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Somaliland:SOLJA, CPJ, IFJ Condone Defamation, Revel in hollow ‘condemnations’

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

Somalilanders, though living in a diplomatically unrecognized country, are not written off the face of the earth. They are here and they intend to remain here as responsible members of the international community, respecting its peers and being fully respected, in return, for what they are.
Furthermore, Somaliland should be doubly rewarded for its herculean achievements in economic development, democratic practices, peace and stability and multi-sector development in almost all pivotal spheres without the blessing of bi-lateral trade agreements with anybody or the monetary support of international financial organizations such as the IMF. In the face of adversity, Somaliland leapt out of the shambles of near total destruction in the late eighties to become a much stronger, more determined phenomenon that never ceases to amaze the world up to this day. It managed to build and hold together a nation in a region whose stability is as treacherous as quicksand, whose safety precariously balanced on a hair-breadth string over an ominous bottomless pit of uncertainties.

In this light, the outside world, IFJ, CPJ and all the other ..Js included, should see Somaliland. I am sure this would have lent the right weight to their off-the-cuff, impulsive accusations which betray a stark absence of impartiality, accuracy and fair dealing not befitting organizations that purportedly represent professional journalism.

Elsewhere
Elsewhere in the world respectable media houses, Journalism associations and media councils see to it that reporters follow ethical guidelines. They make sure that reporters look out for themselves, for their colleagues, for their employers and for the public and observe correct, responsible, professional practices. They protect members from unintentional mistakes and equip them with requisite skills to differentiate right and wrong, fact and opinion.

Elsewhere in the world, IFJ, CPJ and others actively encourage the draft and ratification of media laws and the formation of media councils that they regulate. The organizations recognize the need for law and order. They know that in the absence of a law to keep journalists and their subjects from each other’s throats, neither can decently and confidently live in the presence of the other. Mutual respect and the rule of law is developed this way – and respected.
Elsewhere, there are laws that regulate who qualifies for the profession and who does not. Once accreditation is ascertained the responsible journalist enjoys all the rights and benefits of his profession in the eyes of the law and the public. He/She reports on facts and figures fully knowing his/her critical, very important use for society as a reporter, informer, educator, builder, developer, arbitrator and researcher. The more so in fragile, developing countries than in societies that have developed overlapping protective shields against the hell-bent elements in the profession.

Reporters report and do not invent stories. They neither edit matter to tailor it to their likes and dislikes nor do they embellish it or alter it in any way detrimental to the core essence of the subject matter, event or research. Reporters keep out of their stories. They remain outside but subtly draw you into understanding what is being reported. Reporters leave you to judge for yourself. They do not tell you what to do or how to do it.

In other words, a report a good, ethical journalist produce aims to be objective, impartial, fair, factual, timely, and relevant – and far from a subjective, greed-driven, partisan, caustic versions of what it should have been.
No responsible journalist takes up a pen, a camera or cassette recorder to coerce victims to cough up hard cash. Neither does he actively twist and fabricate facts to intentionally hurt or blackmail a subject to extend him favors, extend him concessions, garner contracts, provide him secrets or elevate relatives to higher positions and heftier pay packages. Or else …
In Somaliland
Professional journalism is dying in the hands of ruthless executioners that pose as journalists. In Somaliland, organizations actively encourage erring journalists to go on the rampage. The good and ethical practitioner is demoralized; the blackmailer is egged on to more and more brazen fabricated ‘reports’ to cow victims to submission.
In Somaliland, there is no active, workable media law or Code of Ethics governing the practice. Neither is there an arbitration council. And yet, the country has one of the most thriving, most vibrant media houses in the region.
Among the Somaliland media, however, there are, expectedly, the few that are in the profession for personal gains. How they realize that is anybody’s guess. Any of you can name the ‘few’.

It should have been the responsibility of SOLJA – through which eyes the IFJ and CPJ and others of like genre view Somaliland – to temper the vagaries of those lending the profession such a bad name. They should have spoken out in public against those that were not practicing ethically correct journalism.

