exiles and their families back home but it would leave the rest of the Cuban people out in the cold.
One can only admire the positive Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-74927306577146537872009-04-16T08:54:00.000-07:002009-04-16T08:57:12.880-07:00America Balks On CubaBy Bashir GothLifting the Cuban travel ban is a commendable step but as I 'advised' President Obama in an earlier post, it's not enough. As Fidel Castro said, Cuba needs more than charity. Lifting the travel ban will no doubt benefit Cuban exiles and their families back home but it would leave the rest of the Cuban people out in the cold. One can only admire the positive Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-74771742741691549992009-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:002009-02-06T12:33:40.447-08:00Goodbye to Awdalnews devoteesBy Bashir GothA goodbye often carries a dual meaning. On one side it conveys a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction and on the other it bears a harrowing feeling of depravation. It is with this mixed feeling that I would like to bid farewell to the devoted readers and valued contributors of Awdalnews.From the moment we launched and I took over its editorial Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-70507713978412598492009-02-06T10:37:00.001-08:002010-12-31T11:11:39.025-08:00Obama, Watch Your Words
By Bashir Goth
The biggest foreign policy mistake that Barack Obama could make during his honeymoon will be to follow the same political discourse of the Bush administration. Bush was plagued with language disaster. One of his first slips of the tongue was describing the war on terror as a crusade. This was a loaded word that inadvertently endorsed Samuel Huntington's Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-71703824723260033622009-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:002009-02-06T10:39:22.054-08:00Obama, Watch Your WordsBy Bashir GothThe biggest foreign policy mistake that Barack Obama could make during his honeymoon will be to follow the same political discourse of the Bush administration. Bush was plagued with language disaster. One of his first slips of the tongue was describing the war on terror as a crusade. This was a loaded word that inadvertently endorsed Samuel Huntington's Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-30824641113152896842009-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:002009-02-06T10:37:38.165-08:00Editorial: May Obama’s hope message touch every village By Bashir GothAs Obama takes office, an unprecedented wind of hope and optimism sweeps around the world. In fact, Obama recognized this in his inaugural speech:”And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of eachBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-68191482792090883892008-12-13T01:46:00.000-08:002008-12-13T01:51:39.499-08:00The Mumbai attacks call for a collective Muslim outrage By Bashir GothAs I watched terrorists attacking Mumbai, India’s business capital, and playing havoc with the city’s famous landmarks, on November 26, I immediately remembered Hargeisa, capital of my country Somaliland, where almost a month before suicide bombers caused chaos by driving SUVs laden with explosives to the presidential palaceBashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-71513828174758481472008-11-21T21:59:00.000-08:002008-11-21T22:06:17.782-08:00Dark Continent’s Colourful Fantasies After ObamaBy Bashir GothObama’s election as the 44th President of the United States has resounded throughout the African continent as it did in many other parts of the world.It was a definitive moment in history, an incredible dream come true for millions of African Americans, a shattering of a psychological Bastille for white Americans and indeed a triumph Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-89542901059126033422008-11-07T07:33:00.000-08:002008-11-07T07:38:13.296-08:00Obama Should Turn His Eyes Toward CubaBy Bashir GothWith the election of Barack Obama, America has set the record straight. The American people have said it loud and clear that they want a change of direction. They believed and supported Obamaʼs message of change. The American people have delivered and it is now Obamaʼs turn to deliver. He has to show that he can walk the walk; that he is not Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-70974564965333285252008-11-07T07:28:00.000-08:002008-11-07T07:38:59.830-08:00Editorial: Bombs will not subdue the resolve of Africa’s Cinderella By Bashir GothEighteen long years and Somaliland has been the beacon of hope in a turbulent region. Eighteen years during which Somaliland has written a success story of peace, stability, democratization and building of government institutions. Eighteen years of looking