The body of a Muslim woman, killed in a German courtroom by a man convicted of insulting her religion, has been taken back to her native Egypt for burial.
Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.
Husband Elwi Okaz is also in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.
Ms Sherbini had sued her killer after he called her a “terrorist” because of her headscarf.
The case has attracted much attention in Egypt and the Muslim world.
German prosecutors have said the 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims.
‘Martyr’
Medics were unable to save Ms Sherbini who was three months pregnant with her second child. Her three-year-old son was with the family in court when she was killed.
Axel W and Ms Sherbini and family were in court for his appeal against a fine of 750 euros ($1,050) for insulting her in 2008, apparently because she was wearing the Muslim headscarf or Hijab.
Newspapers in Egypt have expressed outrage at the case, asking how it was allowed to happen and dubbing Ms Sherbini “the martyr of the Hijab”.
Senior Egyptian officials and German diplomatic staff attended the funeral in Alexandria along with hundreds of mourners.
Media reports say Mr Okaz was injured both by the attacker and when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom.
Hargeisa, 6 July 2009 – I am a citizen of the country called “Somaliland” and I wish to communicate with you directly. My open letter to you, your highness, is a plea I wish to make and request your Government to engage my country. I have confidence in you and I know you are a unique to the Arab World. You are steadfast politician and someone who has charisma and far sighted.
My country needs your help at the International arena and at the same time from yourself as Emir of Qatar.
We [Somaliland] have achieved something alien to the African Continent. We have built our country from the grass root, after Siad Barre bombarded and leveled to the ground. We made piece with ourselves by negotiating even with those who were not with us, when we were fighting with the regime of Siad Barre.
Somaliland is proud of having produced a unique and workable democracy in Africa. It is unique because of its combination and modernity, in that, we have a House of Elders and a House of Representatives. It’s workable and unique, because, we put it to test, it gave us three free elections Municipal, Presidential & Legislative and the fourth “Presidential election is due 27th September, 2009.
What is more interesting about our democracy is that we have legislative elections that produced an opposition majority in parliament, and a minority that governs. It’s what the French call “la co-habitation”. Its remarkable achievement in the Horn of Africa, given that, the eventuality of such a process led to bloodshed at the time we did all these, in Ethiopia 2005, our next door neighbor, when Mr. Meles Zinawi smelled that he was going to loose the parliament to the opposition.
Somaliland has spent nearly two decades, trying to convince the international community, that it deserves recognition. Somaliland has overcome every internal and external political hurdle. We have confined ourselves and stayed within our colonial boundaries [recognized by 35 countries when we first got our independence from Britain in 1960]. Somaliland’s budget is minuscule [meager], yet my government manages to maintain peace, stability and progress. We have a Flag, Constitution, Currency, National Anthem, and Forces that are disciplined in every aspect, yet our brothers in Arab world are ignoring our achievements.
We have been subjected to wait Somalia, where there is no hope of stability in decades to come [I know you have tried to help them, but it takes a long way to achieve stability there]. Somaliland would like to live in peace with its neighbors in the region, including Somalia, but I hope that the international community does not expect us to throw everything away and re-enter the mayhem in Somalia.
Finally, I, would like to ask you as a citizen of Somaliland to engage my government, and break the artificial barrier between my people and of yours and the Arab world at large. I know you can do that without any reservations if you wish so. There are others who would like to keep us at bay, due to their hidden agenda, and need to keep us, the way they see & want Horn of Africa to burn. This is their interest it seems. Our people will cherish your wisdom, if you do engage us.
We [Somalilanders] have been and continue to be one of the first communities who came to Qatar in late 1940s and early 1950. Our people were the first you knew [I mean Qatari people], and we are a good part of the people who participated the development of Qatar. We contributed to raise the name of Qatar in different ways, yet we are not visible as we should have been!
I look forward to see and hear a positive gesture towards my country your Highness.
Urumqi, Jul 6, 2009 — One hundred and forty people have been killed and more than 800 wounded in riots that rocked western China at the weekend, the deadliest social unrest since the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Running battles raged through the city of Urumqi throughout Sunday, pitting members of the Uighur minority against ethnic Han Chinese. Witnesses said that up to 3,000 rioters went on the rampage, smashing buses and overturning police barricades during several hours of violence.