Organizations such as SOLJA, IFJ and CPJ should have been on the side of the wronged to prevent or limit the occurrence of arbitrary arrests, cumbersome lawsuits, unfair castigation of public officers, business people, fellow journalists, instigation if unrest and instability, encouragement of clan rivalries, misrepresentation of facts, and violence borne of such and similar activities. The organizations must be aware that their good names can be tainted by so-called reporters that are quick to blame everybody but themselves.

There is no sign of these august organizations when everybody’s rights are so callously, so heinously being trampled upon and the rule of law flaunted in the hands of extortionist hackers posing as journalists. No sign of them at all.
It is better to help the sick alive. One does not treat the dead. No amount of eulogies can bring it back to live.

SOLJA, IFJ, CPJ and others only spout forth their standard, hollow ‘condemnations’ after somebody, somewhere reacts in self-defense. By doing so, they expose their disregard for all decency and the rule of law. By doing so, they scoff at all the loftier principles of journalism: accuracy of facts, impartiality, thorough research into alleged misbehavior and the like. In conclusion, we ask said organizations, with all due respect, to salvage what is left of their reputations and stop misleading the more impressionable among media practitioners in Somaliland and elsewhere in the developing world. Instead, they must actively work with both authorities and the media world to develop mutual respect for law and order, and for one another based on adherence to basic human rights precepts. Defamation, libel, seditious coverage, graft, extortion, blackmail and adulteration of facts must, in no time, in no circumstances, be encouraged. The highest standards must always be cultivated and sought among journalists specially so among the more fragile societies in the world.

Abdishakur A Essa
United States

Titans of journalism ratchet up pressure on Egypt to #FreeAJStaff

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

  •Massive vigils outside BBC HQ, Paley Center and Columbia Journalism School

BBCvigil

On Tuesday, 8 April 2014, journalists from across the world commemorated the 100th day imprisonment of Al Jazeera English journalists.

At the historic Paley Center in New York City, Owen Watson, Al Jazeera English’s executive producer for newsgathering in the Americas, opened the press conference with strong calls for the immediate release of Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt. Colleagues from the Associated Press, ABC News, The New York Times, Committee to Protect Journalists and sister-channel Al Jazeera Arabic joined him in solidarity.

Jon Williams, foreign editor of ABC News, stated, “This is not Al Jazeera’s fight.  This is our fight as journalists.”

Abderrahim Foukara, Al Jazeera Arabic’s Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, made note of fellow colleague Abdullah al-Shami, who has been detained since August of last year with no charges pressed. al-Shami is currently on this 78th day hunger strike.

The press conference concluded with an announcement of the International Documentary Association’s letter of support.

At Columbia School of Journalism, a Freedom of Press Symposium was held in partnership with the Dart Center, the Columbia Global Freedom of Expression and Information Project and the Columbia Global Centers l Middle East. The event highlighted the imprisonment of the Al Jazeera journalists while reflecting on press freedom and the changing geo-political landscape across the Middle East.

In London, Heather Allan, Al Jazeera English head of news gathering, participated in the BBC’s Safety of Journalists Symposium, hosted by BBC Global News and CFOM, the Centre for Freedom of the Media at the University of Sheffield, in cooperation with the BBC College of Journalism.

Participants endorsed a statement which called for increased safety and protection of journalists, but also called for the release of the Al Jazeera staff: “Today also marks 100 days since the arrest and detention in Egypt of three respected and highly professional Al Jazeera journalists: Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. No credible evidence has been produced to justify their imprisonment and prosecution. A number of other journalists have also been held in Egypt for extended periods without adequate access to justice. We call for the release of all those individuals and the freeing of more than 200 other journalists around the world who are now held behind bars only because they were doing their jobs. Journalism is not a crime; it is essential for a free and open society.”

Journalists across the BBC also took part in the social media #FreeAJStaff campaign, posting photos and messages of support for all four arrested Al Jazeera staff.

Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English, welcomed the support: “We are very grateful for the immense support of our staff to mark 100 days in prison, and from right around the world since they were detained in Egypt. The response has been amazing, from the one-minute silence outside New Broadcasting House organised by the BBC, to the press conference in New York. The response to their detention has been outstanding. Over 40,000 people have been actively involved in the campaign, events have been held in over 30 countries and in every continent, there have been over 900 million impressions of the FreeAJStaff hashtag, and there have been repeated calls for an end to the detention of our journalists from governments as well as media organisations from all corners of the globe. The campaign is focussed on the release of our four staff, but is fundamentally a stand in the defence of journalism itself, and a call for people everywhere to have a right to be heard and the right to know what is really going on in their world,” said Anstey.

