Termination: Know Your Rights

The legal definition of termination “…is the discharge of an employee by an employer with or without cause.” [1] There are several factors that could lead to termination of employment: employment at will, agreement, and fulfillment of purpose. Employment at will refers to the ending of employment by either the employee or the employer upon giving proper notice. In legal terms, proper notice refers to the duration of the pay period, i.e., 1 week, 2 weeks, or one month. Hence, the phrase “two-week notice” is derived from this policy. To avoid legal ramifications, an employer should give the reason that led to the termination. That is, the reason for the discharge should be related to the job. The reason for the termination should pertain to job performance, attendance, theft, drug use, harassment, negligence and things of like nature. “Additionally, it might be wrongful termination if an employer discharged an employee in retaliation for:
• Reasonably exercising employee rights under relevant employment and labor laws
• Reasonably exercising union rights
• Legitimately taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act
• Serving in the military
• Wage garnishment
• Whistleblowing”. [2]

Besides acts of God, strikes, and layoffs, employers that have 100 or more employees, who intend to lay-off or close a plant or office, are required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) of 1988, to give their employees 60 days notice so that the affected employees can have the opportunity to retrain or seek other work. In order to deter confusions and ignorance at the work, employers should create an employment handbook that outlines company procedures and policies. The language outlined in the handbook should be to the point and understandable to all employees. Policies in the handbook should include general rules of conduct; it should plainly delineate anti-harassment policies, describe factors that can lead to at-will termination, and policies regarding computer usage among other things. Breach of contract occurs when an employee fails to fulfill the reasonable expectations as stipulated in the initial contract of employment. Often, breach of contract arises in the following circumstances: (1) an employer will be liable for the duration of contract if the employee is terminated without a just cause before the expiration of the definite period of contract. (2) If an employee performs contrary to the policies contained in the employment handbook, the employer will be bound to what the handbook has stipulated. (3) If in an interview, employer specifies reason for employee’s termination, then discharge will be limited to those reasons. A claimant is ineligible for unemployment benefits if the claimant was discharged for “just cause”. Culpability, knowledge, and control are the three factors that must be present to establish a just cause. In Autilov Asp, Inc. v. Department of Workforce Services 29 P. 3d (UT 2001), Judge Billings representing the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of the employer by categorically refusing to the drawing of unemployment benefits by Christopher Guzman and Thomas King because the two complainants flagrantly violated universal standard of behavior by transmitting sexually explicit and offensive materials such as jokes, pictures, and videos which were in contravention of employer policy against sexual harassment contained in its employment handbook. An employee who successfully wins a wrongful termination battle in a legal court, upon justifying beyond reasonable doubt how his/her employer breached existing contractual underpinnings, and after establishing breach of contract theory that include (1) the existence of a contract; (2) its performance of the contract; (3) breach by the other party; and (4) damages, may be entitled to packages that could include severance pay, court fees, and attorney’ fees as damages for the untold suffering inflicted in the cause of the termination and the duration of the court proceedings.

Often, severance pay may be given upon an employee’s promise to forgo a proceeding under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are limits for filing a charge of discrimination. The duration for filing a complaint with the EEOC-the agency charged with overseeing employment rights-is 180 days from the day of the alleged violation. “This 180-day filing deadline is extended to 300 days if the charge also is covered by a state or local anti-discrimination law. For ADEA charges, only state laws extend the filing limit to 300 days. The federal EEO laws enforced by the EEOC are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Equal Pay Act (EPA). These laws prohibit covered employers from discriminating on the bases of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, and disability. Examples of conduct prohibited include: Discriminatory employment decisions, discrimination in employment and benefits, harassment and retaliation.” [3] In many cases, employee and employer may opt to resolve a charge early in the process through mediation or settlement. According to the EEOC web site, mediation and settlement are voluntary resolutions.
Mediation, settlement, and conciliation are three factors to resolving charges of discrimination. Despite the proliferation of termination related litigations against employers by grieving employees, Daniel T. Berkley, Gordon & Rees, LLP, in a teleconference titled “Avoid Wrongful Termination Lawsuits: Strategies to Keep Your Managers Out of Legal Trouble” and designed for “human resource managers, personnel managers, employee relations managers, presidents, vice presidents, business owners and managers, supervisors, compliance officers and attorneys”, detail four appealing factors that could serve as a deterrence against unnecessary legal actions for those managing workplaces. In their sub-title “Training for Effective Workplace Policies and Practices”, the duo provide educational materials that come in the form of CD and manual together with a podcast containing 89-minute MP3 with 90-page electronic manual. Some of topics covered in their management lectures include:
I. Progressive Discipline
II. Investigations
III. Retaliation
IV. Termination”. [4]