State television showed cars in flames in the streets, and others being over-turned by rioters. Other footage showed a number of men attacking a man, apparently a Han Chinese, who lay on the street bleeding from the head and from injuries to other parts of his body.
Burnt-out buses lay scattered on the streets of Urumqi, the capital of China’s restive, westernmost region of Xinjiang.
The death toll from the day of violence was put at 140 by the Xinjiang police, who said 816 were injured. The numbers were announced by the state-run Xinhua news agency in an unusually swift revelation of the extent of the violence.
Police said the number of dead was expected to rise. State television said at least one member of the paramilitary People’s Armed Police had been killed.
Uighur exile groups said the violence started when Chinese security forces cracked down on the peaceful protest.
It was only after dark and following several hours of violence that the paramilitary police, equipped with tear gas and firing weapons, were able to restore order.
The violence flared days after reports of ethnic clashes between Han Chinese and Uighur workers at a toy factory in the southern Guangdong province in which two Uighurs were killed and 188 wounded.
It is uncertain what sparked the riots, but they may have broken out around the time of the popular Sunday bazaar when thousands of Uighurs converge in towns across the region to sell their sheep, goats and horses.
Police have arrested several hundred participants, including more than “10 key figures who fanned the unrest,” Xinhua said. The security bureau said police were still searching for 90 key figures suspected of being behind the single worst day of violence since troops crushed student demonstrations centred on Tiananmen Square in June 1989.
It gave no details as to whether those involved were members of the Uighur minority or whether the violence had been triggered by long-standing ethnic tensions in Xinjiang.
“We are extremely saddened by the heavy-handed use of force by the Chinese security forces against the peaceful demonstrators,” said Alim Seytoff, vice-president of the Washington-based Uighur American Association.
“We ask the international community to condemn China’s killing of innocent Uighurs. This is a very dark day in the history of the Uighur people,” he said.
Xinjiang has been shaken by several riots against Chinese rule over the last several decades, although the violence had appeared to abate since the late 1990s.
Control has been particularly tight in Urunqi where Han Chinese are now believed to outnumber the Uighurs.
Last year, just days before the Olympic Games opened in Beijing, two young Uighurs plowed a truck into a group of border police who were on a morning run near their barracks in the fabled Silk Road city of Kashgar, killing 17.
Those men were arrested and later executed.
State media said the latest riot was not a spontaneous outburst but was incited by a small group of people intent on stirring up trouble. It gave no other details.
Source: Times Online (UK)
Jane Macartney, China Correspondent
On the 13th of June, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Silanyo) arrived in Stockholm and right away gave an inspiring speech to hundreds of Somalilanders that were waiting for his arrival to Sweden.
Before he held his speech, there were some people in the audience that delivered some emotional and touching speeches in front of the chairman, Mr. Silyano.
The speech that touched my heart was when Amina Weris [wife of Silanyo] held a short speech about the status of women in Somaliland and how they struggle both outside and inside the home.
What she said was that they are the ones that providing the economy and nourishment for the children of the family, at the same time they are the backbone and the support and especially the assistance given by the Somaliland women in the diaspora. She added that their efforts and work are often underestimated and sometimes not appreciated.
Amina Weris’s speech almost made me fall in tears because it explains how strong were our mothers and sisters through all these difficulties and constraints and how they struggles to survive under these harsh conditions.
Thanks to Amina Weris for her great speech as many of us (women in the diaspora) are eager to hear more about plight and life conditions of women in Somaliland.
They were the audience who all of a sudden gathered in the hall and listened to the speech of the chairman of kulmiye party, Mr. Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo. He spoke about the struggle and history of liberating Somaliland as well as what it had achieved for the last 20 years without international assistance. It was a great speech. I tried to see and analyze the expressions of the people in the hall and how his speech touched them. Immediately I felt it had a great impact on them as everyone listened to him silently.
Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo explained in detail the problems facing the nation today; both economically as socially and how the current weak government functions today. The chairman emphasized how it is essential to make a change in Somaliland in order to build a bright future for younger generations.
I believe that we need a change for the sake of our needy people. We have to cooperate and unite our resources both inside and outside the country and I deeply believe a change of system is vital for us to move ahead.
