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By Ahmed Arwo
They were so decent, so kind and more practicing-Muslim than most of us.
Their faces tell a lot: determination, courage, kindness, honesty and
integrity. They gave all they can and more without reservation. It is
easy to destroy and quite simple to denounce and condemn an evil, but
impossible to comprehend the mind of evildoer. How a person of an iota
of humanity can attend graduation ceremony to kill doctors, teachers and
socio-economic mangers, wrapped with environment of happiness and hope,
witnessing the glittering lights of the eyes of young graduates, the
smiling faces of their parents, the shine over their professors, the
delight of journalists and all that attended to share a moment of
happiness and satisfaction. It is beyond imagination. How cruel, how
satanic and how low one can act. It is the scum of the worst evildoers
that killed and maimed the cream of the best in Shamo Hotel, Mogadishu
at Thursday morning 3/12/2009.
What is the objective? What is the benefit? Who gains what? These are
questions that need to be addressed without quick and immediate answers.
Do not massage the facts nor jump into conclusions, let the search start
thorough and mercilessly. Fetch far and near, friend and foe and reach
where the evil dwells. One can say a lot. Speculations will flare, so
the accusations, denials will follow so the conspiracies. It is a knotty
task to profile and digest the mind of this ugly criminal. One of my
friends as usual pointed fingers at far and away and beyond seas. .." I
can swear it is not done by a Somali...it is an Israeli agents that want
to discredit Islamic movements? It can be Ethiopia who wants to maintain
state of lawlessness in Somalia, or even America to reason its critics
that so called Islamic terror will spread if not defeated in Pakistan
and Afghanistan if not to get an excuse for direct intervention? My
friend’s theory usually gets a nod of acceptance from the audience. I am
not convinced with these accusations. Somalis were killing one another
over two decades and the longer it goes, its climax will be beyond
belief. It has to end or more of the same and worse is on the way.
Who are those who are killed and maimed? In addition to the innocent
youth that put on over twenty years of study and preparation in
unenviable circumstances for this day and their parents, there are three
Ministers and score of the elite medical doctors and professors. Let me
high light what I learned of the Ministers, without demeaning the
immense value of doctors and intellectuals to the community. On the
contrary their value is known to all and without contradiction. It is
the politicians that many doubt their contributions. That is the sole
reason I picked them from a list of undistinguishable stars whose light
is put off pre-maturely.
To start with summation, they were at the forefront of the few
acceptable faces of the so called TFG. Dr.Qamar Adan Ali, Minister of
Health, Dr. Prof. Ibrahim Hassan Addow Minister of Higher education, Mr.
Ahmed Abdillahi Waayeel, Minister of Schools, and the Minister for Youth
and Sports, Mr. Saleebaan Olaad Robleh were slaughtered in cold blood.
They were of the same category in character and performance. I rarely
know politics of Mogadishu, but from time to time my mind registers
items of news I grasped from BBC and VOA Somali Services. Refreshing my
brain-library, they were the best of them all. On top of her remarkable
delivery of Health service in drastic situation, I remember Qamar with
her sharp, courageous, and linguistic talent in debate, always wining
convincingly.
I will never forget how straight she was when debating with ardent
critic abroad. She gallantly said" You are not foreigner, you attend
every conference to establish a functioning Somali government, you join
committees, you have been invited to join the government, but declined
and always sooner the conference ends you condemn and criticize. Do not
be outsider come and join us, we need you...." It hurted so much the
conscience of the Prof. That it made him silent for a while and couldn't
find suitable words to answer...." My sister you are one of the best
Ministers and I hope many of them were like you." That is his
conclusion. What attribute from the hard-talk Professor.
As to Prof. Ibrahim Addow, books will be written about his contribution
to improvement of Somali education. He was a professor over twenty years
in USA, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, as well as an executive banker in
Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah. Where ever he was he was active among
Somalis, breaching good and endeavoring for the empowerment of the youth
with education. He returned to the chaotic Mogadishu to share his people
their burden of terror and mayhem. He single-handedly established one of
the best universities in Mogadishu. He decided to suffer in order to
improve their dire situation.
