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.

Somalia's Mullahs Should Join Sheikh Sharif’s Government

Somalia’s most dreaded, radical Islamist group is spreading fear with malevolent and depredatory acts. Al-Shabaab, meaning “youth” in Arabic, evolved as a result of the civil war in Somalia especially during the brief Ethiopian occupation of Somalia. Hiding under the banner of religion, the group has caused the people of Somalia untold suffering. Al-Shabaab’s deracination will only be possible through the combined efforts of foreign powers who wish to see the decimation of terrorists regardless of their locality, military and ideological might or influence in the areas they control. Al-Shabaab cadres have plainly thrown their support behind the precepts of Al-Qaida and prudently idolize its leaders having abnegated the Somali Shafi’e school of thought for the extreme Saudi Wahabi ideology.

The current spates of assassinations in Mogadishu are calculated measures by Al-Shabaab to obliterate political leaders, scholars, community elders, and advocates of social justice. With the help of brainwashed, lawless marauding youth, Al-Shabaab’s batch of brigands and intrigant leaders have categorically opposed the current transitional government despite being offered an olive branch symbolizing reconciliation, forgiveness, and solidarity. Instead, the faction has embarked on tactical operations that prevent the spanking new and fragile government from carrying out its duties and responsibilities contained in the constitutional charter.

The military uniform of Al-Shabaab is a replication of the type worn by the Taliban of Afghanistan. Al-Shabaab’s mode of military operation is identical to that of Al-Qaida and the Taliban. Without giving peace a chance, the faction has vacuously, viciously, and senselessly shackled the war-wary Somali people such that fear reigns in every periphery it commands. Their ultimate intention is to plunge Somalia in to a form of hagiocracy in which leadership will be accumulated in the hands of saints.

While they indiscriminately demolish graveyards and deny the citizen the right to leisure and social activities, they are busy amassing wealth from the same wretched citizen they hold bondage.

Mockingly, anyone who differs with Al-Shabaab’s ideology is branded kaffir, heathen, or disbeliever. Whether exaggerated or taken out of context, the harrowing incidents of extrajudicial killings, beheadings, stoning to death, severing of limbs, and public floggings said to have been committed by Al-Shabaab, remain practicable foundations for several Muslim nations of today. Somalis are sick and tired of stercoraceous politics.

For over 15 years warlords wrecked havoc on Somalia’s population until 2006 when they were defeated by the Islamic Courts Union; then the Ethiopians came and inflicted more harm on the city of Mogadishu and its population. Now, let me ask you: does Somalia need a form of gynecocracy? This is in reference to a rule dominated by women because Somali men failed miserably to stabilize the nation. No, wonder any fool can grab a gun for the sake of power and dominion. There is no need for the leaders of Al-Shabaab to prolong the Somali war. The best these leaders can do is to join the current administration headed by Sheikh Sharif.

A Black Imam for the Grand Mosque

Islam prohibits racial segregation and superiority of one race over another; it calls for human equality and justice. An Arab is not superior to a Persian nor is a Persian superior to an Arab. Likewise, the white race is not superior to the black race; all humans sprang from the seeds of Adam. Despite the good teachings of the Qur'an and the authentic Hadith, many Muslim nations have been adamant at giving racial equality the chance to flourish. Whether in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Syria, or Bahrain- almost everywhere in the Middle East-people of color continue to suffer tremendous racial discrimination and other forms of human injustices. Despite the existence of such demeaning and dehumanizing practices for a long time, Muslim/Arab leaders vested with authority have been adamant in one way or the other. Even places of worship like mosques have not been exempt from racial segregation/discrimination. For a long time, it has been impossible (and continues to be so to this day) for a black Imam to lead a congregation of Arab worshipers in prayer.

Finally, a distinguished, black Islamic scholar has found his dream come true. Sheik Adil Kalbani has been appointed the Grand Imam of the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia. He is young, articulate, educated, and well-versed in the Qur'an and Hadith.

Perhaps, other Arab nations will follow suit and give racial equality a chance to thrive. Don't the Arabs see the wind of change that has swept the U.S.? Allah has given talent to all humans regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin.