into the abyss but skirting all terrorist threats with Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-31011208187807382202008-10-11T21:26:00.000-07:002008-10-11T21:44:44.357-07:00Mr. Kipkorir: Annexing and dividing Somalia is a call for balkanization of Horn of Africa By Bashir GothAs the piracy of the Somali coast took a new and dangerous turn with the hijacking of a ship carrying T-72 Tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and other ammunition destined for Southern Sudan, a Kenyan lawyer had the audacity to call neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia to annex the hapless country Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-19846466052907456872008-10-11T21:22:00.000-07:002008-10-11T21:26:07.232-07:00Time to Share the Top Spot, AmericaBy Bashir GothThere is no doubt that this financial meltdown marks a defining moment for America's global influence. My guess is that America will weather this crisis, partly due to the government rescue plan and partly due to the ingenuity of the American people. But it is also my guess that the rest of the world may not be ready to undergo the same fear again Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-47608065189570005822008-09-28T14:18:00.000-07:002008-09-28T14:21:06.091-07:00Today's Capitalism Has Run Its CourseBy Bashir GothAs the free market economy makes a free fall, all kinds of prescriptions will come to mind, including socialism. A Somali proverb says: "Nin buka boql u talisay" (a sick man gets 100 advisers). Socialist-minded gurus and those who feel left behind by capitalism's unprecedented generation of wealth may need to shout "gotcha," but one thing that Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-4564990685692081772008-07-11T13:35:00.000-07:002008-07-11T13:37:39.708-07:00Bush Could Score Points in AfricaBy Bashir GothThe Current Discussion: The G-8 summit is Bush's last hurrah as a world leader. What's one thing he can do to strengthen his legacy?If there is one thing that President Bush can achieve in the dying days of his presidency, it should involve Africa. Everything else seems to be complex and too messed up to even think of fixing in the time available. Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-69939953306988912362008-07-03T13:33:00.000-07:002008-07-03T13:36:02.438-07:00UN Condemnation Too Little, Too LateBy Bashir GothAlthough one has to be delighted about this unprecedented unanimous condemnation of Robert Mugabe, one cannot also ignore that this has come too little too late. The world has been watching this African tyrant rob his people of their last dignity and turn a country that was once described as Africa’s bread basket into destitution. As I had stated Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-89459777749231536142008-06-15T12:00:00.000-07:002008-06-15T12:04:40.211-07:00PostGlobal Takes the World's PulseBy Bashir GothThe Current Discussion:PostGlobal celebrates its second birthday this week. Is there a growing global agenda -- that is, an agenda of issues being discussed that affects the world rather than individual countries? Or are local concerns still paramount?PostGlobal has tackled local issues with global perspective. Realizing the need for a common Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-57947766996743487442008-05-17T09:46:00.000-07:002008-05-17T09:53:50.336-07:00Somaliland overrides 17 years of underestimation By Bashir GothCome 15th of May and they have sworn on hell breaking lose; the naysayers. They trumpeted, with weird satisfaction, the imminent death of the Somaliland’s dream; the doom prophets. They misjudged our people’s wisdom, derided our nation’s resolve and underestimated their history; hired spin doctors. They used all kinds of scare Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-8611632228708878402008-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:002008-05-17T09:46:17.724-07:00The Affordable ChineseBy Bashir GothChina makes into way to the hearts and minds of developing countries by building roads, sports stadiums, national theatres and water wells. Chinese businessmen come to Africa, for example, with a spade, hammer and cash in one hand and their cheap merchandise and business deals in the other. Mention America, and people will immediately think of its firepower; Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-78609880180241381652008-05-02T23:17:00.000-07:002008-05-02T23:21:27.596-07:00Welcome winds of change across the dark continentBY BASHIR GOTH (Inside AfricaFROM Darfur to Zimbabwe and from Somalia to the Great Lakes, there is a new wind of change blowing over Africa. Looking at the map of the continent, one may conclude that Africa is destined to bleed.If not by foreign powers pillaging its wealth and robbing its