As to the Ahmed Abdullah on the contrary he never parted away from the
burning Mogadishu, yet he contributed enormously to the unbelievable
development we witness of educating the warring nation. He built the
first charitable secondary school that mothers dozens through out
Mogadishu. He is a hero and pioneer of the good cause.
Lately the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr. Saleebaan Olaad Robleh has
died of injuries sustained in Thursday's suicide bombing, raising the
death toll to 24. He was busy in filling the emptiness most Mogadishu
youth suffer. Engage youth with sport will help them avoid the time to
wander aimlessly between broken walls and rotten streets mapped with
head-hunters for terror. There are football, basket and tennis ball
clubs, and many more.
All in all they are of rare quality to replace. Their selfless sacrifice
is recorded with golden ink and in perpetuity.
Let me remind you the rules and manners set by Islam, to conduct war
even against the worst enemies. First Caliph Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased
with him) gave clear cut instruction to fight with noble spirit and
utter kindness. He said:
"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the
battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You
must not mutilate dead bodies; neither kill a child, nor a woman nor an
aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, lest
those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flocks. Take with
you, food that you may need. You are likely to pass by people who have
devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone, don’t harm
them"
There is a need to address. Reconciliation of warring factions must be
open and limitless. That doesn’t mean that the perpetrators of this
disaster to be un-punished or leniently treated, on contrary it calls a
parallel approach to bring in distorted outlaws back to the community,
break their support, and help to emancipate those indoctrinated with
false dogma. International community should help to fund a major
rehabilitation programme addressed to the lost generations that saw
nothing but killing and destruction. Evildoers take advantage of this
off track youth. Serving their needs properly will deny devil agents,
the fuel they need to burn the nation. Instability is like cancer if not
cured at the point, it spreads outwards. Somaliland should double its
efforts to cement its security and contribute to hunt those who commit
heinous crimes in Somalia. There is a drastic need of a protocol of
cooperation for the common enemy. Beyond frontier cooperation is a time
tested successful approach to defeat an enemy that if unchecked will
take us all down the drain.
From the deepest of my heart, I share with Somalis every where their
shock and dismay. Equally I would like to pass my condolence to parents,
brothers, sisters and other relatives far and near of the victims of the
Shamo Hotel Massacre. I do know that these innocent victims have
relatives and friends through and across the Somali inhabited
territories. May Allah bestow them the best of heavens, Janatul fardows.
May Allah cure all wounded physically and mentally.
I pray Allah to bless peace and harmony where there is war and to
withhold terror and instability were there is order and tranquility in
all Somali states. Ameen.
Ahmed Arwo
samotalis@gmail.com
SAMOTALIS GROUP ON THE FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143687650990
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Ahmed Arwo
Graduate of London School of Economics,
Msc in Finance and Accounting. Director of Finance and Cost Control of
Saudi Methanol Company (AR_RAZI), a joint venture between Saudi
Government (SABIC) and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical of Japan, for ten years.
Served in number of Charitable
organizations i.e. Fitzalan School Governor, the largest secondary
school in Wales, Director of Ethnic Development Association of Midlands
U.K, and Director of New Communities of Birmingham. Was a non-Executive
Director in Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust Board, the third largest NHS
Trust in U.K, managing a budget over $1.00 billion a year, for four
years.
Appointed to Audit, Human Resources,
Mental Health and Ethics committees.
Retired from Chairmanship of Somali
Community in Wales after a continuous service of over ten years on 15
September 2008.
Current: President of Somaliland
Democracy Shield, an advocate of good governance, accountability,
transparency and social justice. Dedicated blog ipso facto:
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
A self-employed Financial Consultant and
Political Analyst, specialized to Horn of Africa and Middle East Affairs
and very active human rights activist.
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