November 9, 2021
Reviewed by Adan Makina, WardheerNews
Author: Marco Zoppi
Published: Rowman & Littlefield
Pages: 246
Publication date: August 20, 2021
Editor’s Note: The
newly-published book, Horizons of security State and extended family, that was preceded by an
interview whose topic was An Interview with Dr. Marco Zoppi, WardheerNews
Books Review Section is delighted to share with you the experiences of the
author about Somalis living in Scandinavian countries. A scholarly luminary and
a widely traveler, Dr. Zoppi’s book contains an ocean of new revelations that
is worth delving into. Published by the world renown Rowman & Littlefield (rowman.com), the book
unveils the living conditions of Somalis in the Nordic countries of Norway,
Sweden and Denmark. In the introduction to the book, the author begins with the
question: Experiencing Hell in the Welfare Paradise? From his viewpoint of the
so-called Safety Net, drawing his experiences from the Somalis he interviewed
using qualitative research method, there could be long term repercussions of
social vulnerability because, the integration measures set by these countries
seem not conducive to the Somali lifestyle. Available in Hardback and eBook,
the subject matter of the book is drawn from the Social Sciences that
incorporates Sociology, Anthropology, Urban, Refugees and Race and Ethnic
Relations. The Author, Dr. Marco Zoppi is a Research Fellow in the Department
of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna. His 246 pages book is
worth purchasing for those willing to have a valuable additional scholarly
asset in their bookshelves or libraries
.
––––––––––––
Dr. Marco Zoppi is a contributor to
WardheerNews and has been a great essayist and researcher since joining our
digitized magazine that is committed to disseminating news and information to
the people of the Horn of Africa and the world at large. Even though we have
been in contact in the past, he recently jolted my nerves with an electronic
correspondence stating that he has a book that has been published September of
this year. Amazingly, the book touches on the living conditions of Somalis
dispersed in the Scandinavian or Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
His book, though taken from his PhD
Dissertation, “Horizons of Security State and Extended Family: the Somali
safety net in Scandinavia” contains public policy issues related to
unemployment, education, and the welfare system in the aforementioned countries
and how Somalis have been adversely affected in the past and present times.
There is no doubt the book will immensely attract the attention of Somalis and other
global philomaths and researchers once it gets out of the publisher’s oven.
Loaded with tempting and new philosophical, sociological, and political and
psychological language, together with humanistic references from world renown authors,
researchers, and writers of literary repute, Dr. Zoppi’s book will obviously
tilt the currently existing scale of balance where Nano-democracy has become
the norm in democratized nations in the Western Hemisphere.
Food, political and personal security are
the major harbingers of ontological security which is the major driving factor
that inculcates trust and human personal safety and as well safeguards the
interaction and assimilation of diverse communities regardless of race,
religion, gender, and political, social and national origin. In our modern
world of governance, the concept of “I, we, and others” have become separating
factors even in the most democratic nations. For Somalis and the Scandinavians,
mistrust of each other has opened cans of worms that have infiltrated societies
having different cultural, religious and linguistic differences. In such
instances, the philosophy of “others” infuses finger-pointing, discrimination,
“I am who I am attitudes”, segregations, and the denial of basic human rights
by the host countries to those who seek refugee or asylee statuses. In the
preface to his book, the author states: The welfare state for the
Scandinavians is like the camel for the Somalis! Welfare in Scandinavia is
associated to the bumblebee that is known for continuously flying and leaving
in its path “undisputable social domains.”[i] To the Somali
nomad, not owning a camel lead to dependency theory while in Scandinavia, the
lack of access to welfare distributions obviously degrades the Somali
self-sufficiency lifestyle.
Of the three Scandinavian countries
mentioned earlier, the absence of assured safety net for the Somalis and the denial
of travel documents to disperse to more sympathetic countries like England and
others, causes travel estrangements. A man of literary repute, it would make
sense to me to refer to the author as an expert in ethnomethodology because of
his admiration for social order. His interest in heuristic inquiry that deals
with things of personal interest also gives him credit while his focus on
linguistics and social sciences makes him indisputably someone having interest
in semiotics. His reliance on written texts propels him to the study of
hermeneutics while his use of in-depth interviews of transcripts and creative
non-fiction that are covered in his book reveal his knowledge of narratology
and narrative analysis.