Since 29 December 2013, there have been calls for the release of all Al Jazeera staff detained in Egypt from the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the European Union. Similarly public calls of support for the #FreeAJStaff campaign have been made from prominent media personalities like Christiane Amanpour from CNN, ITN’s Mark Austin, Channel Seven Australia’s Mark Ferguson, SKY news correspondent Sam Kiley and the BBC’s Lyse Doucet. Various media freedom and human rights groups have issued statements ranging from the Committee to Protect Journalist, the International Press Institute, Amnesty International and Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa.

Follow the #FreeAJStaff on social media

Further information on #FreeAJStaff is available on www.aljazeera.com/freeajstaff

Notes to editors:

Al Jazeera staff call for the release of their colleagues now jailed for 100 days: http://aje.me/1gB3vlh #FreeAJStaff

BBC vigil images: http://we.tl/sFEgsM4OJn.

Regards

Kevin Kriedemann & Joy Sapieka

Publicists: Africa

AL JAZEERA MEDIA NETWORK

+27 83 556 2346 (Kevin)

+27 73 212 5492 (Joy)

 

Somaliland: SOLJA Condemns Closure of HAATUF Media Group

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

 

SOLJA--Xasan-Maxamed-Yuusuf

Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) is strongly condemned the storming, take over and closure of Haatuf Media Group head office in Hargeisa on the afternoon of Monday.

 

SOLJA is against the armed police officers with complete anti-riot who ordered reporters, editors & other staff out of the premises and shut down the main doors to the media giant that owns and prints Haatuf a Daily Newspaper in native Somali language and Somaliland times a weekly English language paper that is favorite of most foreigners in the country.

 

As despotic, tyrannical and retrospective of the gains made in the freedom of press together with the regulations governing the media industry in the last few years in reconstructing the country.

 

It is obviously clear that the current regime negates the fundamental rights and freedoms spelt out in the Bill of Rights in a very unique way that never experienced before. Recurring suppression of freedom of press that is regularly unleashed against our members must come to an end. Without healing of the wounds inflicted as a result of the closure of previous media outlets namely HCTV and HUBAAL we are again being subjected to intimidation and coercion that grossly prejudices our obligations notwithstanding due process of the legal systems established in the country. Also we asserted that the manifest in the Government’s action of forcefully taking over private property is disrespect to Laws & morality generally.

 

SOLJA advises the state to explore meaningful alternatives instead of resorting to intimidate & use force to invert the gains achieved so far during the post reconstruction of the nation and further counseled authorities to quash its orders of shutting down Haatuf altogether before masses turn against the rulers.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Mr. Hassan Mohamed Yusuf

 

Chairman

 

Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA)

 

 

— http://hubaalmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/SAWIRADA-Xarunta-Wargeyska-HAATUF-oo-Ciidammadu-hor-fadhiyaan.jpgb

 

 

Brandeis Cancels Plan to Give Honorary Degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and TANZINA VEGAAPRIL 8, 2014

 BRANDEIS-master495

A Critic of Islam   Facing growing criticism, Brandeis University said Tuesday that it had reversed course and would not award an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a campaigner for women’s rights and a fierce critic of Islam, who has called the religion “a destructive, nihilistic cult of death.”

“We cannot overlook that certain of her past statements are inconsistent with Brandeis University’s core values,” the university said in a statement released eight days after it had announced that Ms. Hirsi Ali and four other people would be honored at its commencement on May 18.

The university said that the president of Brandeis, Frederick M. Lawrence, discussed the matter with Ms. Hirsi Ali on Tuesday, and that she “is welcome to join us on campus in the future to engage in a dialogue.” Universities consider it important to make a distinction between inviting a speaker who may air unpopular or provocative views that the institution does not endorse, and awarding an honorary degree, which is more akin to affirming the body of a recipient’s work.

Attempts to reach Ms. Hirsi Ali late Tuesday by email and telephone were unsuccessful.