Mr Silanyo’s leadership through negotiations, as well as his relationship with the people of Somaliland make him the Mandela of Mandeeq [Somaliland]. by: Hodan Keyse Hassan, stockholm
Al-Shabab still controls parts of Somalia's south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu [File: AP]
Hargeisa, 6 July 2009– Islamic extremists have beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader, and the killers are searching Kenya’s refugee camps to do the same to the boys’ father.
Before taking his Somali family to a Kenyan refugee camp in April, 55-year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf himself was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kismayo in Somalia. He had received instruction in the Christian faith from Salat Mberwa.
Militants from the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab entered Yonday village on Feb. 20, went to Yusuf’s house and interrogated him on his relationship with Mberwa, leader of a fellowship of 66 Somali Christians who meet at his home at an undisclosed city. Yusuf told them he knew nothing of Mberwa and had no connection with him. The Islamic extremists left but said they would return the next day.
“Immediately when they left, I decided to flee my house for Kismayo, for I knew for sure they were determined to come back,” Yusuf said.
At noon the next day, as his wife was making lunch for their children in Yonday, the al Shabaab militants showed up. Batula Ali Arbow, Yusuf’s wife, recalled that their youngest son, Innocent, told the group that their father had left the house the previous day.
The Islamic extremists ordered her to stop what she was doing and took hold of three of her sons – 11-year-old Abdi Rahaman Musa Yusuf, 12-year-old Hussein Musa Yusuf and Abdulahi Musa Yusuf, 7. Some neighbors came and pleaded with the militants not to harm the three boys. Their pleas landed on deaf ears.
“I watched my three boys dragged away helplessly as my youngest boy was crying,” Arbow said. “I knew they were going to be slaughtered. Just after some few minutes I heard a wailing cry from Abdulahi running towards the house. I could not hold my breath. I only woke up with all my clothes wet. I knew I had fainted due to the shock.”
With the help of neighbors, Arbow said, she buried the bodies of her two children the following day.
In Kismayo, Yusuf received the news that two of his sons had been killed and that the Islamic militants were looking for him, and he left on foot for Mberwa’s home. It took him a month and three days to reach him, and the Christian fellowship there raised travel funds for him to reach a refugee camp in Kenya.
Later that month his family met up with him at the refugee camp.When the family fled Somalia, they were compelled to leave their 80-year-old grandmother behind and her whereabouts are unknown. Since arriving at the Kenyan refugee camp, the family still has no shelter, though fellow Christians are erecting one for them. Yusuf’s family lives each day without shoes, a mattress or shelter.
But Arbow said she has no wish to return.
“I do not want to go back to Somalia – I don’t want to see the graves of my children,” she said amid sobs.
Mberwa said that Arbow is often deep in thought, at times in a disturbingly otherworldly way.
Border Tensions
Western security services see the al Shabaab ranks, reportedly filled with foreign jihadists, as a proxy for the Islamic extremist al-Qaeda group in Somalia. If the plight of Christians in Somalia is horrific – some are slaughtered, others scarred from beatings – the situation of Somali Christians in refugee camps is fast becoming worse than a matter of open discrimination.
“We have nowhere to run to,” Mberwa told Compass. “The al Shabaab are on our heads, while our Muslim brothers are also discriminating against us. Indeed even here in the refugee camp we are not safe. We need a safe haven elsewhere.”
He said that in April three al Shabaab militants were arrested by Kenyan security agents at Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab and taken to Garissa, Kenya’s North Eastern Province headquarters. But local provincial administrators denied any knowledge of such arrests.
“I don’t know” is all Dadaab District Officer Evans Kyule could say when asked about the arrests.
In Naivasha, Kenya, 19 Somali extremists were arrested last month and are scheduled to appear in a Nairobi court tomorrow, according to Kenyan television network.
Al-Shabaab militants have waged a vicious war against the fragile government of Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. In a show of power in the capital city stronghold of Mogadishu, last week hard-line Islamic insurgents sentenced four young men each to amputation of a hand and a foot as punishment for robbery.
After mosques announced when the amputations would take place, the extremists carried them out by machete in front of about 300 people on Thursday (June 25) at a military camp. It was the first such double amputation in Mogadishu by the rebels, who follow strict sharia (Islamic law) in the parts of south Somalia that they control.
The rebel militants’ strict practices have shocked many Somalis, who are traditionally moderate Muslims, though residents give the insurgents credit for restoring order to regions they control.