Statistical data collected by the author
reveals that Somalis are the most populated when compared to other foreign
communities. Likewise, population aside, Somalis have the lowest employment
rates in Nordic nations, lag behind in education, have larger families in every
household and fetch immense welfare benefits that is deducted from higher
income workers and business conglomerations. While every political campaigner
applies modest verbal logocracy–a “pseudo-democracy created by mere words”–as
an assurance to safeguard the needy if elected to office, things change for the
worse once taking over the helm. Hurling expletives like “scroungers” and
“undeserving” become political categorizations for the less fortunate ones who,
perhaps, voted for the winning previous official campaigner.
“People with multiple allegiances to
place” (Van Hear, 1998)[ii] is the global
defining factor for those who departed their places of birth and are now known
as Diaspora. Since time immemorial, human migration from one place to another
has been a common feature that cannot be neglected and it may have begun with
the biblical exodus of aforetime and even before. While Somalia has been
described as the fourth generous to strangers out of 140 countries worldwide
according to Charities Aid Foundation (Thompson Reuters Foundation, 2016)[iii], with Iraq being
the leading, followed by Libya–three of them being Muslim countries ravaged by
civil wars that have been instigated by Western hands, there must be a hidden
secret as to why three neighboring Nordic countries unanimously took equal
initiatives to treat Diaspora Somalis with contempt and suspicion.
In
antiquity, the application of eleutheria
emerged during the era of the Athenians. Meaning “being free”, it has
remained a driving factor in the concepts of democratization and the major
principle of liberty. In opposition to eleutheria, douleia
implied “being a slave”. According to Hansen (2010), eleutheria signified
the equality of natural citizens of the state and nationals from foreign
countries. Further, Hansen (2010, p. 3) stated that eleutheria has
been mostly used as a basic democratic concept in assembly debates or discussions
that contradicted democracy and tyranny.[iv] In his conversations with his interviewers, the author uses
the term interlocutor(s) for select people who were willing to take part in
discussions or dialogues.
While
culture is in opposition to cults and customs, instead, it is a strategy that
reinforces people’s sense of identity. The former popular practice that was
known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that has changed name to Female
Genital Cut (FGC) has been popular among 28 African and Middle Eastern
countries and through global fight has been diminishing in recent times even in
Somalia after Muslim scholars branded it ‘haraam’ meaning forbidden according
to Islamic law. Better known as “pharaonic circumcision” or “Gudniinka
Fircooniga” in Somali, it was first given that name by a Sudanese scholar.
Blaming Somalis for fundamentalism and
other forms of insecurity is nothing but surreptitiously religious and inhuman
politically motivated agenda that contravenes the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR) that was adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on the 10th of October, 1948. The fear of alien cultural infiltration
and religious dominance resulting from human reproduction in the future could
be other factors that instill narcissistic feelings to the host leaders which
in turn spread the outgrowth of uncontrollable and malevolent, tattooed right-wingers
driven by national pride.
It is wise to learn from history. “We
remember the past in order to make the present tolerable and the future worth
waiting for” is a wise saying worthy of contemplation and comprehension. In 509
B.C.E. the ruling Romans who were known by the name Patricians gave the
local Plebeians the right to elect officials of their own who were
called Tribunes. Corresponding to the time of Augustus, the Term “Pax
Romana” that meant Roman Peace promulgated the “Twelve Tables” which
to this day translates to “not guilty until proven guilty.” Thus, Somalis,
even though not guilty of any offences, have become culprits in the most
democratically advanced and natural resources-rich Nordic countries.