future workforce, it is home grown tyrants that suck its Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-66730049151507707632008-05-02T23:11:00.000-07:002008-05-02T23:22:39.394-07:00An open letter to Somaliland By Bashir GothAn open letter to: - President Dahir Rayale Kahin, President of Somaliland - Chairman Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo, Chairman of Kulmiye party - Chairman Faisal Ali Waraabe, Chairman of UCID party - Speakers of the houses and Members of the two houses - Somaliland Election Commission - People of Somaliland In Somaliland, peace is our home. Our people have Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-92232171855303836562008-03-20T11:12:00.000-07:002008-03-20T11:14:56.680-07:00A veiled Muslim view of artby Bashir Goth18 March 2008The reappearance in the media of the Danish cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad, following the arrest of three Muslims accused of planning to kill one of the cartoonists, has re-opened the debate on art and freedom of expression between the West and the Muslim world. It is unfortunate that violent demonstrations in different parts of the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-89561332335676676442008-03-18T12:31:00.000-07:002008-03-18T12:37:42.588-07:00U.S. All Talk and No Action on Human RightsBy Bashir GothThe Current Discussion: The U.S. State Dept. says China's no longer one of the world's worst human rights offenders. Are they right?Does it matter, one might ask, whether the U.S spills tons of ink accusing China of all kinds of human rights violations or absolves China of any wrongdoing at all? For many years, the U.S. State Dept. was Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-49975379778851487302008-02-01T06:54:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:56:22.941-08:00Wake up, Mr. President. Wake up!By Bashir GothWake up, Mr. President. Wake up! Don’t be deceived by your cozy palace, the luxurious sofas and the glorification by your lackeys. No Mr. President, if your cronies tell you everything is fine and people are enjoying their life, it is not true. Sometimes, Mr. President you need to stretch your legs and go out walking in the countryside. It is not onlyBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-51011946653874567112008-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:54:25.760-08:00Qudbigii SuugaantaBy Bashir GothA tribute to Hassan Sheikh MuminLanguage fails me in trying to write a tribute to an eminent and enigmatic playwright like Hassan Sheikh Mumin. A man of unfathomable and versatile philosophy, a superbly creative and lucid style, a prophetic vision and cultural connoisseur who dived to the deepest depths of the language and adorned words with different hues and Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1557952158945586342008-02-01T06:36:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:49:14.200-08:00Book review: Whose World Is It Anyway? The Fallacy of IslamophobiaAuthor: Shamis HusseinReviewed by: Bashir GothGiven the deluge of writings prompted by the war on terrorism or the Clash of Civilizations as some may like to believe, I could have easily dismissed the above title as another cliché of one of the countless hordes of Muslim apologetics and Al-Qaeda sympathizers who see light in every Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-84039676340678131402008-01-23T12:11:00.000-08:002010-12-31T11:11:27.523-08:00Not Just Pakistan's ProblemBy Bashir GothThe Question: After Benazir Bhutto's assassination on Thursday, what's next for Pakistan?Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan’s strongest voice against terrorism and military dictatorship in Pakistan. After her assassination, the country’s fate has been thrown into the unknown.A look at Benazir’s latest statements gave us a glimpse of just how much of a threat she Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-69029118336588323092008-01-23T12:07:00.000-08:002008-01-23T12:10:08.727-08:00Occu-berationBy Bashir GothThe Current Discussion: Australians are voting online for a "Word of the Year" from a list of new words to be included in the dictionary: among the frontrunners, "Chindia", "globesity," and "password fatigue." Create your favorite new word of the year that tells us something about trends in your country.Somalilandracy: A self-declared independent country that Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-63518623840824870602008-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:002008-01-23T12:07:08.344-08:00Dear Candidates: Lead, Don't LootBy Bashir GothThe Question: The U.S. starts to choose a president this week. If you could send the candidates one message, what would it be?My message would be simple and clear: Use the great American values