Al Shabaab militants are battling Ahmed’s government for control of Mogadishu while fighting government-allied, moderate Islamist militia in the provinces. In the last 18 years of violence in Somalia, a two-and-a-half year Islamist insurgency has killed more than 18,000 civilians, uprooted 1 million people, allowed piracy to flourish offshore, and spread security fears round the region.
Somalia’s government, which controls little more than a few blocks of Mogadishu, has declared a state of emergency and appealed for foreign intervention, including help from Somalia’s neighbors. Kenya recently has stepped up patrols along her common border with Somalia, vowing to respond militarily should militants make any incursions. At the same time, al Shabaab militants have warned that they would invade Kenya should the military patrols persist.
Nearly Losing a Son
On Oct. 7, 2008, al shabaab militia attacked the 28-year-old son of Mberwa in Sinai village, on the outskirts of Mogadishu. They interrogated Mberwa Abdi about the whereabouts of his father, maintaining that they had information that incriminated him as the leader of a Christian group.
Abdi denied having any knowledge of his father’s faith, and the Islamist extremists took Abdi out of the village and threatened to kill him. Covering his eyes and tying his hands behind him as he knelt down, they began beating his back with a gun. Abdi remained silent. The militants fired at his left side near the shoulder, and when Abdi fell they left him for dead.
On hearing the sound of the gunshot, neighbors ran to the scene and found Abdi still alive. They rushed him to Keysany Hospital in Mogadishu, where he underwent surgery.
Salat Mberwa received information from neighbors that his son had been killed on Nov. 1, 2008 by al Shabaab extremists, and that his body was in Keysany Hospital. Later he heard that his son was in a coma and sent 2,500 Kenyan shillings (US$35) for medical care. He also arranged for his wife and two youngest children to flee, knowing that they were the next target. They reached a refugee camp in Kenya in mid-December of last year.
After a month, Abdi was discharged from the hospital and arrived in the same refugee camp on Jan. 8. Medicins San Frontiers provided medicine for the ailing Abdi. Abdi bears the scars of bullet wounds on his body, and he still looks ill.
Asked why he denied his father’s Christian faith, Abdi said Christians are hunted like wild beasts.
“Everybody is afraid of this militia group and always tries to play things safe,” he said. “There is urgent need to help Christians in Somalia to get out as soon as possible, before they are wiped out.”
Salat Mberwa said he is concerned about the way Christians are being mistreated in the refugee camp.
“The Muslims cannot come to our aid in case one of us gets into a problem,” he said. “They always tell us, ‘You are Christians and we cannot help you. Let your religion help you.’”
While thankful for aid from Christian groups in Nairobi, Mberwa lamented that aid agencies and denominational associations have not employed Christian refugees in the camp, though many are qualified as drivers, electricians, carpenters and educators.
Hargeisa, 5 June 2009– The Somaliland parliament asked the Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdillahi Mohamed Dualeh to appear in the house for questioning about the latest developments in Somaliland’s foreign policy.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs sub-committee issued a letter to the minister asking him to justify in front of the MPs today about an invitation sent to the Minister by US Congressman Mr Donald M Payne over a tripartite meeting at Washington between Sheikh Shariff’s Transitional Government, Somaliland and Puntland. The Somaliland foreign minister turned down the invitation which upset Mr Payne and many Somalilanders who felt Somaliland needs to play more active diplomatic role in the region.
The MPs will question the Minister about the level of the Foreign policy in the country and the achievements made so far and will offer recommendations.
Garowe, 5 July 2009 – The Somali regional state of Puntland has expelled two journalists yesterday after they accused them of entering the region illegally. The French national journalists have been detained and taken into a police station in the port town of Boosaso overnight. Early this morning, they were taken to the airport and expelled from the region.
The journalists who traveled from Somaliland by road said they were heading to the town of Eyl in order to prepare a documentary about the pirates but the Puntland authorities said they did not have any information about them.
Puntland region is recently attracting the international media to cover the news about the piracy in the gulf of Aden. Eyl, a town in Puntland is believed to be the headquarter of the Somalia’s pirates. Some Puntland officials are accused of having ties with the piracy including the current leader Mr Faroole. It is believed that the orders to expel them came from senior leaders in the Puntland administration.
The two French journalists have flown back to Djibouti yesterday.