The Fat, the Dying and the Helpless of Somalia

The political,social ,and economic situation in Somalia is deteriorating day after day. Everything else is in short supply except cellphones, bullets and guns. Despite the abundance of untapped natural resources, there is hardly a town or village that has clean running water; poor sanitation is the cause of various contagious diseases; there is shortage of medicine in the remaining few ramshackle hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies; schools and Madrasah's are in deplorable states if not nonexistent in many towns and villages; women, children, and the elderly are dying in great numbers because of shortage of food, clean water, and shelter.

At present, the population of Somalia may be divided into three categories: the fat, the dying, and the helpless. The fat are a group of men who represent the mass in manipulating the nation's executive, legislative, and judicial sectors of the otiose Transitional National Government hereafter referred to as the TNG. They are hale and healthy; they fly executive jets, hold dual citizenship, dine on French gourmet, wear three-piece suits and are well-paid. They reside in posh hotels in Dubai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, USA, UK, and other European countries. Their wives and children enjoy safe haven outside of Somalia and survive on foreign taxpayer money. When they arrive Mogadishu, they are accorded total protection by the African Union peace keeping troops who are armed with armored-personnel carriers, rocket-propelled grenades, bazookas, and other assortment of weapons, heavy and light. These fat men who number 550 are the so-called democratically selected (not elected by popular vote) parliamentarians of Somalia. They have big, fat bellies; some are clean-shaven with secular thoughts and western leanings, others are bearded Mullahs driven by religious fervor and fundamentalist ideologies. They hardly intermingle with the rest of society for fear they may contract deadly viruses or get killed unsuspectingly.

Inside Somalia, fragmentation along clan and religious lines have created a breed of bare-footed, scantily-dressed youthful fundamentalists dressed up like the Taliban of Afghanistan who brandish swords of divine annihilation. Some have been indoctrinated into Saudi Wahhabi ideology, others are ardent followers of Usama bin Laden's Al-Qaida. There is the Al-Shabab, the Al-Islah, the Islamic Courts Union, the forces of Ras Kiyamboni, and a cornucopia of hyphenated movements and religious sects. They wage war against each other like hyenas fighting over decaying carcass. They are led by semi-literate Mullahs eying the highest seat of the land-the Presidency. Almost all wish for the creation of a caliphate encompassing the entire Horn of Africa and even beyond. They feel they can bring down empires, command the seas, impose their brand of religious fanaticism, and afflict resounding blitzkrieg to any nation that opposes their style of governance.

The dying are those at the brink of death within Somalia borders. They are either victims of gunshots or bed-ridden by devastating diseases or lack basic care and live in the open if not in dilapidated shelters. Of the dying, some are guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity because, at one time they were the warlords' gun-totting, marauding hooligans who caused Somalia's initial collapse. Others are innocent civilians caught in the quagmire. They remain entangled in a never-ending senseless cross-fire whose end remain unpredictable.

The helpless are the women, children, and the elderly whose living conditions are no better than the dying. They are either refugees cramped into refugee camps in neighboring countries or are internally displaced persons living in decrepit conditions without sufficient food, medicine, water, shelter, and other amenities. Women remain the most vulnerable because of their exposure to the vagaries of war. Social stigma, rape, and other forms of abuse deprive them of their human dignity. Female genital mutilation, an ancient surgical procedure that involves the removal of either the labia minora or the labia majora or both, and clitoridectomy, remain a menace to their mental faculties as many suffer symptoms of stress-related illnesses, depression, psychotic disorders, urinary tract infections, pregnancy complications or death.

Somalia's helpless children are either orphans whose parents perished in the war or simply died as a result of natural causes. There are those who were abandoned by their parents intentionally or accidentally. The number of children without basic education run into the millions. In order to survive, adolescents have taken guns to the battle fields or are wrecking havoc in the towns and villages by setting up illegal road blocks. Some are wading through the coastlines as pirates holding hostage foreign merchant ships plying Somalia waters and demanding ransom. Somalia's elderly are the most neglected and the most susceptible to disease, hunger, and deliberate aggressions.

The suffering in Somalia can only come to a halt when the men with the big, fat bellies renounce their aggressions and model a form of government befitting the people of Somalia.