In conclusion, since the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Labor courts in the United States continue to be inundated with civil law suits. Consequently, Congress has been rationally making amendments to the U.S. Constitution since the proclamation of Independence from England in 1776. Despite the hardships and arduous contests in the stipulation of U.S laws by the Judiciary, Legislature, and the Executive, profound promulgations have been made to pave way for the reclamation and restoration of human independence and dignity.

[1]John Jude Moran. Employment Law: New Challenges in the Business Environment. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2008.
[2]http://employeeissues.com/wrongful_termination_2.htm
[3]http://www.eeoc.gov/charge/overview_charge_filing.html
[4]http://www.lorman.com/teleconference/384409?affiliate=WorkersCompensation&cd=16196:0:1:4:13&discount_code=

Leadership and Economics

Going by the expanding nature of global economics and varying national economies, today’s leaders should be compelled to understand that the best, much-applauded, and unanimously accepted form of fundamental economics is the capitalist market economy which contains many buyers and sellers of numerous goods and services where all of them are interested primarily in their own well-being. From the Greek word oikonomos, economy denotes to mean “one who manages a household.” However, according to the great 19th-century economist Alfred Marshall, “economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life.” In essence, economics is the study of how society manages its scarce resources. [1]

Two prominent economists, Adam Smith and David Ricardo inspired the modern economics we cherish today. Adam Smith’s 1776 book titled An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, shed light on the subject of trade and economic interdependence. Likewise, inspired by Adam Smith’s writings, David Ricardo, millionaire broker turned economist, in his 1817 book Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, developed the principle of comparative advantage as we know it today. The principle of comparative advantage explains interdependence and the gains from trade. As a member of the British parliament of the day and in his defense of free trade and his opposition to the Corn Laws which restricted the import of grain, Ricardo put his economic beliefs to work by displaying total rejection and repugnance at the British government’s infringement on free trade. Undoubtedly, the legacies left behind by Smith and Ricardo continues to empower the values and ideals of today’s capitalist economies.

Based on decentralized control and delegation, a leader who has the will and commitment to steer a nation to its right course must understand that micromanaging economies, people’s lives or jobs is nothing but a futile enterprise. Likewise, a leader cannot save, motivate, and satisfy everyone. Leaders must understand that when people associate no risk or cost to something, they will abuse it. That is why all social programs like welfare, social security, and Medicare fail to have rigid foundations despite concerted government efforts at their resuscitation. With markets being a good way to organize economic activity, boosting trade makes everyone better-off. Though not always positive, governments can sometimes improve market outcomes. During the Cold War era, the former Soviet Union and her Communist allies in Eastern Europe experienced retarded economies because their economies were based on outdated centralization systems managed by irrational central planners which culminated in their collapse in the 1980s. Because of corruption, insecurity, coup d’états, political obscurantism, dictatorships, and a host of other natural and human calamities, Africa, a continent abundant in natural resources, remains entangled in a protracted economical mess that make it a laughing stork in every sector of the economic scale and a burden to international financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank. Lack of human capital, grinding poverty and diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, and the collective theft of state coffers, has diminished the continent’s prospects for economical prosperity and political maturity. Despite minor modifications, the economic principles left behind by Adam Smith and David Ricardo continue to drive the nerves and fibers of many nations including the United States while resourceful African nations continue to suffer from self-inflicted economic woes without any prospect for recovery.
Some important aspects of managing a capitalist economy include:
(1) A strong national defense-if people do not feel safe, economic growth will be retarded and suffering and destitution will reign.
(2) Property rights-when people own something, they have the tendency to invest and protect it.
(3) Judicial system to handle disputes.
(4) Low taxes and low regulatory environment.
(5) Few entitlement programs like welfare, social security, and Medicare. These programs are inefficient and wasteful (transfer payments-taking money from one citizen and giving it to another is always counterproductive). A program like welfare falls under what economists refer to as “the Law of unintended consequences” which occurs when government actions or policies fail to produce the desired results. Initially, welfare was intended to help the poor but only created more poverty and an underclass that grew reliant on government. We have to be careful what behaviors we reward because if people associate no cost or risk to something they will abuse it.