British Rule In Somaliland Is Ended The Times
Monday, June 27, 1960 Independence Day Celebrations
HARGEISA, Somaliland, June 26, 1960 (Reuter): British rule ended here at midnight last night as fireworks and singing crowds heralded the Independence of Somaliland. Celebrations continued throughout the night. A big electric sign on a hillside carried the message: “Long Live independence.”
Celebrations in the capital were repeated in settlements and outposts throughout the territory. The rejoicing will continue tomorrow, which has been proclaimed a public holiday.
Early this morning crowds thronged the polo ground for the final act of independence. Mohammed Haji Ibrahim Egal, the Prime Minister of independent Somaliland, took an oath on the Quran to the new state and hoisted the blue and white, starred flag.
Nearly 1,000 British-trained Somaliland Scouts were then handed over to the Prime Minister by Brigadier O. G. Brooks, the Colonel Commandant. After the ceremony, the crowds swarmed into the town, cheering and shouting freedom slogans.
At dusk last night the band of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, beat retreat and the Union Jack was lowered.
The last toast to the Queen was proposed by Mr. P. Carrel, who was acting Governor until midnight, at a reception. He said: “This is the last occasion on which we British can offer best wishes for the future of the people of Somaliland and Somalia (the Adjacent Italian trust territory). May they have a happy life and prosperity for the rest of their days.”
Somaliland`s Vote for Union
Hargeisa, June 27, 1960 (Reuter): The Somaliland Legislative Assembly today unanimously approved a Bill endorsing plans to unite the country with Somalia. The Assembly met a day earlier than originally arranged, because Ministers are anxious to go to Somalia to settle a number of details in connection with the union.
Ibrahim Egal, the Prime Minister, paid tribute to the retiring British Speaker, Mr. W. F. Stubbs, to whom he said: “We have all been novices in the art of parliamentary government, and your assistance and guidance have been very highly appreciated.”
Agreements between Somaliland Ministers and the British Ambassador-designate, Mr. Thomas Bromley, cover interim arrangements for the Somaliland Scout Force, which was handed over to the independent Government yesterday. The agreements also provide safeguards for pension rights of expatriate civil servants and for a British aid mission to assist the public services for six months.
Somaliland Marks Independence After 73 Years of British Rule
The New York Times
Sunday, June 26, 1960
HARGEISA, Somaliland, Sunday, June 26, 1960 (Reuters): Crowds danced in the streets here, bonfires blazed from the hills and fireworks burst in the sky as last midnight spelled the end of Britain`s rule in Somaliland.
The country became independent after seventy-three years as a British protectorate. Political parties gave receptions to guests from all communities. The rejoicing was to continue tomorrow, a public holiday.
Newly independent Somaliland plans to unite with neighboring Somalia Friday when Italy gives up her United Nations trusteeship there.
The five-day hiatus between independence and merger was seen as a period of potential danger. There was fear of possible clashes with Ethiopian tribes along Somaliland`s ill-defined borders. [Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia said Friday he hoped for peaceful border adjustment with free Somalis soon.]
Thousands of Somalis turned out to say farewell to the British Governor, Sir Douglas Hall, and his wife. They flew to Aden.
A delegation arrived from Mogadishu, the Somali capital, led by the President of Somalia Legislative Assembly, Adan Abdullah. He said the people of Somalia were eagerly awaiting independence.
East Africa Marks Two New Nations
The New York Times
Monday, June 27, 1960
HARGEISA, Somaliland, June 26 (Reuters) – A blue and White starred flag was hoisted here today after all-night celebrations ending seventy-three years of British rule in this East African Territory at the south end Red Sea.
Mohammed Haji Ibrahim Egal took an Oath on the Quran as Premier of the new nation of Somaliland.
Nearly 1,000 British-trained Somali troops were handed over to him by the retiring commandant; Brig. Gen. O. G. Brooks.
Mr. Egal welcomed a delegation from a neighboring Italian Somalia, scheduled to unite with Somaliland to form a republic of 2, 000, 000 population when Italy gives up her United Nations trusteeship Friday.
Union With Somalia
The Prime Minister responded with a tribute to the British association, saying: “We have not always seen eye to eye, but we share a Common ideal in the simple things of life. This is not the end of British-Somali relations. These relations are simply taking another shape for the better.”