of liberty, equality, and human dignity for all that are enshrined in the American Constitution. This is what attracts the world to America. It is the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-39872787682421126162008-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:002010-12-31T11:11:27.527-08:00Dear Candidates: Lead, Don't LootBy Bashir GothThe Question: The U.S. starts to choose a president this week. If you could send the candidates one message, what would it be?My message would be simple and clear: Use the great American values of liberty, equality, and human dignity for all that are enshrined in the American Constitution. This is what attracts the world to America. It is the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-20322486538796387932007-12-27T23:23:00.000-08:002007-12-27T23:26:07.783-08:00Not Just Pakistan's ProblemBy Bashir GothBenazir Bhutto was Pakistan’s strongest voice against terrorism and military dictatorship in Pakistan. After her assassination, the country’s fate has been thrown into the unknown.A look at Benazir’s latest statements gave us a glimpse of just how much of a threat she was to the extremists. She didn’t mince words in stating loudly and clearly her intentionBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-75047900765086952662007-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:002011-08-11T03:52:58.363-07:00Spare A Moment
By Bashir Goth
Dear Somalis
In the diaspora
Dear sisters
Dear brothers
When celebrating Eid
When sauntering in Christmas
Spare a moment
When showering gifts
On your lucky children
Spare a moment
When you heap them
In new clothes
In Nike shoes
Spare a moment
When admiring their smiles
In peaceful lands
In beautiful parks
Spare a moment
When you spoil themBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-30125859548862979932007-12-20T08:23:00.000-08:002008-01-23T12:31:54.921-08:00My Choice: None of the AboveBy Bashir GothIn the face of the resounding chorus for action against global warming, it may be tantamount to self-immolation to say anything negative against the campaign to fight climage change. One may not even dare to raise his voice for fear of becoming a victim to inquisiton by the brigades of climate change cheerleaders. Despite that, I must risk refusing to Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-22738814674229839632007-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:002007-12-06T07:19:06.043-08:00Immigration Reform Means Rethinking AfricaBy Bashir GothEarlier this week, news reports carried the tragic story of 64 Somali-Ethiopian would-be immigrants who drowned off the coast of Yemen. A UAE paper also reported the story of two teenage Ethiopian boys who were found near starvation in a shipping container in Dubai. The 14- and 15-year-old boys had each paid US$1000, which they saved over Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-79502707474257166612007-12-06T07:14:00.000-08:002007-12-06T07:16:44.957-08:00The Internet is proving to be mightier than dictators and terrorists in Somalia By Bashir GothThe old adage of the pen being mightier than sword is haunting the regime of Somalia’s Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG). With more than eight radio journalists killed in 2007 and President Abdillahi Yusuf’s regime resorting to draconian rules to silence the free press, it seems Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-41618329376097793942007-12-06T07:11:00.000-08:002007-12-06T07:14:12.324-08:00Pakistan to America: Keep Out Bashir GothI agree with David Ignatius’ conclusion in his latest column that “…changing Pakistan is a job for Pakistanis, and history suggests that the more we meddle, the more likely we are to get things wrong.” In the Muslim world, it is history that shapes people’s perceptions of political situations. Unlike people in the West, who view emerging political Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-66522425686605160012007-10-15T13:33:00.000-07:002011-12-19T20:37:56.295-08:00Kulmiye Manifesto (Maanafiistada Kulmiye) By Bashir GothThe following lyric is a satirical piece that mirrors the political strategy of Kulmiye Party. It is a parody of the famous folklore lyric “Eddooy Waa Ayo” sung by Awdal women during weddings and festivals. We apologize to the folklore connoisseurs and to women artistes. Heestan soo socotaa waxay muraayad u tahay hab siyaasadeedka Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-67237486933924492912007-08-03T12:25:00.000-07:002007-08-03T12:27:56.530-07:00Turk Leaders Religious, but Economy StrongBy Bashir GothThe minute the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was declared, Turkey's stock market jumped to a record high. The local business community welcomed the AKP victory as a choice of stability