At first, it was bloggers who noted and criticized the plan to honor Ms. Hirsi Ali, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Within a few days, a Brandeis student started an online petition against the decision at Change.org, drawing thousands of signatures. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights and advocacy group, took note, contacting its members though email and social media, and urging them to complain to the university.

On Tuesday, a student newspaper, The Justice, reported on the controversy, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent a letter to Dr. Lawrence, referring to Ms. Hirsi Ali as a “notorious Islamophobe.”

“She is one of the worst of the worst of the Islam haters in America, not only in America but worldwide,” Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the group, said in an interview on Tuesday. “I don’t assign any ill will to Brandeis. I think they just kind of got fooled a little bit.”

In its statement, Brandeis said, “For all concerned, we regret that we were not aware of” Ms. Hirsi Ali’s record of anti-Islam statements, though those comments have been fairly widely publicized.

“You would think that someone at Brandeis would have learned to use Google,” said Rashid Khalidi, a professor of Arab studies at Columbia University, who said he thought Brandeis had arrived at the right position: not awarding a degree, but welcoming Ms. Hirsi Ali to speak.

Having drawn fire for inviting Ms. Hirsi Ali, Brandeis may now take criticism from other camps, whether for disavowing Ms. Hirsi Ali’s views, or for giving in to Muslim activists.

Even some of Ms. Hirsi Ali’s critics say they understand her hostility to Islam, given her experiences, though they think she goes too far. A native of Somalia, she has written and spoken extensively of her experience as a Muslim girl in East Africa, including undergoing genital cutting, a practice she has vigorously opposed, and her family’s attempts to force her to marry a man against her wishes.

She moved to the Netherlands as a young woman, and she was later elected to the Dutch Parliament. She wrote the screenplay for “Submission,” a 2004 film critical of the treatment of Muslim women. Shortly after its release, the director, Theo van Gogh, was murdered on an Amsterdam street by a radical Islamist, who pinned to the victim’s body a threat to kill Ms. Hirsi Ali as well.

“She has her very real personal story, she has her views, and she’s free to say what she’d like to say,” said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, an advocacy group. “But for an institution like Brandeis to choose to honor someone like this is really disappointing.”

In 2007, Ms. Hirsi Ali gave an interview to The London Evening Standard that was, by her own telling, the most unvarnished public expression of her views to that point, including the “cult of death” comment. She advocated the closing of Islamic schools in the West and said that “violence is inherent in Islam” and that “Islam is the new fascism.”

Later that year, in an interview with the publication Reason, she said, “I think that we are at war with Islam,” and said it must be defeated. “It’s very difficult to even talk about peace now,” she said. “They’re not interested in peace.”

Western leaders like George W. Bush and Tony Blair were striking a very different tone, insisting that they were at war with terrorist factions, not Islam as a whole.

Brandeis said last week that it intended to confer honorary degrees on five recipients, including Ms. Hirsi Ali. One of the recipients is Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The New York Times.

SOURCE:  New York Times

Teff, Ethiopia’s nutritious grain

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

By Elaine Gordon

Although teff has been a staple of traditional Ethiopian cooking for thousands of years, this gluten-free grain is quickly climbing to super-grain status in our country. (Watch out, quinoa.)

Teff is a gluten-free whole grain that, despite its size (about the size of a poppy seed), is mineral-rich and high in protein. In fact, the Whole Grains Council estimates that Ethiopians get about two-thirds of their dietary protein from teff. And long-distance runners from Ethiopia have credited their energy and health to the grain.

One serving of dry teff (a quarter-cup) offers 7 grams of protein, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 25 percent of your daily recommended magnesium, 20 percent of your daily iron and 10 percent of your daily calcium, Vitamin B6 and zinc.

teff_ethiopiaTeff has a mildly nutty flavor and is incredibly versatile. When cooked on a stovetop with water, it creates a creamy product similar to porridge or cream of wheat that would be a nice twist on the usual hot breakfast cereal options. It also works wonderfully in stews, adding both thickness and texture.

In Ethiopia, teff is ground into a flour and fermented to make injera, a spongy, sourdough flatbread that is soft, porous and thin like a pancake. Traditional Ethiopian restaurants serve injera with all meals as an edible serving plate topped with meats, vegetables and sauces.