Somaliland plans to unite with Somalia on Friday when Italy gives up her United Nations trusteeship there.
A delegation from Mogadishu, including Adan Abdullah, who is likely to be the first President of the new republic of Somalia and Somaliland, has been greeted warmly by the crowds here.
Adan Abdullah was met by the Prime minister on his arrival at the airport. Police and Somaliland Scouts lined up to give a general salute and he was greeted by a fanfare of trumpets.
Adan Abdullah told the crowds that the people in Somalia eagerly awaited their independence on Friday. He said that there was no major obstacle in the way of union of both countries. There were difficulties in detail, “but there is no doubt that these will be resolved”.
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 01: Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on an initiative called "Make It In America" that includes various job creation legislation. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
By Abdi H. Gass
This is the second time that I have contacted your office. The first time I asked that you speak at a reception in Washington, D.C., for the late President of Somaliland, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, who was visiting America, for support of Somaliland recognition or economic support. It almost happened!
Now I’m contacting you to commend you for your relentless effort to find a resolution in Somalia even if it meant risking your life- you were shot at the Mogadishu airport. Thanks so much for trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people being caught in the crossfire of fighting factions in Somalia.
I am writing to you today imploring you to at least consider traveling to Somaliland Republic and see the reality on the ground so you can make your first impression whether Somaliland Republic should be recognized. In the waning days of President Bush, a high ranking State Department member visited Somaliland and was very impressed with the existing oasis of peace and tranquility and fledgling democracy in Somaliland.
I believe that democracy in Somaliland should be rewarded and your effort toward that vision will be greatly appreciated. For a recent independent assessment of Somaliland, see this link:
This is the first time that I have contacted your office. Sometime ago, I asked Honorable Payne of NJ, that he speak at a reception in Washington for the late President of Somaliland, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, who was visiting America, for support of Somaliland recognition or economic support. It almost happened!
Now I’ve contacting him to commend him for his relentless effort to find a resolution in Somalia even if it meant risking his life- he was shot at the Mogadishu airport. I thank him and you so much for trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people being caught in the crossfire of fighting factions in Somalia.
I am writing to you today imploring you to at least consider traveling with Senator Feingold, to Somaliland Republic and see the reality on the ground so you can make your first impression whether Somaliland Republic should be recognized. In the waning days of President Bush, a high ranking State Department member visited Somaliland and was very impressed with the existing oasis of peace and tranquility and fledgling democracy in Somaliland.
I believe that democracy in Somaliland should be rewarded and your effort toward that vision will be greatly appreciated. For a recent independent assessment of Somaliland, see this link:
Minneapolis, Jul 5, 2009 — Despite fears of distractions from the missing Somali youth saga that has engulfed the Somali community in Minnesota, the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center held its 9th Annual Convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center over the weekend where thirty speakers addressed 10,000 people over three days. Participants said it was encouraging to see the number of attendees, the breadth of topics, and the scope of talent.
After experiencing a tumultuous year, the mosque saw increased attendance at this year’s convention and a spike in monetary support. Since last fall, the mosque has come under fire for the “missing youth” debacle, a connection that the mosque administrators and its supporters continue to deny. People close to the mosque did not believe the annual event would occur this year, they feared that the need to address the allegations would distract the administration and volunteers from organizing the convention. But after successfully meeting fundraising goals and having a record attendance with the help of 200 volunteers, the Abubakar community believes it maintains the trust and love of the Somali community. “This crowd and their energy is a testimony to their commitment to the mosque and its respected leaders,” attendee Ali Abdi said.
People travelled from Columbus, Nashville, Toronto, Kansas City, and across the United States and Canada to listen, learn, and meet. Hundreds of others logged-in to a live broadcast through several websites that serve the Somali community. Twenty-year-old Anab Ibrahim travelled from Seattle to attend the convention. “We came because my aunt was impressed with the line-up. When we arrived, we were amazed with the number of people we saw standing and sitting around in the lobby… we were even more shocked to see the packed auditorium,” she said. At the peak of the event on Saturday, an estimated 7,000 thousand people filled the two auditoriums. Anab said she especially enjoyed the English lectures. “Other conferences are only about the politics of Somalia, and often make us feel hopeless. This was applicable to our lives here and our faith. It showed me what we could do for our community and ourselves.”