and continued economic prosperity over instability and chaos, while foreign investors hailed the AKP government's handling of the economyBashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-61501473552241817902007-08-03T12:23:00.000-07:002007-08-03T12:25:45.381-07:00Faisal Waraabe got it right By Bashir GothAs Somaliland slides towards tribal fragmentation in the run up to the presidential elections to be held early 2008, there is only one politician who has been correctly reading the signs of the impending doom and warning people against falling into the abyss. Contrary to his brand rhetorical gaffes, Faisal Ali Waraabe has lately been using his words Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-41389771496761373582007-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:002007-07-31T21:20:40.226-07:00Don't Treat Russia like a Third World CountryBy Bashir GothAnswering this question led me to consider several other questions: "Why does the West treat Russia like a Third World country? Why, whenever Russia cooperates in one area, does the West demand an arm and a leg in others?" Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has tried to ingratiate itself with the West, sometimes at the expense of its Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-38782799807593263332007-07-20T03:17:00.000-07:002007-07-20T03:19:25.190-07:00Progress by Whose Standards?By Bashir GothAny claim of progress in Iraq may prompt the unavoidable question “progress by whose standards?” The White House’s claim is clear: by the standards of an administration that sold the invasion of Iraq as a war of liberation; that claimed that Saddam was a breath away from producing weapons of mass destruction and was part of a notorious Axis of Evil; that Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-73075803478407099722007-07-17T05:59:00.000-07:002007-07-17T06:02:18.839-07:00Djibouti: plying smoothly in troubled watersBy Bashir Goth, Khaleej Times, 17 July 2007=THE Horn of African Republic of Djibouti has celebrated its 30th independence anniversary bearing the hallmarks of becoming the Dubai of East Africa. But this former French colony, perched on the Gulf of Aden at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, did not show any potential for future development when it Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-13210742176779176682007-07-16T12:51:00.000-07:002007-07-16T12:54:44.701-07:00Men Die for Other Men, Not for GodBy Bashir GothHard as it may seem, I can understand people rejecting change and determined to continue to live as the Prophet lived in the 14th century. But what I cannot understand is how they are able to twist the words and actions of the Prophet, in whom they so vehemently believe, and commit such inhuman crimes in his name.There are in fact a number of Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-14498712434030748112007-07-03T11:56:00.000-07:002007-07-03T11:58:20.792-07:00Muslims Also Feel Unsafe, But Go AWOLBy Bashir GothAnger, frustration and helplessness; this is the feeling of the majority of sound-minded Muslims and Arabs I spoke to over the last few days. With people in the Middle East starting their summer vacations, many of them dread the harassment, humiliation and abuse waiting for them in Western airports. If it is difficult for the West to answer the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-65188978218156349702007-06-29T21:38:00.000-07:002007-06-29T21:41:17.287-07:00Marshall Plan for PalestineBy Bashir GothIn a previous piece I wondered what deal Tony Blair made with George Bush to be so subservient to him despite his seemingly superior intelligence. With his new position, I think the answer has come more quickly than I expected. Other than lucrative retirement benefits and keeping him in the limelight alongside his master, I don’t see what Blair can achieveBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-2544771333667465692007-06-26T11:02:00.000-07:002007-06-26T11:06:01.069-07:00Not the First Accused of BlasphemyBy Bashir GothBritain knighted Salman Rushdie like many British citizens before him, honored for their service to Britain. To honor Rushdie as a writer for his contribution to literature is a commendable initiative. This is purely a British affair and has nothing to do with any other people or creed.To protest against what the UK does or doesn’t do for its own Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-84573124016757980002007-06-24T10:42:00.000-07:002007-06-24T10:44:38.383-07:00Self-Righteous Obsession DehumanizesBy Bashir GothThe tragedy of Alan Johnston and many other Western journalists before him who were either kidnapped or slaughtered in cold blood is not about neutrality or journalistic objectivity; it is about a people living