Said another way, production possibilities curves can be expanded with the following in mind: (1) movement towards capitalism and free trade (India, China), (2) education, (3) technological advances, and (4) discovery of new natural resources. By raising taxes, consumer and producer surplus is destroyed beyond measure and automatically the standard of living of the ordinary citizen is lowered. Leaders need to understand that people get what they earn and that there are no other solutions except trade-offs. Thus, growing economies need energy to safeguard and maintain their demand and supply. A country’s standard of living depends on its ability to produce goods and services.

Consequently, leaders and politicians have caused extensive miscalculations to numerous national economies by thinking that they know more about economics than economists. In broad terms, this is what is referred to as “fatal conceit” by economists. Both golden rule and fatal conceit, malevolent in context, are based on self-interest and are detrimental to the economic well-being of any nation and must be shunned at all cost.

One other form of unwarranted government exploitation or practice that places unnecessary hardships on businesses is price gouging. A firm’s costs are a key determinant of its production and pricing decisions. This practice is outlandish and absolutely authoritarian in nature. Leaders fail to grasp the theory that demand is based on ability and willingness to pay. On the ability notion, one may have the ability to pay but unwilling to pay for the product either because the product is inferior or exorbitant. Apparently, wary consumers understand the implications of buying cheap and inferior Chinese products that flood the markets. Everything, regardless of make or model, has a price attached to it. Unquestionably, above that price, no one is willing to pay. Supply and demand of goods and services determine price. As a result, when the price of a commodity goes up, demand goes down; when price goes up it provides an incentive for suppliers to supply more of the goods or services if they can. One other principle why prices rise is when government prints too much money. Nations experience inflation when there is an increase in the overall level of prices in the economy. An observable fact where prices in the economy rose by similar standards was experienced by Germany in January 1921 when the price of a daily newspaper that cost 0.30 marks rose to 70,000,000 marks in less than two years later. The best tool to defeat inflation is to limit the growth in the quantity of money. The U.S. experienced high inflation in the 1970s and high inflation in the 1980s because of high and slow growth in the quantity of money. Despite the U.S. experiencing “Every time we break down barriers to trade and investment, we open up new markets for American ranchers, farmers, workers, and entrepreneurs. ...” [2]

Economics and leadership are two inseparable and intertwined subjects with significant advantage and contributions to free market economies. To have an effective economy, it is of vital importance for a leader to come up with effective planning and implementation. Economists are of the view that planning is never perfect and that plans are absolutely nothing without action and that at all times the trickiest thing to do is executing a plan.

There is a popular consensus among economists which affirms that in economics demand is easy and there is no limit to the wants and needs of human beings. The most difficult thing is meeting the supply of goods and services. What a country can do to encourage its people and how corporations and businesses can supply the necessary products and services demanded by the people is a pressing issue and a daunting task in the science of economics. As mentioned earlier, the answer of course is capitalism as reflected in the decentralized economy. An important resolution could be the 70 % solution adopted by the US military and corporations which states that if you feel that you have 70% of a problem covered –take action!! Because of the law of diminishing returns, trying to make a plan perfect is futile. The art of economics consists not merely looking at the immediate but at the longer effects of an act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.