Photos provided by Sahra Bashir
Speakers addressed a wide range of topics, including the future of Somalis in the diaspora, the prevalence of autism, the importance of knowing your rights, the danger of gangs and extremism, the notion of Islam as mercy among others.
The only wrinkle on the conference was keynote speaker, Sheikh Mustafa Harun, being denied entry to the United States upon landing at Newark airport. He ultimately addressed the audience via webcam the following day. Participants expressed outrage over their revered scholar being denied entry. Harun said he checked in with the U.S. Embassy in Norway weeks prior to his scheduled flight and was told he should not encounter any issues. Norway has a visa waiver program with the United States. Despite his attempt at planning ahead, he did not make it to the convention. After a 9-hour flight, he was questioned for 3 hours and was told that although his identity was cleared, he must leave the country. He was allowed to make a call before boarding another 9-hour flight back to Norway.
Other speakers included imams from around the U.S. including Minnesota, among them Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Omar, Sheikh Abdirizak Hashi, Sheikh Jamel Bin Ameur, and others. Audience members were astounded by the knowledge and wit of 12-year-old Mohamud Ahmed Mohamud, who was introduced as “Sheikh Mohamud.” He related the story of Salman Al-Farisi, a historic figure in Islamic history, and spoke on the importance of seeking knowledge and asking questions. He shared the Somali proverb of regret where a person says, “when I had youth, I did not want to learn, and when I had age, I wished I had learned during my youth.” Mohamud says he wanted to send a strong message to the youth, and encourage them to take advantage of their time. “I want young people to step up to the plate because I see so much good in them and it’s time for the youth to rise,” he said. Mohamud spent the past three years helping in the bookstore of the mosque, reading and writing as he could.
Gubernatorial candidate Steve Kelley, and Constituent Advocate to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Siad Ali spoke on the health, education, and anti-immigration sentiment. Klobuchar addressed the audience by video where she touched on the cultural and intellectual wealth Somalis bring to Minnesota. Minneapolis welcomed Abukar Arman, the President of the CAIR chapter in Columbus who did a “know your rights” presentation in Somali, while members of the local chapter of CAIR did a program in English. “It’s important for people to understand their legal rights and the implications of their actions – intentional or not. Wanting a lawyer is not an omission of guilt. We want people to cooperate with law enforcement and we want them to know their rights,” he said. Arman also addressed the allegations against certain mosques in the city, saying that, “we’re finding that people are being judged by public opinion, which is ridiculous because this is a nation of law and order, and rumors should not absolve or condemn people or institutions of allegations. Rather, this should be determined by an established legal process.”
Poets Sara Mohamed and Maryam Warsame made their début at the convention. Warsame is one of three organizers for the mosque’s “Youth to Youth” group, a mentorship program for young women. Sara is a student in the program, and the two began writing together this winter. They rhymed about the situation of women in their homeland, and shared the stories of those who did not find relief. “We don’t want to be famous, we just want to get message out and not forget about those who are suffering,” Warsame said. She added that the convention was a good opportunity for students to share their work.
In addition to the poetry and lectures, the convention also included a fundraising component. In a little over an hour, participants pledged $150,000 to help cover expenses incurred over the construction of the second floor of the mosque, as well as to jump-start the next phase of development. The administration hopes to complete the parking lot and make the exterior of the building more visually pleasing.
It is difficult to imagine that this is the same institution that operated from a garage in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood – the epicenter of the city’s newest wave of immigrants. Founding member Abdulaziz Sugule says this vision for a mosque comprehensively serving the community started over a decade ago and the organization began operations in 2000. Then called the Imam Shafi’i Mosque, the name was changed to the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center and the organization moved to an abandoned warehouse in South Minneapolis. “Today, that vision is a five million dollar project,” Sugule said. “The mosque plays a major role in advancing the community; it consists of all kinds of social services including providing family counseling, settling community disputes, celebrating Islamic holidays, working with local and national government leaders, mentoring youth, and providing a place of Islamic worship and education,” he said.
Looking up with a smile, he added, “Contrary to what some people are saying, they (the mosque administration) are trying to build a healthy community with good people… they’re starting a movement for positive change and people love the place and its people.”
by Ramla bile Photos provided by Sahra Bashir
Source: Hiiraan Online
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