in religious obsession losing their minds. The Muslim world is tangled in benighted hatred of the West. Even the dividing line between Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-6779128086773481132007-06-16T10:33:00.000-07:002007-06-16T10:36:58.480-07:00Will the Awdal Convention 2007 match Haji Nur’s feat ?By Bashir GothA Somali proverb says: “Meel hoo u baahan hadal wax kama taro”, roughly meaning (Talking will not satisfy where giving is needed.) Somalis are experts in talking; they can talk from here to eternity with beautiful rhetoric, marshalling long-winded rhapsodies from the fathomless wisdom of the poetic Somali language. They try to Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-8066311855658900732007-06-16T10:30:00.000-07:002007-06-16T10:33:08.893-07:00Better Feral Beasts than Ignoble LackeysBy Bashir GothLook who’s talking about sensationalism. Someone should remind Tony Blair that it was not the media but his government that “sexed up” intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction -- famously known as the September Dossier -- amplifying lie after lie to stir up support for a war against the non-existent danger of Saddam Hussein’s Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-90226707756469772642007-06-16T10:23:00.000-07:002007-06-16T10:30:28.830-07:00Only Human to Believe Good IntentionsBy Bashir GothWe live in a world where celebrities are placed on a high pedestal; where glamour replaces saintliness; a world where the mass media projects Hollywood stars as the icons of perfection; where children around the world dream of becoming tomorrow’s Oprahs and Barrymores more than Nobel prize winners advancing human knowledge, even more than Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-2768069456931542812007-05-18T23:49:00.000-07:002007-05-18T23:57:23.244-07:00Somailand's Hedgehog Attitude Will PrevailBy Bashir GothYes, it has been 16 long, arduous and lonely years since we reclaimed our sovereignty on May 18, 1991. Yes, the recognition that we have aspired to achieve may seem as distant as ever. Yes, detractors have called us and still call us all kinds of names. Yes, enemies who are hell bent on breaking our will and sowing discord among our people Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-14895228916255854272007-05-18T23:47:00.000-07:002007-05-18T23:49:51.114-07:00Gulf: Iran's the Enemy, America's OKBy Bashir GothIt is human nature for disadvantaged people to hate anybody with absolute power or unlimited wealth. America has both absolute power and unlimited wealth. It may, however, be the U.S.’s foreign policy and muscle flexing which attract the wrath, rather than its wealth or power per se.In the Arab world, Palestine is the predominant issue that has Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-21688205113194572012007-05-16T10:18:00.000-07:002007-05-16T10:21:27.170-07:00In on a Stallion, Out with Tail between LegsBY BASHIR GOTHTony Blair came into power like a hero on a galloping stallion, young and zealous to change the Labour Party and the world. He was a man shedding his youthful socialist ideals and coming to grips with Thatcherite economic realities. He clicked with his equally media savvy and more politically suave counterpart in the White House, Bill Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-3694448179808196492007-05-11T08:24:00.000-07:002007-05-11T08:28:48.158-07:00Elected Islamists Can Be TamedBY BASHIR GOTHFor most of the Arab and Islamic world, the Bush administration’s boycott of the Palestinian Hamas-led government stands as the epitome of hypocrisy. America pushed for democracy in the Middle East, and in Palestine that’s what it got. But contrary to what it envisioned, elections across the region have brought Islamists to power.It’s no secret that Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-14825467973186740202007-05-08T23:22:00.000-07:002007-05-08T23:31:57.287-07:00Nostalgia for Swords and HeroesBY Bashir GothI am not a fan of hereditary rule. I would rather live in a place where every child can dream of being able to reach the highest position of power. A place where even immigrants and children of immigrant parents such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy can find an open field to compete and achieve their goals through ambition, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-91412024358723694512007-04-24T00:39:00.000-07:002007-04-24T00:42:03.059-07:00The Somali untouchablesBy Bashir Goth, 24 April 2007 IF YOU think that Dalits (untouchables) exist only in India think again. We have them in Somalia. But what makes the situation of ours even worse is that unlike India where people belong to different races, languages and colours; Somalia is the most homogenous country in Africa with