Because people respond to incentives, leaders must remain rational by weighing or comparing benefits and costs just as those they govern perceive it to be so. A situation in which the market price has reached the level at which quantity supplied equals quantity demanded, is called equilibrium. Also called market-clearing price, equilibrium is found where the supply and demand curves meet. At the equilibrium price, the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded. In free markets, a so pervasive phenomenon that brings into balance the quantity of goods supplied and the quantity of goods demanded is referred to as the law of supply and demand-meaning the price of any good adjusts to bring the quantity supplied and quantity demanded for that good into balance. In economics, deadweight loss is referred to as the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion, such as a tax. Because taxes cause deadweight losses, they prevent buyers and sellers from realizing some of the gains from trade. What determine whether the deadweight loss from a tax is large or small are the price elasticities of supply and demand. Henry George, the 19th century American economist and philosopher, in his 1879 book, Progress and Poverty, argued that the government should raise all its revenue from tax on land. To him, this “single tax”, was both equitable and efficient. However, not many economists of our era and age support George’s proposal for a single tax on land. Because governments have no money, the only way they can obtain it is through taxation which carries with it a deadweight loss to society as a whole.

With rigorous debate mounting in the U.S. regarding immigration, opponents and proponents of this contentious issue base their arguments on the supply of labor. Some factors that would cause the labor supply curve to shift include changes in tastes, changes in alternative opportunities, and immigration. For instance, when immigrants come to the United States, the supply of labor in the United States increases and the supply of labor in the immigrants’ home countries contracts. The never-ending policy debate about immigration centers on the effects of immigration and its effect on labor supply-equilibrium in the labor market.

A new field of economics known as behavioral economics has made basic psychological insights into human behavior. Some exclusive studies on human decision-making have come up with the following findings:
 People are overconfident.
 People give too much weight to a small number of vivid observations.
 People are reluctant to change their minds.
Because economists have differing views regarding the imperfections of Homo sapiens, some economists have suggested that humans are “near rational” or that they exhibit “bounded rationality”. It was Herbert Simon, a social scientist who worked at the boundaries of psychology, who suggested that humans should best be viewed as satisficers and not rational maximizers. Thomas Sowell, an African American economist stated that the mark of a good economist is "thinking beyond stage one". In essence, this is part of leadership. Professor Richard Epstein University of Chicago Law School, commenting on Thomas Sowell’s book Applied economics: Thinking beyond Stage One, had this to say, “In Applied Economics, the companion volume to his earlier work, Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell uses rudimentary economic theory to unmask the cant that surrounds too many policy debates.” [3] To further add more weight to Sowell’s book, the Publishers Weekly had a commentary that read: “The great achievement of Sowell's book is its simplicity. His writing is easy and lucid, an admirable trait considering the topic at hand. . .His target audience is the average citizen who has little or no economics background, but would like the tools to think critically about economic issues.” [4]

In broader terms, economics is an appealing subject, informative, and educative to the core. It is part sociology, part philosophical, and undoubtedly a subject meant for every human being seeking to overcome barriers in daily financial and economical handicaps.

N. Gregory Mankiw: Principles of Microeconomics (2007). Thomas Higher Education, 5191 Natorp Boulevard, Mason, OH 45040.
http://www.ustreas.gov/
http://www.tsowell.com/Appliedecon.htm
www.publishersweekly.com