In 387 BCE, the Roman Empire wreaked havoc
in Greece. Under the command of King Justinian of the Christian Orthodox Church
who was behind the destruction of Greece fleeing with manuscripts of their
ancient philosophers, the Greek immigrants got protection and shelter from the
Sassanid Empire that was Persian and ruled by King Khosrau (Chosroes). In later
years, after degrading a letter from Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and
delivered to the same powerful Persian king, the Christian Orthodox Roman
Empire brought down his Zoroastrian empire. Finally, Khosrau or Chosroes was
assassinated by Shervah, his own son.
With the end of the Cold War (1960-1990)
and the collapse of the mighty Soviet Union, Samuel Huntington’s book the “Clash
of Civilizations” which implied the clash of cultures and religions brought
in novel philosophical thoughts among scholars. For Huntington, Islamic
extremism would be the major barrier to Western global dominance. However,
Francis Fukuyama who was a student of Huntington came up with a new book. “The
End of History and the Last Man” that was in response to Huntington’s
previous publication which caused consternation among scholars. Fukuyama’s book
pinpointed the end of liberal democracy and the rise of neoconservative movement.[v] Perusing through
both books gives the reader a view of impending global political changes and
what they promulgated came to fruition.
In his introduction, the author asks: experiencing
hell in the welfare of paradise? In Denmark, Somali mothers have
insurmountable problems dealing with general schools and daycare systems that place
restrictions on student-parent connections, according to interviews conducted
by the author. While Somalis in the United Kingdom enjoy undeterred freedom to
business transactions, pursuance of education and assimilation and freedom of
travel, those in Scandinavian countries feel some sort of restraining or
estrangement placed on them. While enculturation is learning from own culture,
on the other hand there is acculturation that requires modification of one’s
culture or adapting another culture. In the long-term, acculturation leads to
assimilation which is abandoning one’s culture. Perhaps, what the Nordic countries
are demanding from Somalis is acculturation which is quite impossible for a
Somali who is proud of his religion, culture and traditions.
In acculturation, the dominant
Scandinavian culture seems to overpower the solid Somali culture that has been
in existence for millenniums. Somalis have known the exhortations in the Qur’an
since they took Islam in favor of other religions. The following verse is
enough for a foreigner to understand the significance of belonging to a nation
or tribe in Islam. “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male
and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other
(not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the
sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full
knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things) (49: 13).”[vi]
In Islam, human rights came through divine
revelation which is known as Wahyi, while in the West, it seeped from human
mind and experience.[vii] The last sermon
of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) which is known as “Khutba-e-Hajjatul-Wada”, succinctly
explains the equality of human beings. Delivered 630 AD/10 AH, the Prophet of
Islam (PBUH) said: “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority
over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also, a White
has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White
except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every
Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be
legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given
freely and willingly.”[viii]
The legal establishment that the West borrowed
from the Roman and Canon law–ius commune–in 1215 and known as Magna
Carta was a mere charter for landlords and funerals, according to Western
Scholar Henry Marsh.[ix] In other words,
it is no longer a valuable field of study.[x] Furthermore, it evolved
700 years after the rise of Islam. Between Somalis and the Scandinavian welfare
systems, the author decries what he defines as clash that require
negotiations. To his amazement, he found that there were Somalis living in
Scandinavian countries who shied away from Somali cultural practices while
others felt fully critical of the Somali culture. In his interviews, those
interviewed by the author broke their silence. Even those Somalis who came from
England to pay visits to relatives in Scandinavian countries discovered
negative socialization and other impediments and as for those
Somali-Scandinavians touring other European nations, they perceived more
acceptable social integrations that they felt would have been applicable had it
been applied to those living in Nordic countries.
The term pastoral-nomadic has become the
defining factor for the entire Somali nation to academic and non-academic
circles, according to the author in Chapter IV, while downplaying the
differences between nomads, semi-pastoralist and farmers. In academia, applying
pastoral-nomadic categorization to an entire nation could be defined as
generalization which is totally unacceptable.