As America embraces this ancient grain, teff can be found in gluten-free recipes for pancakes, breads, crepes or waffles and is showing up in products such as cereal, snacks, wraps and more.

Nutrition facts:

Nutrient-packed bran and germ make up the majority of the teff grain, which is why the nutrient content is so high compared with more common grains. Teff offers the most calcium (1 cup of cooked teff offers 123 milligrams, which is equivalent to half a cup of cooked spinach). And most grains don’t offer Vitamin C, but teff is an excellent source.

Plus, according to the Whole Grains Council, teff is high in resistant starch, a newly discovered type of dietary fiber that can benefit blood-sugar management, weight control and colon health.

Recipe: Southwest teff burgers

This recipe is a spin on the standard veggie burger. Teff serves as a binding agent, and roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, oats, onions and scallions make up the rest of the dish. The burgers are loaded with Southwest flavor from fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cumin, agave nectar and jalapeño pepper. They are baked (more healthful than pan-frying), making them slightly crisp on the outside and slightly moist inside.

Serve the burgers with whole-wheat or gluten-free buns and your favorite toppings. They’re also great served on a salad or in a “lettuce sandwich.” Or simply dip them in guacamole.

Gordon, a master of public health professional and a master certified health education specialist, is creator of the healthful recipe site EatingbyElaine.com. Find her on Twitter at @EatingbyElaine.

Washington Post

Few Somaliland Media Owners Circulate False News Reporting to Pressure Certain Organizations to Obtain Financial Gains

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

By ismail yousuf

Media ethics is the subdivision of applied ethics dealing with the specific ethical principles and standards of media including broadcasting media, print media, and films etc. The ethics of journalism is one of the most well-defined branches of media ethics, primarily because it is frequently taught in schools of journalism. Journalistic ethics tends to dominate media ethics, sometimes almost to the exclusion of other areas. Media ethics are a complex topic because they deal with an institution that must do things that ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. It is discovered that many news media possessor circulate false news in their medal in an effort blackmailing and pressure the government to achieve financial gains and a typical case in point of such news media owners is like Haatuf, newspapers who is a Campaign for practice.
Reporters face a range of ethical issues on a regular basis. Journalists need to make a commitment to telling the truth. This includes not giving false or made-up reports, and telling truthful stories that are not intended to deceive the audience. This may require reporters to provide not only the facts but also the context surrounding them. Journalists’ main goal is to ensure the right of citizens to truthful and important information, which allows them to form adequate impression about social processes, their essence and importance, about the situation in the modern world.

The journalist bears responsibility before the society in general, before the law and before the professional association. The social responsibility of the journalist requires that he acts in accordance with his personal ethical standards. The ethics of the trade involve permanent responsibility of the journalist for everything he/she does in the framework of his/her professional obligations, rather than sticking to the rules which were established once and for all. The present Code shall set a high standard of ethical and professional behavior for people involved in searching, receiving, keeping, distributing and commenting on information in the mass media. The norms of the Code are not obligatory requirements and formulated as moral guidelines or standards against which media employees can compare their professional work.

The news should be based on facts and information where truthfulness can be checked. The journalist should do his/her best to obtain information from all possible sources, to make sure it is complete, truthful and unbiased. Information which may offend or humiliate a person should be checked especially carefully. Information should be obtained in legal and ethical ways. When requesting information, the journalist must introduce himself/herself, name the media outlet that he/she represents, inform the interlocutor that his/her words may be published, except in cases when the information is confidential or impossible to obtain officially.

When gathering information, journalists may not misrepresent themselves. Journalists’ search for information by hidden means can be justified only in cases when the information in question is of major importance for society and cannot be otherwise obtained. Unbiased journalism does not mean that the journalists should abstain from expressing their personal opinions. However, the reader should be able to tell the difference between the articles stating facts and materials expressing someone’s opinion or interpretation of events. However, this principle should not limit the journalist in choosing the style of writing. The journalist should not be a spokesman for an egoistic private or group interest. He/she should contribute to mass media’s objective coverage of the pluralism of opinions. It is not allowed to hide publicly important information or distort the facts. Bias in commentary is a violation of the principles of journalistic ethics. Preparation and writing of analytical materials and commenting on certain events should be performed by journalists whose competence and experience correspond to the task in hand.