people belonging to a single race and sharing a common Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-44386554738196678722007-04-12T14:55:00.000-07:002007-04-13T08:56:11.494-07:00Why Ethiopia is welcome in Hargeisa, not in Mogadishu? By Bashir Goth, April 12, 2007= Somaliland opposition leaders seem to have lost their political campus since the Ethiopian-backed Federal Transitional Government (TFG) routed the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu. Forgetting that Somaliland depends on Ethiopia for its bread and butter, they started criticizing it albeit indirectly for what they Bashirnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-42337480427345357612007-03-25T08:35:00.000-07:002007-03-25T08:40:13.423-07:00Even First World Pardons Their KingsBy Bashir GothIn my opinion there is no judicial system in the entire world that is independent of political influence. Yes, hypothetically, the expression judicial independence is beautifully written into almost every constitution of the UN member states. But experience has taught us that it is politics that rules in the provision of justice.If anything, ThirdBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-41152588596821774682007-03-22T15:17:00.000-07:002007-03-22T15:20:22.287-07:00March 22, 2007=Editorial - Somalia is dead thanks to Hawiye savagery By Bashir Goth They did it again, the Hawiye clans. But this time even the gruesome loving Al Jazeera TV shied away from showing the grisly pictures of barbaric mobs dragging, beating and burning dead bodies of Somali and Ethiopian soldiers in the streets of Mogadishu. This is a horrific action that is beyond belief. We were Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-59725594506796355602007-03-15T13:20:00.000-07:002007-03-15T13:24:05.908-07:00Let us privatise UN operations for better resultsBy Bashir GothTHE new UN Secretary General is fortunate enough to have come at a time when the US failures in Iraq and Afghanistan have mellowed American unilateralist tendencies and pushed the world agenda back to the UN corridors.The increasing US reliance on international consensus on Iran and North Korea’s nuclear issues as well as its Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-42208501361318807572007-03-08T12:53:00.000-08:002007-03-08T12:58:28.000-08:00Editorial - Somaliland people will tolerate no more - March 07, 2007 - 15:18 By Bashir GothSomaliland is often marketed as the darling of Africa; an oasis of peace and stability in a volatile region; a unique example of a homegrown democracy; and a country of resilient people crying for international justice. As true and uncontestable as this may be, it represents only one side of the coin.The Bashirnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-91027960959860184212007-03-08T03:29:00.000-08:002007-03-08T03:33:09.332-08:00Climate change concern: Too little, too lateBy Bashir Goth.BODY of 2500 scientists had recently gathered in Paris and made a clarion call about an impending climate disaster, noting the likelihood of human activities led by burning fossil fuels causing most of the warming over the past 50 years.Among other things, the report warns of a new ice age engulfing the earth, while hurricanes, droughts Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-40216388262538321882007-03-08T03:25:00.000-08:002007-03-08T03:29:22.655-08:00Islam Also to Blame for Prizing White SkinBy Bashir GothJust like everything else, perceptions of sexiness have globalized. Hollywood movies, the fashion industry, MTV and Miss World beauty contests have set universal standards for female sexual appeal. It is in this context that Arab and African men have come to measure the beauty of their women. But the pressure on women to meet men’s Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-67657666268966921832007-02-13T12:07:00.000-08:002007-02-13T12:10:57.159-08:00Questioning Bashir Goth, Editor of Awdal NewsWhat has been the cost of conflict in Somalia?The cost of conflict in Somalia can be summed up in one word; the death of a country. Somalia doesn’t exist as a nation state. Its name is found in the ledgers of the United Nations, it is mentioned in UN resolutions once in a while, but the country literally does not exist. It is like a fairy tale that Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-82193878817658834262007-02-12T08:05:00.000-08:002007-02-12T08:04:58.947-08:00America Is Colonizing Us QuietlyBy Bashir GothChina is doing what the West failed to do. The West colonized Africa, robbed its natural wealth and left a spoiled continent behind. Africa traded its original lifestyle for a European one but didn’t have the means to sustain it. It was a textbook recipe for parasitism, corruption and banana republics. European colonial powers also