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Fear should not
be used to manipulate the Somali
people |
Allgedo,
Article, Sunday March 25,
2007
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Somalis have
experienced intense fear and
other unpleasant, stress-related
emotions for many years. The
killings that are so common in
Somalia have caused the
destruction of the whole country
and have swayed us into
continuous, widespread, and
rampant fear. Fear fuels hatred.
Fear creates the monster of
tribal ideology (qabiil
qabiil) and the demon of
envy; fear divides us into
fiefdoms and causes us to lose
our unity.
Traditionally, Somalis may be described
as ethnically homogeneous and united,
but our fear has caused us to virtually
completely lose our personal identity,
our shared language, our original names,
and our brotherly cultural sharing. Our
hearts are in agony as we see the
streets of cities full of dead bodies,
and some of us mutilated or killed by
artillery in the heat of the urban wars.
With the silence of the
defenseless civilians, there is no
ethical line of defense for the victims.
Thus, the killings continue.
There is too
much hate to bear. In such a state
nobody wins what may be termed the
killing fields of our country. Our very
Somali existence is filled with
destruction, fires, and massacres. Our
roads are covered with the blood
of men, women, and even children.
This is why
we have lost our basic and fundamental
aspects of our sense cultural oneness.
It may be said as well of Somalis that
we have lost our civilization. Our
fundamental freedoms have been rendered
almost nonexistent in the last two
decades. Somalia is in a grave
situation. At present, in fact, Somalia
stands at the crossroads of history.
It is true that in Somali history there
have been inter-clan wars and cruel
inhumanities conducted in the name of
different tribal ideologies. Those
notorious events stand rightly
condemned. As of today, we should not
keep silent in condemning the brutal,
rapacious, bloodthirsty barbarians who
are destroying the remaining civilians.
We also need to denounce those who
simply promote death, suffering,
destruction and misery. In every corner
of our country, there are merciless
murders. People are losing their minds
by creating more tribal problems. The
cycle repeats over and over again, and
each time trust weakens and fear
increases. The
truth is that there is something
seriously wrong with these murders.
Most of these killers seem to suffer
from many of the most characteristic
symptoms of
schizophrenia, in that their
thoughts are delusional and not
rational. These killers fear losing
their power, strength and agility.
Possibly the stress is transforming them
into even more dangerous demons by
making these killers deteriorate into
psychological madness. As we often said,
a “demon's spirit is supposed to rise up
from the body of the murdered man.”
Thus, evil’s revenge saw not just simple
war and guerrilla fighting, but a more
frightening specter: the complete
eradication of Somalis from the world
map. Somali culture is in grave danger
as recent events indicate.
My feeling is that tribalism has been
the cause of almost every war, and that
it has led to the deaths of millions
upon millions of our people.
Very dark
clouds of “Qabiil”, fear, and war
haunt our days. In the name of
Somalia,
we need to move from oppression
to freedom, and from barbarity to
rationality. The only way to end war in
our country can be to unconditionally
win by altruism and social cooperation
without tribal ideology.
Such
techniques while difficult are essential
for success.
Whoever loves our nation should turn out
in a struggle and protest to prevent war
and save the destiny of the nation. If
we purify our hearts from tribal
animosity, there can be always areas of
agreement from which we can unite and
solve our problems. Optimistically, I
believe we will find that the best
solution is to lay down our arms and
reconcile our
differences for the sake of devoting
ourselves to long lasting PEACE.
As the great leader Winston Churchill
noted some decades ago, “a pessimist
sees the difficult in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in
every difficulty.” Let’s seek to focus
upon our similarities and not upon our
differences. Another great leader of the
20th century Eleanor
Roosevelt noted, “We have to face the
fact that either all of us are going to
die together or we are going to learn to
live together and if we are to live
together we have to talk.” The words of
these great leaders are as relevant
today as they were years ago.
In this very difficult moment, Somalia
needs knowledge, kindness, and courage.
If peace is truly the goal, then there
must be no place for spiteful bickering,
hateful false accusations or tribalism (Reer
Heebel), divisive words continuously
uttered by ignorant men to fuel the
conflict.
Omar Ahmed, USA.
Cumaraxmed60@yahoo.com
The opinions within the above article
are solely responsible by its author,
and not by Allgedo Online. All rights
reserved.
Allgedo News Media Network
allgedo@allgedo.com
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