Such copious mentality among academic and
non-academic circles requires better focus and deeper sense of acceptable human
imagination and research endeavors. Taking a leaf from Somalia’s first
President’s 1963 OAU address, Aden Abdille Osman, had this to say: “Unlike
any other border problem in Africa, the entire length of the existing
boundaries, as imposed by the colonialists, cut across the traditional pastures
of our nomadic population. The problem becomes unique when it is realized that
no other nation in Africa finds itself totally divided along the whole length
of its borders from its own people.” Perhaps, the prevailing
pastoral-nomadic focus evolved from the first president’s attractive speech.
There’s no doubt that welfare is a subject
of academic interest and failure to find universal solutions could lead to experiences
of transcultural encounters, as the author contemplates. Transcultural
encounters in modern Europe resulting from welfare experiences have been
rampant in contemporary Europe and other developed countries globally. A good
population of Somalis live in the United States, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand and most rely on welfare benefits. If unemployment is rife among
Somalis in Scandinavia, obviously, the Somali remittance system known as
‘hawala’ or ‘xawaala’ could experience tremendous downfall since it is the
major sustainer of the economy of their relatives in war-torn Somalia. The asymmetrical
tensions between citizen experiences and expectations are a challenge to the
former golden welfare system, the author explains. Unfortunately, the twists
and turns of modern politics in Scandinavia could be attributed to be the major
cause of the degradation of the former golden welfare system.
The book could be enticing to the reader
who would like to know more about Somali tradition and culture. His clear
explanation of Somali cultural foundations that stretch back to their past
history and how their own scholars distorted the term homogeneity to suit their
own interests, deserve corrections. When it comes to the role of women in
conventions that is called “shir”, according to Somali “xeer”
which serves as the sole legal jurisdiction, majority of the conveners are men.
In the West, attempted rape is a crime while among Somalis, the case can be
solved without resorting to government legal jurisdiction. I can recall not
long ago when a friend connected me to a PhD candidate who was interested to
know why Somalis prefer Xeer to legal intervention. Ironically, since
‘old habits never die’, the Somali Xeer that is still in practice in the
Somali Peninsula cannot be easily eradicated.
However, Somalis living in Scandinavia
will have to pull up their socks in order to catch up with the laws of their
host governments. Somali Diaspora children, due to acculturation, will
obviously abandon the Somali Xeer system and follow the newly structured
environment. Like Thucydides who is acknowledged to be the “Father of
Scientific History”, Dr. Marco Zoppi’s book defines Somali traditional
lifestyles using modern historical epistemology in ways that attracts the
attention of the reader. He finely defines Somali terminologies into English to
help the reader better understand Somali linguistic expressions.
Even after enduring over two decades of
dictatorship, there are those Somalis who still remain committed to safeguarding
their pride and dignity. One of his interlocutors who was a Somali living in
Denmark, working and almost wrapping up his master’s degree plainly told the
author that he was opposed to any form of dictations because they had their own
religion, culture and color. He further elucidated that even though they were
willing to change and integrate, respect for each other must come from both
sides.
In terms of natural resources, we’ll begin
with Norway that is rich in natural resources such as oil, seafoods, natural
gas, forests, minerals and hydro-electric power. Besides, it is the world’s 13th
largest exporter of seafoods. A nation endowed with such immense and vast
resources deserves to treat its “others” with dignity and respect, educate them
thoroughly so they can catch up with the citizens and then become part and
parcel of the Nordic cultural foundations and unified social fabric. Failure to
do so will result in the skyrocketing of crimes of startling proportions and
altered mindsets and the infiltration of undesirable and uncontrollable hateful
forces from both sides of society. It should be the prerogative of the
Norwegian Parliament that is known as Stoërting to take drastic measures when it comes to
the observance of equity and equality.
After Denmark, The Netherlands and
Finland, Norway is the fourth in the international observance of OECD
regulations.[xi] OECD is an
abbreviation for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The
OECD was founded in 1961. Nations undergo rigorous review processes before
becoming members. Colombia was admitted in April 2020 while Costa Rica joined
May 2021. Currently, there are 38 members with no single African or Arab
country included. The only Muslim country that is a member of OECD is Turkey.