Headlines and sub-headlines of newspaper articles should correspond fully to the contents of the article, photographs and video materials should clearly illustrate the events, instead of presenting them out of context. Unconfirmed information, rumors and conjecture should be marked as such. Symbolic illustrations (photomontage, restorations, similar motives recorded in other time periods) should be clearly recognizable or have corresponding tags. When stating facts, commenting on them or entering a discussion on a certain issue, journalists should stick to the ethics and principles of a dialogue and express respect for the discussion partner.

Information on the private life of a person may be published only if the behavior of this person in the private sphere affects the public interest. In such cases it is necessary to make sure that such publication will not violate the interests of the third parties. The journalist should not photograph citizens in private environment without their consent. Photographs or pictures of people in their daily lives that could offend or humiliate them should not be published. In covering family conflicts or cases being handled by the courts or other institutions it is recommended not to mention the names of minors. Mass media should correct mistakes quickly and in completely. Corrections of significant mistakes should be published without delay in a visible place. The journalist should not benefit from the financial information received as part of his professional activities before its publication or before conveying it to other persons. finally the journalist ( He/she) should not write on moneys that form the sphere of his/her material interests or interests of his/her relatives or by the intention of pressuring certain organization like the government to obtain financial gains to stop further false news reporting.

ismail yousuf

rabasoro55@hotmail.co.uk

 

Somaliland:Ongoing Libel Case Prompts Closure of Paper – Interior Minister

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

warancade

By Goth Mohamed Goth

Somaliland Minister of Internal Affair Hon Mohamed Ali Waran Cade stated the reasons what prompted to the closure of the headquarters of Haatuf ,a  Somali language daily during  an interview he gave to BBC Somali language services last evening .,

Hon Ali Waran Cade said, “We were forced to act after it became a clear that it was a routine for the Somali language daily to publish fabricated stories which have no merit at all against government officials without providing substantial evidence to back their accusations and allegations which may be damaging to the credit and reputation hardworking government officials in the future.

I have being a victim of the Haatufs defamation campaign and have in the past accused me of bad things through their  slanderous publications allegations which  meant to smear my name  but this time round ai want to assure them that this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated anymore .  

One is left to wonder what is motive behind this wild allegation by Haatuf is it that the articles were meant to gain increased sales and political mileage again in the short term or is the paper been paid and used by other forces who have vested interests and whose intention is to discredit the honorable minister or even derail the progress made by the country as a whole?

It’s a time the editors of Haatuf Newspaper should know there is no point stating rubbish like this if you can’t provide decent evidence to back up your rash and completely baseless statements and which is unethical which is meant to tarnish the name of a reputable government officials.

Mr. Gabobe has a case to answer so let him prove in court the evidence he claims to have in front of the court and the people , we whom have been victims of his smear campaign demand explanations .

When asked if the closure of the paper was unlawful the interior minister said, “The closure of the paper came about after a local court issued a warrant which was then produced by police it to the owners and staff before enforcing the court order to close the newspaper  although the persons who produced those publications are still free let them know they shall have their day in court.

SomalilandPress.Com

 

Two Ethiopia opposition groups hold nationwide rallies

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By Staff

Despite harassment from the EPRDF ruling party, the Ethiopian opposition coalition party “Medrek” held successful meetings in Hawassa and Adama. Meanwhile, the former Medrek member, the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party, also held several demonstrations, including in Dessie and Bahir Dar cities.

According to witnesses, several thousand people attended the Medrek meetings to learn more about the political manifesto and direction of the party. Hawassa is the capital city of the southern SNNPR region, mostly occupied by the Sidama, hadiya and Wolayta ethnic groups. Medrek officials said attendees “expressed confidence that the party can lead Ethiopia and replace the ruling EPRDF minority regime.”

Medrek held other meetings throughout the country, including in Mekelle city of Tigray. Medrek said its officials including Bekele Gabisso, Bekele Gerba and Olbana Lelisa are still in prison.

