Wake up, Mr. President. Wake up!
By Bashir Goth
Wake 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 only good for your health, but it is good for your governance. Because, Mr. President, you will find the truth, the naked truth. The truth that thousands of nomadic people, living from Jidhi to Cali Xaydh, have lost their entire herds in devastating rains and cold waves of weather that hit the area. Tens of people have lost their sight, while many others are suffering from hypothermia. These people, Mr. President, are still in the mercy of nature. Just like sitting ducks, they are waiting nature to decide their fate. They have no clothes, no shelter, nowhere to seek refugee. Their children, suckling mothers and elderly people have nothing to eat and nothing to protect them from the biting cold and torrential rains.
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Qudbigii Suugaanta: A tribute to Hassan Sheikh Mumin by Bashir Goth

Language 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 layers of meaning.

But instead of trying to capture the essence of his works and his personality in prose, a risk that I will engage in sometime in the future, I found it easier now to resort to Somali poetry, which comes as natural as drinking milk as Hassan has brilliantly expressed in his “…Afkii Qalaad ha moodin, Carrabku qaldi maayee, sidii caanaha qudhqudhiyaay.”

It is therefore, by turning to the beauty of the Somali language, a language that Hassan has fashioned and enriched through his brilliant dramas, mesmerizing melodies and masterly knowledge that I will try to describe the literary void that his departure has created.

***



Tixdan oo aan ka tiriyey geeridii Abwaan Xasan Sheekh Muumin waxay taataabanaysaa kaalintii suugaaneed ee uu abwaanku kaga jiray halabuurka Soomaaliyeed. Xasan wuxu ahaa tiirarka ugu waaweyn ee riwaayadyahanka Soomaaliyeed, isaga oo si gaara ugu tilmaanaa doorka uu ka qaato wacyigelinta, gaar ahaan dhiirri gelinta tacliinta iyo naqdiga aafooyinka bulshada. Wuxu ahaa nin afka ku xarragooda oo sarbeebtiisu xambaarsan tahay falsafad gundheer oo uu si farshaxanimo leh uu uga soo mullaaxdo suugaanta hiddaha iyo dhaqanka. Xasan wuxu ku geeriyooday magaalada Oslo, Norway, 16 January 2008, waxana lagu aasay magaalada Boorama, Somaliland, 26 January 2008. 

Qudbigii suugaanta
 
Duniyeey qadaraleey
Qabar xumi ma oolee
Maantana qab baa dhacay
Qaylaa habeen timid
Ababshihii qoraalkiyo
Qodinkii aqoontiyo
Qudbigii suugaantiyo
Gorod baa la qaadoo
Qaddarkii haleeloo
Qalinkiisi joogsaday 

***

Qorraxduu ahaa iyo
Qaxootiga madaw iyo
Qorfuhuu ku lee’daa
Qalbigay maroorshoo
Hiygaan ka qawdhamay 

***
Allaylehe qod baa dhacay
Qaran baa habeensaday
Afka qiimihiisiyo
Suugaantu qurux iyo
Waxay qara lahayd iyo
Qudbigeedii baa tegey
Qalinkiyo tawaadii
Quudinaayey baa lumay 


***
Af Soomali qurux badan
Oo qaayo loo dhilay
Far xariira lagu qoray
Qudbigii hadduu tegay
Ayaa soo qormaynoo
Sidii qayli darartiyo
Qaabil caanaheedii
Waayeel qulbaayiyo
Qudhqudhsiin dhallaankii 

***
Murtideena qaniga ah
Sheekooyin qaydhiin
Sida aale qadaw iyo
Qooqaani roobi iyo
Qodaalkii dhulkeenii
Ku quwaystay oo baxay
Yaa qaniini oo jabin
Oo quud macaan iyo
Qumbo malab ka fuuqsani 

***
Quruumaha wixii dhacay
Ilaa qaafo soo jiray
Taariikhda qaabka ah
Qasnadeeda yaa furi
Oo luul ka soo qubi
Ayaa dheeman qaaliyaa
Kolba meel ka soo qodi
Kuul qubatay caynkeed
Qawyada habeenkii
Kolba qaar ka soo heli 

***
Ayaa qaaxo iyo cudur
Huuryo iyo qaniiniyo
Xumihii qarsoonee
Nin dantii quminayaa
Ku qadhaabanaayiyo
Wixii qooma aadmiga
Ee qabkiisa dhaawaca
Ayaa qeexi oo dhili
Oo sarbeeb ku kala qali 