Poem Name: Seylo - Saxansaxo

Heestan waxa ku qaada fanaanka caanka ah ee Xasan Aadan Samatar,

Seyloo guyaal badan

Soo baxa kaliishii

Seelseelna loo degay

Sannad geelu badi dhalay

Oo sidigtii Laalays

Nirguhu aanay socod baran

Reeraha sintoodiyo

Kaymo saar leh loo dhigay

Oo igadh mid yari sabo

Maqaar lagu salaaxay

Sameeshay gaawaha

Oo baarqab soohani

Isagoo ah laba sabar

Soofeeyey micidoo

Ka sanqadhiyey doobtii

Salaadiina roorsaday

Ugubkii usaniyo

Surmo dheer la tiigsaday

Saqdii dhexena roob helay

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jaleecada

Saxansaxo ugdoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa



Sange subag idaadiyo

Sumal badhidii lagu shubay

Oo sabada ceelkiyo

Sohdu tahay agtiisoo

Loogu dhaansho sacabada

Oo Sud iyo Hawd sare

Saddex guure daaqoo

Weli aan sadyari arag

Oo seeto iyo dabar

Labadaba ka saahiday

Oo sallow dagaaliyo

Cidi geyn saraayaha

Oo sararta naaxdiyo

Timihu isku seexdeen

Oo seyngargoorkiyo

Loo salaaxay guudkoo

Saxarkii ku duuliyo

Laga maydho siigada

Loo saaray kooraha

Cigaalkiina loo sudhay

Sarajooga iyo muuq

Sanku-neefle kelidaa

Adaa suuradiisa leh



Sagal gaaxday roob subax

Seermaweydo soo gudday

Waaguna ku sare kacay

Sarajoog nin dhererkii

Cadceeduna la siman tahay

Nuurkuna sagootiyey

Oo waqal sindadabiyo

Guulaamo socotiyo

Kala soocday dhibicii

Oo midab sibaaqiyo

Madow suul dhalaal xiga

Saddexdaa miduun yahay

Qof suureeyey kala garan

Oo beel sanaagiyo

Ku surmiyey saraar godan

Saadaalineysoo

Sugayaan inuu helo

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jeelacada

Saxansaxo udgoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa



Dhulka saacu wada gaadh

Waannu kala sedroonyee

Meel idaha seel u leh

Riyaha salool u leh

Oo geela saar u leh

Oo dirir sagaariyo

Sagaal gudcurkuna helay

Saga xareedaan

Biyuhuna sunsumayaan

Oo saawa-saawiyo

Saxal cudur lahaynoo

Salka looga degay nabad

Oo saraarta dixidiyo

Siman tahay dareemadu

Oo sabiga caanihii

Lagu siiyey golihii

Habluhuna sibraariyo

Dhiilo saabka loo tolay

Sinta bidix ku qaadeen

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jeelacada

Saxansaxo udgoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa

Lyrics: Hooyooy La'aantaa by Mohamed Saleban

Hooyoy la'aantaa
Adduunyadu hubaashii
Habeen kama baxdeenoo
Iftiin lama heleenoo
Dadku uma hayaameen
Dayax heego joogoo
Sida haad ma fuuleen
Xiddig hawd ka lulatoo
hawo laguma gaadheen

Hubka laguma tureen
cirka hirar ka muuqdoo
ruuxaad hagaysiyo
dusha midho ku haystaa
hilin toosan waligii
ka habaabi maayee
Hooyoy addoomuhu
Halkay maanta joogaan
Adigaa u horseedee

Intaad hanad xambaartee
Haaneedka siisee
Horaaddada jaqsiisee
Habtay baan xisaabiyo
Tiro lagu helayn,
Marka aad nin hiilloo
Laga baqo hashiisiyo
Halyey diran dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin hoo-loo
marti hagar ka gelinoo
Gurigiisa habaqluhu
Isku soo halleeyoo
xayntiisa quudhoo
Hor ilaahay geystiyo
Lama hure dhashaa baa
Hooyoy lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin himilada
Hilin toosan mariyoo
Hir markii la gaadhaba
Ku labaad hilaadshoo
haga maatadiisoo
La higsade dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin hooggiyo
Ka hor taga dagaalkoo
dabka hura baqtiiyoo
Garta hubin yaqaanoo
Xaqa hoos u eegoo
Halistiyo colaadaha
ku hagoogta dhiigoo
Dadka kala hagaajoo
Kala hage dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Markaad hoobal caanoo
sacabka iyo heelada
Labadaba hagaajoo
Hindisaha farshaxanoo
Hab-dhaca iyo luuqdaba
rabi hibo u siiyoo
Hawraarta maansada
Heensayn yaqaanoo
Hal-abuur dhasha baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Dumar iyo haween baa
Nolol lagu haweystaa
Kuwa lagu hammiyayee
Sida hawd caleen wayn
Rag u wada hamuumee
Ishu halacsanaysaa
Hablahaaga weeyee.

Marka guur la haybshee
Gabadh heego dheeroo
Hoobaan la moodoo
Karti iyo hub-qaadloo
Quruxdana ka hodanoo
Hira laga aroostaa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Hooyoy la'aantaa
Higgaad lama barteenoo
Hooyoy la'aantaa
Hadal lama kareenoo
Ruuxaanad habinoo
Kolba aanad heesiyo
Hoobey ku sabinoo
Hawshaada waayaa
Hanaqaadi maayee
hooyo taftaada
dugsi laga helaayoo
Hooyoy dhabtaadaa
Hurdo lagu gam'aayoo
Hooyoy dushaadaa
Nabad lagu helaayoo
Waxa lagu hal-maalaa
Hooyo ababintaadee
Hayin lagu badhaadhaay
Hogol lagu qaboobaay
Gogol lama huraaneey
Dugsigi lagu hirtaayee
Hidde lagu arooraay.