In public policy-making, voluntary
associations emphasize ‘associative democracy’ that is voluntary whereas
‘discursive economic relations’ is concerned with the reintegration of planning
and execution of different players interests. With ‘negotiated governance’, there
is limited autonomy in states and is irreducible centrality’ for certain
interest groups. The absence of the term ‘negotiated governance’ among nations could
be a recipe for divergent politics where every entity chooses a different
democratic policy as a choice.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: "O
mankind, your Lord is One and your father is one. You all descended from Adam,
and Adam was created from earth. He is most honored among you in the sight of
God who is most upright. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, no colored person
to a white person, or a white person to a colored person except by Taqwa
(piety)." [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi].
It is un-Christian and contrary to the
Christian doctrines of mercy for three Christian countries that are guided by
social democracy to contradict the biblical exhortations of mercy. In the
Bible, the word mercy is intensely covered. Some of the examples are: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy
(Mathew, 5:7). Likewise, the Book of David tells us:
For the Lord is
good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations (Psalm 100:5).
In Colossians 3:12, we read: “So, as those who have been chosen
of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience...” When it comes
to time of need, there is a lot to learn from Hebrews 4:16 that explains what is expected of those who have
wealth. It tells us, “Therefore,
let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
I don’t know of any educated Somali either from
Scandinavia or other parts of the world who took to the keyboard to spend
enough time writing anything identical in context to what Dr. Marco published.
A previous interview with the author gave me enough information on the plight
of Somalis in the countries under discussion. The Somali ‘Muufo’ or Mofa that
is identical to the Western pancake, is most flavorful when out of the oven for
its exposure to open air automatically reduces the much-admired taste. Now that
the book is out of the publisher’s oven, time is ripe to grab a copy before
others narrate distasteful and altered narratives. Dr. Marco deserves a pat on
the back and obviously, his prestige and honor will be with us for a long time
as long as his book remains on global booksellers’ shelves. Order one today to
reminisce the Somali love for the camel and the current chicken in Scandinavian
countries that has been chosen as a replacement for the much-adored Somali “Beast
of the Desert.”
Adan Makina
WardheerNews
adan.makina@gmail.com
References
[i] Zoppi,
M. (2021). Horizons of Security: The Somali Safety Net in Scandinavia.
Rowman & Littlefield.
[ii] Van Hear, (1998) 3-4.
[iii]
Ponsford, M. (Thompson Reuters Foundation, 2016). Iraqis are world's
most generous to strangers: global survey
Retrieved
from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-charity-index-idUSKCN12O2RX.
[iv]Hansen,
Mogens H. (2010). Democratic Freedom and the Concept of
Freedom in Plato and Aristotle. Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 50 (2010)
1–2. Retrieved from http://www.duke.edu/web/classics/grbs/FTexts/50/Hansen1.pdf.
[v] Thies, Clifford (June 24, 2011) The End of Hystery?
Francis Fukuyama's Review of The Constitution of Liberty, Mises Institute.
[vi] Ali,
Yusuf (1938). Quran Arabic Corpus. Chapter (49) sūrat l-ḥujurāt (The Dwellings). Retrieved from https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=49&verse=13
[vii] Ahmad Riaz, S. (2013). Human Rights in Islam and West: (The
Last Sermon of the Prophet and UDHR) (2013).
[viii] The Last Sermon of Prophet Muhammad
(p.b.u.h.). Retrieved from https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/articles/thelastsermon.html.
[ix] Marsh, H. (1971). Documents of liberty. Darid and
Charles Newton allit England.
[x] Holt, J. C., Garnett, G., & Hudson, J. (2015). Magna
carta. Cambridge University Press.
[xi] Botta, E. and T. Koźluk (2014), “Measuring
Environmental Policy Stringency in OECD Countries: A Composite Index
Approach”, OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 1177,
OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5jxrjnc45gvg-en.
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