By Ali H. Abdulla

While surfing the net aimlessly on a rainy day, dispirited by the carnage and bloodshed in Mogadishu, I came across an old song by our late national treasure, Magool that brought tears to my eyes and transported me to another time and place. A place unlike the Somalia of today where many Somali patriots gathered under a blue flag fluttering in the sky and singing in unison “Maanta Maanta Maanta,, Waa Maalin weyne Maanta”.

Besides glorifying our independence day, the song mentions the three missing areas and portrays the blue flag as a beacon that would guide them to a unified Somalia. The song injected me with a feeling of pride, joy and hope, and I wondered silently whether Somalis would gather again under the same flag singing the same song. I forgot all about my despair and started writing this piece. Some would definitely say, dream on brother, but I am sure that many would share the nostalgia with me and rekindle their hopes and dreams for a united and prosperous Somalia. Just listen to the song and you will be able to share my feelings.

Sheikh Zayed, the great leader of the UAE and the architect of its unity and prosperity used to tell his people that a people without a history have no future. He was a man of vision who led his people to a glorious present and a promising tomorrow. Seven autonomous Emirates inhabited by different tribes joined under his leadership to form the United Arab Emirates, a country that may hopefully serve as a model for our troubled country.

Many Somalis, who may not know of the Sheikh and his wisdom, would like to wipe their glorious history and sweep it under a blanket of neglect as a result of anger and hate caused by the injustice committed by shortsighted and cruel leaders. Most nations have gone through severe birth difficulties. Europe suffered numerous destructive wars that claimed millions of innocent lives. Today, Europe is united and looks forward to a glorious future. These wars and atrocities have not led them to abandon their history despite its ugliness. Children in school learn of the good and bad aspects of their history and there are no attempts to ignore or neglect any event despite any painful memories associated with such an event. If you failed to understand the meaning of Sheikh Zayed’s words, it is about time that you realized that one of the reasons for recording history and teaching it in schools is to learn from past mistakes and avoid their recurrence. A nation that keeps repeating costly mistakes would not last long as the Sheikh had articulated.

Somalia has a glorious past tainted by some ugly incidents. We cannot forget the men and women who fought for our independence with their lives. We cannot forget the men and women who fought in Godey and Karamardha to liberate one of the missing areas of our country. We cannot forget the men and women who died in the prisons of a repressive regime. We cannot forget the men and women who stood up for our religion against a regime that tried to steer us towards an atheistic system of scientific socialism. We cannot forget the men and women who were murdered at Jazira beach by heartless thugs. We cannot forget the men and women who lost their lives when their drinking wells were poisoned. We cannot forget the men and women who lost their lives at the hands of South African mercenaries who bombed our cities to rubble. We cannot forget the men and women who lost their lives when they tried to flee Mogadishu to a safe haven. We cannot forget the women dragged from the mosques they thought would protect them from rape and murder. We cannot forget the men and women who die every day in Mogadishu at the hands of merciless warlords. All of these events and many other events are part of our history. We should be proud of the good ones and learn from the bad ones.

Those of us who call for dismembering Somalia tend to concentrate on the ugly side of our history and neglect all its good aspects. This is not fair to the future generations who have no say in these events and who would like to inherit a strong united country that has a history, the good and the bad. If the Southern States in the US were to secede from the rest of the states, there would be two countries that would not be as strong as the present day USA. If Sheikh Zayed did not unite the seven Emirates after independence, there would be seven weak Emirates. Some of these Emirates, the ones without the oil wealth, would be poor and destitute.

In a recent VOA program, a former assistant secretary of State called for the recognition of Somaliland and Puntland. Professor Abdi Samatar who participated in the program got disconnected at that moment for inexplicable reasons. When he came back on line, the moderator moved on to another topic. We should ask ourselves the important question: Who really benefits from three or four weak countries in Somalia? Apparently those who would like to use our country as military bases and toxic dumps, and the leaders who support this model: corrupt leaders looking forward to stuffing their pockets with the foreign aid that they expect would start pouring in after recognition.

Another brave Samatar raised an important issue in a recent BBC debate on the unilateral secession of Somaliland. He chastised those who gloat over the misfortunes of the south when arguing for the recognition of Somaliland. It is one thing to believe in a cause and defend it. On the other hand, it is immoral, unethical and un-Islamic to gloat over the misfortunes of fellow Somalis. It is true that a good history has been written in the north and an ugly one is still being written in the South. Those who are fortunate enough to be part of the current good history of the North should refrain from using the unfortunate South as a yardstick when arguing for dismembering Somalia.

Let us give our history a chance. Let us record it and learn from it. Let us be proud of the good elements and correct the bad ones. Let us leave a complete history for our future generations. Let us try to learn from a great leader and a great country, the United Arab Emirates.

May Allah show us the right path and unite our hearts.

aliegeh@gmail.com