Intaad hooyo nooshahay
Hambalyiyo salaan baan
Hanti kaaga dhigayaa
Hamrashiyo xaq-dhowr baan
Dusha kaa huwinayaa,
Hooyo dhimashadaaduna
Hooggayga weeyoo
Weligey hoggaagaan
Ka dul heesayaayoo
Hiyiga iyo laabtaan
Kugu haynayaayoo
Hengel baan u xidhayaa
Inta haadka duushiyo
Idil habar dugaaggee
Ifka hibo ku noolow
Aakhiro halkii roon
http://www.somalilyrics.net/music/mohamed-saleban-tubeec/hooyo/

Digging the heels for a new Battleground

They say "no news is good news". For the first three years after the collapse of the military regime in 1991, news from Somalia concurrently captured the world's media outlets such that all eyes turned on the multitudes of events unfolding in the impoverished and war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation. Then all of a sudden the world got bored with the horrible unending events of militarism, plunder, rape, killings, assassinations, and jostling for power. Then came 2006 with the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts that uprooted the strengths and mights of the dreaded warlords funded by the West.

Overnight, a young Koranic scholar by the name Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed received celebrity status simply because he led the uprising that ousted the unforgiving warlords. Six months later, Somalia's archenemy and neighbor, Ethiopia, jumped on the bandwagon under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Because of Ethiopia's involvement in Somalia's internecine war, world media coverage of Somalia proliferated once again. On the other hand, Somali Diaspora communities established grueling cyber-warfare that lasted until Ethiopia's exit. Bogus websites allied to particular warlords of interests appeared like peanuts.

As luck would have it, the Transitional Federal Government headed by Colonel Abdullahi Yususf instantly collapsed after a political Tsunami ripped through its poorly-designed political infrastructure. Then late last year, a reconciliation conference under the auspices of the international community, was held in neighboring Djibouti to bring all warring parties together . This time, Somalia became all news again. Funny enough, the former celebrity star, Sheikh Sharif, became head of a new Somali administration. His inauguration coincided with the opening of the African Union convention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was here where he met the man who chased him through the streets of Mogadishu in December of 2006, atto Meles Zenawi, the man who rules Ethiopia with an iron fist.

Right along Somalia's coastlines and way further in the Gulf of Aden, a deadly virus
was growing dangerous tentacles. This virus came to be known as "piracy" though to many Somalis it was a form of preventing the depletion of Somalia's maritime resources from illegal fishing and dumping of noxious wastes. Again, Somalia became a news celebrity overnight. The world media houses exploded once again after the capturing of an American cargo ship and French luxury yacht. To make matters worse, the pirates held ransom the captain of the American cargo ship. The altercation between the poor pirates and the United States Navy resulted in the killing of all the pirates and the freeing of the captain. This time, the name Somalia was everywhere. Consequently, this incident did not diminish piracy activities. Instead, the piracy business has skyrocketed.

Then recently, after all was calm, the greatest Islamist arrived Somalia from Eritrea via Sudan. His name is Sheikh Dahir Sheikh Aweys; he is an unrelenting fundamentalist powered by religious zealotry and tribal hegemony. He is a former colonel of the defunct Somali Army and a former member of Al-Itihad Al-Ilsami, a religious fuction that had firm hold in some regions of Somalia. The Sheikh was in the same camp as Sheikh Sharif at the height of the ICU before parting ways after its collapse and defeat by the Ethiopian Army.

Currently, the build-up of western navies together with the forces of the "coalition of the willing" along Somalia's coastlines seem not to attract much media attention. Instead, all eyes are on the current developments in Somalia-a tough war between two former friends that is expected to drag on for an unknown time. It is a war between Sheikh Sharif and Sheikh Dahir Aweys. Unless the Hawiye elite and tribal leaders succeed a negotiated settlement between these two men, a penumbra of contested political absurdities will once again engulf Somalia's fragile social composition.