Haatuf Will Not Be Blackmailed By Extremists

EDITORIAL

Last Friday, Somalilanders were shocked when they found out that a few hard-core extremists had publicly burned issues of Haatuf newspaper (Somaliland Times’s sister newspaper). The perpetrators of this dastardly deed gave two main reasons: (a) that Haatuf has written false news in which it said that there were terrorists in Buroa; (b) that Haatuf has deliberately smeared the reputation of Buroa.

Haatuf admits that it has written about the presence, in Buroa, of extremists linked to the Islamic Courts of Mogadishu, but to say that it has engaged in a campaign to tarnish the good name of the city of Buroa is ridiculous. Haatuf wrote about individuals and specific subversive activities. It never wrote or implied that the people of Buroa as a whole were involved in these heinous activities, or that these radical Islamists had a high level of support. Far from it, Haatuf has nothing but respect and admiration for the people and the city of Buroa, the birth place of modern Somaliland.

Equating any attempt to expose the activities of radical elements with a smear campaign against the city of Buroa is a tactic by which these few fanatics are trying to silence any criticism or scrutiny of their activities. These tactics won’t work, and for a simple reason: these few extremists do not represent the people of Buroa.

As an independent newspaper, Haatuf News Media has a right, indeed a duty, to write about issues vital to the public whether in Buroa or anywhere else. It will exercise this right. It will not be intimidated or blackmailed

Source: Somaliland Times

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