***
Yaa jacayl ku qaydaran
Buuraha qarkoodiyo
Qod laalay ku yaaliyo
Hulo qaabo-qawsayn
Dabayluhu qulqulayaan
Tixa loo qiyaasiyo
Qormo macallin weyn iyo
Liishaan ku soo qaban
Sida kuul qardhaasa leh
Qalanjooyin loo bogay
Qoortooda soo sudhi
Qalbigooga soo luli 

***
Inta uu Qurbaankiyo
Quraan ruuggu ducadiyo
Qaadkiyo lubaankiyo
Meerinaayo quulada 

***
Inaguna qushuuc iyo
Hawraar u qalantiyo
Gaby qiimo weyn iyo
Aan qasiido goynoo
Dikri aan u qaadnee 

***
Qummanow saciidiyo
Xaddiyo qalweeyoo
Beylow qaraamida
Soo qabo halkeedoo 

***
Qalabkuu jecelaa iyo
Kamankii ha quustoo
Muusigu ha qululoo
Qaaliyada dhulkeeniyoo
Oslo qoorigeediyo
Qoomka soo koraayiyo
Qaaradaha ha gaadhoo 

***
Codkii qaaligiiyuu
Qururxdiisa joojuu
Qajeel soo gardaadshiyo
Hibo ha ugu qaadee 

***
Mawliidow qormeeyoo
Xadhig bilan ka qaadoo 

***
Qabnadii warkiisiyo
Sheekadiisa qubantii
Xertii gaacidaydaay
Kaalayoo ila qalindara. 

- By Bashir Goth, 23 Jan. 2008.
- Email: bsogoth@yahoo.com
-----------------------------
Fiiro Gaara: Halabuuurka iyo fanaaniinta aan magacdooda tixda ku xusay waa dad saaxiibaday ah oo aan murti-wadaag hore lahayn iyo qaar jacaylka suugaanta iyo fanku na kulmiyey. Waxaanay kala yihiin:

1.     Siciid Cabdillaahi Iimaan: Waa Abwaan ku nool dalka Imaaraadka Carabta horena aan uga wada qayb galay silsiladdii Xaamiim.

2.     Daahir Maxamuud Xaddi: waa Abwaan ku nool Somaliland ahna Guddoomiyaha Waxbarashada Gobolka Awdal, horena aan uga wada qayb galay silsiladdii Xaamiim.

3.     Dr. Cabdiraxmaan Bayle: waa nin aan jeclayn in lagu tilmaamo Abwaan laakiin suugaanta curiya, ururiya oo jecel, waana dhaqaale yahan ka shaqeeya Bangiga Afrika, dhawaana wuxu tiriyey heesta Qaylo Dhaan ee uu u tiriyey tiiraanyada Calanka Soomaaliyeed haysata.

4.     Axmed Xasan Caynaan (Mawliid): waa fanaan ku xeel dheer tumista kamanka, waana ninka uu Xudaydi yidhi waxan ku wareejay dhaxalkii kamanka, wuxuna ku nool yahay Imaaraadka Carabta.

5.     Hibo Maxamed Hoddoon (Hibo Nuura): waa fanaanada caanka ee ku soo baxday riwaayaddii Shabeel Naagood ee Xasan Sheekh Muumin sameeyey. Hibo iyada ayaa qaaday heesaha ugu badan ee Xasan tiriyey, waxaanay ku soo kortay guriga Abwaanka yaraanteedii.

---

© 2008 Awdalnews Network

Book review: Whose World Is It Anyway? The Fallacy of Islamophobia
Author: Shamis Hussein
Reviewed 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 crime committed by Muslim extremists and evil intention in every action that comes from the West.

But one thing that enticed me to flip through the pages of the book before I even committed myself to seriously reading it let alone reviewing it was the author’s name: Shamis Hussein, a Somali woman’s name. It is therefore the idea of a Somali woman taking on the neo-conservative heavyweight thinkers and modern scholarly connoisseurs such as Bernard Lewis, Samuel Huntington, Francis Fukuyama and Charles Krauthammer to mention only a few that raised my curiosity.

Another catching point was the author’s claim of objectivity in an innovative way by describing herself as being a daughter of a judge imbued with an egalitarian background and a strong sense of law and justice. Equally appealing also was the way she set the tone for her ensuing argument with a classical Somali poem that vividly describes the disastrous results of arrogance, which in the author’s eyes is symbolized by Bush-Blair alliance against the Muslim world.

READ MORE in Awdalnews, Radiohadhwanaag

Not Just Pakistan's Problem
By Bashir Goth
The 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 was to the extremists. She didn’t mince words in stating loudly and clearly her intention of cleansing Pakistan of Islamic extremists and terrorists.