Medrek is made up of six opposition parties which previously included the UDJ. But Medrek kicked out UDJ earlier this year because UDJ opposed the “self-determination upto secession” ideology and because UDJ started campaigning inside rural Oromia, where Medrek’s OFDM and OPC have stronghold. After the divorce of UDJ and Medrek, Dr Negasso Gidada resigned from the leadership of UDJ saying “I oppose secession but i support the right to secession.”

UDJ has a strong support among the Amhara and Gurage ethnic groups as well as among ethnic Ethiopians (the mixed population) nationwide. Meanwhile, Medrek has strong support among Oromos, Sidama and other ethnic groups in SNNPR region. However, UDJ is said to be in financially stronger position due to having a united Diaspora support which it accumulated during the 2005 election when it ran as CUD.

ud-bahirdar-demo

Somaliland:Chinese Experts Arrive in the Country to Begin Exploration,Extraction of Coal and Other Minerals

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

By Goth Mohamed Goth

Somaliland Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hon Hussein Abdi Dualeh today during a press conference held in his office welcomed at a delegation from GUANGZHOU DONGSONG ENERGY CO LTD a Chinese energy company consisting of 20 persons who are in the country to start work on the exploration, mapping and extraction of coal.

Hon Hussien Abdi Dualeh speaking to the press said ,”As you see with me here today are 20 representatives from GUANGZHOU DONGSONG ENERGY CO LTD which is a Chinese energy company which had previously signed a contractual agreement with Somaliland government to conduct a nationwide Comprehensive survey to map the mineral potential and to develop the country’s energy sector.

The Energy added Minister , “When the satellites and geological survey are completed ,then only then shall we be in a position to determine the mineral types that exist and the quantities which will hence be of important significance in the signing of future agreements and contracts between our government and would be interested groups the mining sector.

Hon Hussein Abdi Dualeh went on to say, “Our Chinese partners assured us of their commitment to begin the compressive survey of minerals in the country which will be conducted by Chinese owned satellites also known as remote sensing which will be used to map the various types of minerals present and their geographical location in the country this will be the first phase and will be followed by deploying engineers and geologist on the ground to conduct geological assessment of the presence of minerals in the ground. The Chinese energy company in partner with two firms of Chinese origins one which known as the China Remote Sensing will start the exploration of coal in the next two weeks.

The Somaliland government is committed to working closely with its partners to help facilitate and the continued success of this important national project and I would like to use this opportunity to urge  my fellow citizens to embrace and welcome our foreign friends and assist them will implemented an extensive exploration work program and completed environmental impact assessments and aerial surveys in our country for coal of which if found shall be of great benefit for the Somaliland people, so I urge once you to welcome them with open hands.

“A section of Hargeisa residents have been without electricity for nearly one week now due to constant power outages hence the need to put in place a reliable power source and during our numerous meeting with the management of Chinese energy firm, we reaffirmed the need to develop our coal industry by the extracting, production of coal Somaliland, our government and the Chinese firm will enter agreement for the construction of a power factory which will produce electricity through locally produced coal”, he said.

The 20 experts from GUANGZHOU DONGSONG ENERGY CO LTD shall split into three grouping while conduting the explorations work.

 SomalilandPress.com

Somaliland:Sheikh Mohamed Haji Mahmoud Xiiray deserves a Nobel Peace Prize

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

The world should stand by moderate Muslim scholars to combat gender inequality and promote global peace and security.  On Monday 31st March 2014 a top Islamic Scholar Sheikh Mohamed Haji Mohamud was dismissed from his position after addressing the issue of gender inequality in the judicial system in Somaliland. 

Sheikh Mohamed who was the Chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Somaliland said “the blood payment for the killing of a woman is equal to that of killing a man according to his knowledge in Islam.”

This is the first time in the history of Somalia a religious leader voluntarily debated such an important issue.  It raised my hope and the hope of many Somali women around the word who welcomed the action of the Sheikh and regarded it a milestone towards gender equality.

Xaq, mag, diyo are the Somali words for blood payment and blood payment is and has always been central to the Somali judicial system both in the statutory and clan based laws.  Interestingly, the word xaq, also means right in Somali.  In my understanding the right of a human being in the Somali context is their right to life (God given right) and as the word xaq, represents both the right of a human being to life and blood payment, the xaq,mag, diyo, is the value of the human being in the event of them being killed.  In the Somali judicial system the xaq, mag, diyo, or value of a male human being is 100 camels which is 100% and the value of female human being is 50 camels, half of the male human being.  Camels because we are originally from animal herding livelihood and camels have the highest property value but in modern days it can be money or other wealth equivalent to the value of the number of camels. 