planted the seeds Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1169874573350063402007-01-26T21:06:00.000-08:002007-01-26T21:12:21.360-08:00Don't Judge; We All Prostitute OurselvesBy Bashir GothWhen “prostitution” is mentioned, the first thing that comes to most peoples’ minds is sexual prostitution, selling one’s body for money. Next, we moralize, turning into preachers and issuing fatwas. We forget, however, that we all engage in prostitution of one form or another.Sexual prostitutes who trade their bodies for money to survive, Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1169233717534944482007-01-19T11:05:00.000-08:002007-01-19T11:10:03.360-08:00Somalia UpdateBy Bashir Goth After the ouster of the Union of Islamic Courts by Ethiopian forces, the Somali Transitional Government, TFG, seems to be in control of the situation. It acted quickly to impose martial law, started collecting weapons and formed a governing body to supervise the capital's return to normalcy. The most significant victory, however, was the arrival of the TFG President Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1168023928932350492007-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:002007-01-05T11:06:23.273-08:00Somaliland Will Be RecognizedBy Bashir GothSomalia/UAE - Contrary to what pundits say about an Iraq scenario tearing up Somalia, I believe the quick withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces from Somalia and the speedy deployment of African peacekeeping forces with international financial backing will bring peace and stability to Somalia under a strong central government for the first time in 16 Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1167463442274706372006-12-29T23:21:00.000-08:002007-01-02T08:49:24.916-08:00Time for dhikr and music By Bashir GothPhew! Good riddance! The nightmare is over. Yes, I mean the Union of Islamic Courts, UIC. They had their day under the sun and they blew it. They had the support of all Somali people when they stormed to power, routed the notorious warlords, restored peace in Mogadishu, opened the airports and seaports, started addressing looted property issues and began Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1167463304171344052006-12-29T23:20:00.000-08:002006-12-29T23:21:44.376-08:00Middle East's Misery PoetryBy Bashir GothLooking at the situation of the Middle East; from Palestine, Lebanon to Iraq; and further a field from Sudan's Darfur to Somalia and Afghanistan, the only wisdom that rushes to my memory is the classic children's nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and the king's men Couldn't put Humpty togetherBashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1167167051449888412006-12-26T13:01:00.000-08:002006-12-26T13:04:12.383-08:00Somalia Islamists Should Be StoppedBy Bashir Goth Somalia for Somalis! Let them run their country as they please. Easy words to say but difficult to accept when it means beheading people for not praying five times a day, chopping hands of those who steal to stay alive in a country where mere survival is a lifelong ambition. Difficult to accept when women are shrouding and denied to breathe fresh Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1165771856097936672006-12-10T09:26:00.000-08:002006-12-25T18:19:06.603-08:00The Apocalyptic WhistleBy Bashir GothWashington Post/Postglobal--Ruth Shanor, an octogenarian American friend of mine who observes the world from her little home in Cowpens, South Carolina, and reads my Postglobal pieces, wrote to me after learning about the release of the Baker-Hamilton report on Iraq:"Dear Bashir, I have a whistling tea kettle. When I want a cup of tea I put the kettle on the Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1164913628650588842006-11-30T11:04:00.000-08:002006-11-30T11:07:08.676-08:00Islamism Rode Democracy's Wave By Bashir GothSomalia/UAE - The Muslim world heeded Washington's call for democratic change, and ushered Islamists in. This may be leaving a bitter taste in Bush's mouth.It all started with Egypt where the Muslim Brotherhood won a record number of seats in the Egyptian parliament, followed by the landslide victory of Hamas in the first Palestinian free and fair Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-1164740028433784252006-11-28T10:46:00.000-08:002006-11-30T11:09:18.696-08:00The Khat and the CaliphateBy Bashir GothSomaliland Times"A word of truth used with an ill intention" is a maxim attributed to Imam Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam. This was the first thing that came to mind when I read about the Mogadishu Islamists' decision to ban Khat, the narcotic stimulant, that millions of Somalis use as a pastime and for generating income to feed millions of children in a Bashirnoreply@blogger.com0