Ann Curry of The Today Show wondered aloud why Bhutto was risking her life by returning to Pakistan. She told the former Prime Minister, “You're a mother of three. You could be living in London fine. You don't have to do this.”

Benazir replied, “Look into the eyes of the people who came to receive me at the airport, the joy, the happiness, the singing, the dancing, before the terrorists struck. They were celebrating my return because they want hope. If I don't come back, the 160 million people of Pakistan won't have hope of a future free from terrorism, a future in which there will be democracy.”


She didn’t hide behind euphemism in her objection to Pakistan falling into the hands of Islamists:

“The militants want an Islamist takeover of Pakistan,” she said in the same interview. “They have to be stopped. I have a choice to keep silent and to allow the extremists to do what they're doing, or have a choice to stand up and say, ‘This is wrong. And I'm going to try to save my country.’ And I have taken the second choice.”

READ MORE in Washington Post

Occu-beration
By Bashir Goth
The 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 establishes peace and security within its borders without much international help; abides by all rules of democracy and international law but not recognized by the international community. The name is derived from the case of , known by academics as Africa’s best kept secret.


Occuberation: when foreign forces occupy a country under the pretext of liberating it from the ruling regime with the consent or silence of the international community while the natives of the country see themselves as an occupied nation. Examples are Iraq and Somalia.


Hillaries (Hillary’s tears): when a politician, or anyone else for that matte,r breaks into tears to attract sympathy from voters or audience.

Noneoliday: when a country, usually a developing one, declares a holiday for security reasons due to the arrival of important foreign leaders. This happened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the OPEC Summit in November and it again happened in Dubai during the visit of President Bush on January 14, 2008.

Kenyan way: when a sitting president rigs and officiates his victory in a hastily arranged ceremony to deny the other party any room to maneuver.


Nullmuslim (nullmuslims) Regular Muslims who have been disfranchised by the Islamist extremists who commit heinous crimes in the name of their religion, crimes that Nullmuslims are unable to do anything about. Nullmuslims have been declared null and void by the extremists who have hijacked their religion and made them voiceless.

Climatedoomer (climatedoomers): Those who see global warming as a human-caused doomsday that will bring life on earth to an end.

READ MORE in Washington Post

Dear Candidates: Lead, Don't Loot
By Bashir Goth
The 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 illusion of realizing this dream that appeals to people all over the world and makes America the land of opportunity. America defeated the Communist world not by force but by propagating these ideals through its powerful media, through its corporate culture and its liberal trade.

In Africa, it was the Peace Corps teachers that left the greatest impression on the minds of the generation that grow up in the 1960s and 70s. They not only taught the youth, but they intermingled with them, they learned their culture, some of them even married local people and a number of them became scholars in the cultural areas in which they worked.

America is at its best when it crosses oceans through its corporate power and not through its military hardware; when it sends its fast food chains, its Starbucks, its Hollywood movies and its freedom culture, and not when it sends its cruise missiles, its bombers and its marine fleets. I would like to tell the coming president, take heed of history; all known powers of the world, from the ancient civilizations to 20th century dictatorships, have started to crumple when they relied on military muscle. Force is the choice of the desperate.

Let the civilized, cultured and sophisticated and humane face of America obliterate the brutal, savage and inhumane images that the world has seen in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. There is no doubt that the whole world will follow America if America chooses to be a leader and not a looter.

READ MORE in Washington Post

Dear Candidates: Lead, Don't Loot
By Bashir Goth
The 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 illusion of realizing this dream that appeals to people all over the world and makes America the land of opportunity. America defeated the Communist world not by force but by propagating these ideals through its powerful media, through its corporate culture and its liberal trade.

In Africa, it was the Peace Corps teachers that left the greatest impression on the minds of the generation that grow up in the 1960s and 70s. They not only taught the youth, but they intermingled with them, they learned their culture, some of them even married local people and a number of them became scholars in the cultural areas in which they worked.

America is at its best when it crosses oceans through its corporate power and not through its military hardware; when it sends its fast food chains, its Starbucks, its Hollywood movies and its freedom culture, and not when it sends its cruise missiles, its bombers and its marine fleets. I would like to tell the coming president, take heed of history; all known powers of the world, from the ancient civilizations to 20th century dictatorships, have started to crumple when they relied on military muscle. Force is the choice of the desperate.

Let the civilized, cultured and sophisticated and humane face of America obliterate the brutal, savage and inhumane images that the world has seen in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. There is no doubt that the whole world will follow America if America chooses to be a leader and not a looter.

READ MORE Washington Post