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Name
ali
-
Profession
finance
Question
How did the islamic court become so powerful?
Answer
Many Somalis believe that the rise of the Islamic Courts is an unexpected thing that could be happened, it was. That was untill the February 2006, when several somali warlords launched The alliance of the counter Terrorism backed by the United States to illimnate the influnce of Islamists in Somalia which US linked them with Al-Qaeda.
This paved the way to a direct confrontation betwen the Islamic Courts and the warlords. And after several months of bloody fighting, Islamist militia succseeded to overpower the warlords and they became very strong power. Now about more than half of the somali territories fell under their control.
Name
rasha
-
Profession
Question
Salam brother, can you breifly tell me what's going on in Somalia now ?
how is the security statue in this country ?
Answer
From 1991 Somalia was in anarchic situation where there was no functional government. Last decade was a mess of gory civil war and draconian rule of the clan warlords. No controller!
Now, some parts of the country are stable and there is a semi-rigional local government, other parts are under the tribal laws. clan leaders, religious leader,and sheikhs have their power to run and control the the social life as a whole.
Inspite of this anarchic situation, there is a rise of a private part that could run all the institutional works in the country: telecommunications, Importing and exporting, universities, and other the infrastructure services
Really, it is a new and strange phenomenon that a country leads in a chaos such Somalia still stands on its feet and everything is almost normal.
I could say that security in Somalia is not as bad as it appears now in the media but the occasional events makes people outside believing that Somalia is a hell on the earth. But, it is not the right picture.
Name
hanan
-
Profession
student
Question
WE muslim ethiopians know the intention of the government here about somalia,but we as a muslims have to do something for our brothers in somalia. what do you expect from us to do?
Answer
I think the people in Somalia and Ethiopia or in Horn of Africa in general have many thigs to share: the history,the ethinc realtinshpis, the economic hardships.. many many things linked us together. I think this the time comes to re-evalute all of these things.
I believe that diversty of religions is not the proplem that control the agendas of our politicians. What destroyed the sitution is the fighting: the parties and CLONES.
If you ask the same question to the people in Ehtiopia and in Somalia, you find all try to get a way to cooperate and excersice their mutual relationships outside the political agendas of the governments.
I think it is possible, if we gives it another go .
Name
Harry Balz
-
Profession
Retired Pharmacologist and Caterer
Question
We read so much about the pestilence, disease and miserable condition of your lovely country. Do you ever feel discouraged or disgusted with your life; and how do you keep from killing yourself?
Answer
In the time of anarchy everything could happen. One must take his precautions to avoid being harmed.
I am discourged many times by the events but this is our fate and we cannot run from it.
Some of may friends killed, looted and intimaded, harrased, etc it was really very tragdic, but I believe in an ancient proverb that said T.the darkets hours in the night comes before the dawn. Thanks for your concern
Name
shamsa
- United States
Profession
cpa
Question
Brother can you give us a brief history of Islamic Courts?
Answer
The history of the Islamic Courts in Somalia went back to the 1991 but it was very humble approach. In 1994, some religious leaders in Mogadishu the Capital launched the first Islamic Courts System which adapts the Sharia law but this system was crumbled because of the differences between Sheikhs and the warlords.
During the last 10 years the issue of islamic courts was governed by the volatile situation, that is sometimes strong and sometimes week.
But the 2006 marked the rise of Somali Islamic Courts when Alliance of warlords backed by United States began to hunt down the Islamis activists in Somalia those who the United States said they have links with terrorists and they are providing a shelter for them. When figthig erupted between warlords and Islamists the latter outpowered the warlords and that led to more political and military influnce of the Islamic Courts.
Name
Abdourahman
-
Profession
Teacher/Student
Question
Brother Ali Halane
Assalamou alaikoum
How would you objectively analyse the situation of Somalia since the control of the country by the Islamic court.
All the best to you.
Answer
I could say the Islamic Courts are new players in Somali Politics, and they are gaining more power since they defeated the Warlords in Mogadishu and other places in the contry.
I think it's immature to have now a last verdict on them , we have to wait a while and watch how they will be.
Till now, I do not have many ideas about their goals except that big slogan "Islam Is the Solution"
And this is a common Idea in Somali political mainstream.
But people here receive the Islamic courts rule in a very positive way, why? This is because they meet with the needs of ordinary citizens "Security Needs" which was very difficult under the rule of the Warlords in the past and think this is very important.
Under anarchy,security turns to be the first priority of the people and islamic courts fill that gap.
Name
Farouq
-
Profession
Teaching Assistant
Question
What is going on in Somalia right now ? and who is resposible for that choas ?