 

This important issue must be debated to promote gender equality and combat terror against women in Somalia.  Gender balance cannot be achieved in a society that believes the life of a girl worth 50% less to that of her brother and women’s empowerment will be to no avail until this gender gap is closed.  Almost in every Somali family there is a story of a woman or girl killed, the perpetrator being a man, a husband, brother, cousin, close or distant relative, a clan’s man or a complete stranger.  To my knowledge there have been two women killed by their husbands in my close family. 

 

According to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, “violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence, yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned.”  

 

A culture of violence against women is evident both in the Somali language and literature.  The word dhabar garaac, which means beat the back of her clearly demonstrates a culture which a man has the licence to beat a woman, violating her human rights.  Dhabar garaac also means to beat a woman to break her will and was commonly used in the case of a girl, woman refusing a man’s hand as revenge and forced marriage. 

 

Ever since I was a child I have been hearing sayings legitimising violence against women.  A famous one is that xaawalay waxaa laga abuuray feedh, feedhina way qaloocdaa, women are created from a rib and a rib is bent, the implication being women are imperfect. She therefore needs beating to straighten or correct her

.

Misunderstanding of the religion is used to justify violence against women and since most women are illiterate they depend on their religious leaders for guidance, some of whom are misinterpreting the religion in order to wield their religious powers and maintain their positions.  Many women accept the violation of their rights believing it to be the teaching of Islam. 

 

I used to interpret for the South Yorkshire Police and attended a number of domestic violence cases where many women sustained serious injuries but refused to press charge against their husbands in their belief that it is xaraam, forbidden.  In FGM/C, the Somali name for cutting is xalaalays, which comes from the Arabic word of Halal, meaning pure, clean and the word for cutter is xalaalayso.  It is believed by many people that the cutting of girls is a religious obligation despite some religious scholars condemning FGM/C.

 

The Centre for Gender Equality describes violence against women as “the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse in the world.”  In Somalia violence against women is ignored and regarded as laughable and a joke.  There are many proverbs ridiculing and encouraging violence towards women.  Recently, Somaliland’s Minister of Presidency Hersi Haji Hassan while delivering a speech to a large audience in Liverpool said “a man in my family used to practice his wrestling skills on his two wives and two children after he drank a lot of goat’s milk. He would have one wife on each side of him, and a child on each leg, and then he would throw them to the ground”. The implication of his story is that each woman is worth only a half of a man, and each child worth only a leg.  Comments like this one are humiliating and dangerous to women.

 

Naag, bilcan, the Somali words for woman are also used as insult.  A man who wants to insult another man can say “waxaad tahay naag,” you are a woman.  Minister Hersi manipulated his words with the intention to insult and belittle his political rivals. Few years ago the ex-Defence Minister of Kenya Mohamed Yusuf Haji said at a press conference aired by the Somali Channel News “they are cowards, they are bilcan, women.”  He was talking about Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group.

 

The statistics on violence against women and children in Somalia are shocking and may even be described epidemic. The Somali Human Development Report 2012 describes Somalia as “one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman”.  Female genital mutilation/cutting is commonplace; domestic violence is a serious problem; and 70% of reported cases of rape and sexual violence occur in internally displaced populations. Debating gender equality to advocate for balanced gender law is important to protect the physical, mental and economic well-being and development of individual women, families, communities and the whole country.  Religion is powerful and religious leaders are very influential.  The misinterpretation of religion goes against women and contributes to the abuse of their human rights.  It is therefore important religious scholars are encouraged and supported to advocate for gender equality and condemn violence against women including FGM/C. 

 

Sheikh Mohamed Mohamud Haji deserves to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Somaliland for daring to speak about gender inequality in the judiciary system.  His expulsion may deter other Sheikhs speech about the issue and have devastating consequences on gender equality.

 

Amina Souleiman

 

UK Somali Women’s Political Forum

 

aminasouleiman@gmail.com

 

 

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