Answer
I answered the first part of your question before, but when it comes to who is resposible for this choas I would say: large part of Somali people, leaders, politicans, clan leaders, warlords share the responsibilty of what is happening in Somalia.
Also the poor political system.
In addition to the effects of Cold War.
In recent days also there are a great scrumble towards Somalia which left its marks on it. The latest Report of Security Council says that a number of 12 countries throughout the world are involved in what happening in Somalia.
This is of course one side of the whole picture of what Somalia leads these days.
Name
Miao
-
Profession
business man
Question
How is the business in your country, I was reading the other day an article claiming that it is improving ? !
Answer
Yes, though there's no "centeral government" here in Somalia, things go normal, business is in its very high boom led by private sector.
Both Mogadishu seaport and Airport are working in normal capcity.
It wiil be strange if I say to you there are many investors among them foreigners arriving Mogadishu to build projects and to put large sum of money here.
You will find the oppsite of these words in some of the Media channels, but this is the true picture in Somalia now.
Name
Abu Tamir
-
Profession
Question
what is so improtant in somalia land that the neighbor countries interfere ?
can we get skilled workers ?
why the Islamic court named with such name , dont they understand that such name will create problems from others and will be fighted? Cant they just control without making troubles to themselve?
cant they first establish the basis and slowly make the strong system and make the government etc .
Answer
Many observers here expected that Islamic courts will take another name rather than this controversial name, but it seems that they are insisting to reserve that name.
May be they do not want to leave the name they got their publicity and victory under it.
It is important to tell that Islamic courts are not only comprise of modernists, salafist,jihadist,and sufist and all of them under umbrella of the slogan "Islam is the Solution" so the situation like this makes things more cloudy untill we classify the actual faces and agendas of Islamic Courts but they have large influence and supporters among the Somalis.
Name
ali
- Canada
Profession
student
Question
Salam,
I have some few questions I hope u can answer.
Who do most of somalian people support, the islamic courts or the former gov? and how is somali life at present? also are the majority of somali people secular and religious?
Answer
First, we have no exact statistics, but we could say the Islamic courts has the highest rate of support in south and central of Somalia than any other group eithre the interim government or else.
Secondly ,the majority of Somali peaple are religiously conservative,so they support the islamic approach of the governance, and ironically there is wide acceptence of a secular government which is not offensive to the islamic values
Name
omar
- Saudi Arabia
Profession
employee
Question
What about the presence of Eritrean force in Somalia
Answer
I could not verify the prescence of Ereterian troops inside Somalia , but we know that Ereteria supports Islamic Courts as Ethiopia supports Interim Government.
It seems that both countries fighting each other in " indirect war " here in somalia after their direct rivalries since 1998!
Name
muslim
-
Profession
Question
How you find the life in somalia?
The problem is there is no system in the country?
Answer
The lack of governing system in Somalia is one part of the problem but it is not the all
Problems are many and different: the economic problems, traditional tribal connections, lack of the broader horizon at the political leaders, the foreign interests,... and so on
Name
ibrahim
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
salaaman
can tell us a bit of ethio-somali conflict and history
Answer
In Breif, Somalia and Ethiopia has historical rivalries both in old and and recent days.
But the most ethio-somali conflict began in the 1940s and 1950s when British clony annexed a large part of somali territories to Ethiopia widely called " OGADEN" and when Somali Rebuplic established in 1960, it declared to retake that territory from Ethiopia by force and war began at 1964 then 1977 from that time the two countries were at war.
So what is happening now based on that long history of hostility between the two governments in Addios Ababa and Mogadishu
Name
Zaki
-
Profession
Local Government Officer
Question
Do you think that Somalia as a contry will prosper better under the Union of Islamic Courts and if so, why do some people oppse their rule when they have genuinely bought justice and peace to some parts of Somalia.
Answer
What we have now in the territory ruled by Islamic Courts is a relative peace and security which we lacked under the reign of Warlords.
But the approach of Islamic Courts politican agenda is not yet clear
it will take time to sort them out to see to the extent they meet with the needs of avarege Somali needs rather than security issues they handled it well in the past seven months
Name
Abubakar
-
Profession
Energy Analyst
Question
Do you think the recent demostrations against the Islamic Courts such as after banning the drug Kat are a sign of things to come and people will soon be disillusioned with the Courts? Are we seeing the gradual Talibainisation of Somalia?
Answer
Most of the people here believe that the banning of narcotic leaves " QAT" by the islamic courts is good step because large part of Somalis lose their money due to that. QAT has an ravaging effects on Somali poor economy .
But the demonstrations against the Islamic Courts after banning the QAT was minor and from QAT dealers and angry groups.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
.
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline.net viewers today. We also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session.
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