Somalia needs U.S. intervetion

The current deplorable situation in Somalia calls for the urgent involvement of the United States, her friends, and allies. The cycle of violence in Somalia has aggravated so much that the entire Horn of Africa is in danger of experiencing profound proliferation of small arms trafficking, destruction of the ecosystems, piracy, and collective dumping of noxious wastes along the coastline and on land. Terrorism which is a global concern has found a foothold in the Horn of Africa unabated. The emergence of hard-line extremist groups in central and south Somalia has further put a cap on the quest for peace and stability. Somalia is undergoing tremendous humanitarian disaster of a wide scale and an environmental degradation beyond ecological imagination and comprehension.

The waters off the coasts of Somalia have been depleted of fish because of overfishing by foreign fishing trawlers dragging massive internationally prohibited fishing nets. The coasts of Somalia remain impassable and restricted to maritime trade due to threat from uncompromising pirates whose source of income is dependent upon the hijacking of sea-going vessels traversing the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Reports of dead fish washing ashore is theorized to have been caused by the dumping of hazardous wastes by people working in cahoots with international crime syndicates.

Despite the Kenya Government refuting Somali refugees claims of extortion and deportation at the border, the rate of human suffering as reported by Human Rights Watch is startling. Refugees fleeing the civil war in Somalia have reported torture at the hands of Kenya's corrupt and undisciplined border security. The refusal by the Kenya Government to document Somali refugees in camps has hampered the efforts of humanitarian relief agencies leading to many undocumented refugees succumb to starvation, disease, and death.

The current global financial meltdown has had adverse effects on the entire Horn of Africa region. Prolonged drought has equally affected livestock and humans with the most vulnerable being women, children, and the elderly. Livestock, the mainstay of the economy has tragically diminished due to the wide-ranging environmental degradations caused in part by humans and natural phenomena. Charcoal burning in Somalia's southern provinces has culminated in the destruction of large swathes of agricultural lands most notably in the fertile Juba valley.

Thus, it is time the U.S., her friends, and allies stepped in to reverse these negative human miscalculations. The U.S. should play a leading role by ensuring Somalia gets a stable government before the entire region falls in to irreparable instability that could drag on for many decades to come. It is a moral obligation for nations to assist each other in times of peace and war.

Beehive of activity along Somalia's coastal waters

The world's most sophisticated navies have gathered around the Indian Ocean because of what they refer to as the "threat of piracy". Thus, the coastal waters of Somalia have become home for naval warships of all makes: cruisers, destroyers, battleships, auxiliary ships, submarines, aircraft carriers...and etc. Besides terrorism, piracy has become the most worrisome trend for the world maritime trade. Since all pirate activities in this part of Africa revolve around an area close to the Red Sea where most of the oil originating in the oilfields of the Middle East and destined for the rest of the world pass through, world economic powers have been left with no other alternative but intervene. There are the Chinese, Americans, Japanese, Germans, Norwegians, Malaysians, Indians, Turkish, you name it. All these navies have gathered to fight poorly-equipped Somalian teenagers hijacking ships. For the pirates, any successful encounter leads to instant wealth, new wives, new businesses, and new luxury cars . So, what will be the endgame of all this beehive of activities?

What Kind of Government do Somalis ardently desire?

Before the fall of Somalia’s military junta, men who were considered beacons of hope and who were thought of as Somalia's future leaders, went to the bush to fight for peace, liberty, and justice. These men went to Somalia’s enemies asking for military hardware so they could topple the regime in Mogadishu. Finally, they got all they wanted from the enemy next door and succeeded in their futile struggles by chasing the cadres of the central government out of the country and into prolonged exile. There was jubilation and lavish merriment and even religious festivals were held in honor of the men who shed their blood to free their people from two decades of tyranny. Instead of forming an all-inclusive legitimate government that would install law and order, those who toppled the regime that ruled Somalia for twenty one nonstop years, thought of a different idea: kill each and every member of the regime’s clan and also wipe out those who supported it tooth and nail. To be brutally honest, because what goes around comes around, the hunted became hunters. The after effects of these heartless actions brought about a long-drawn-out civil war that spread beyond the borders of Somalia. General Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed developed into two irreconcilably negative adversaries with diametrically opposing mind-sets in all facets of government and clan politics ultimately creating a scenario that baffled Somalis and onlookers and made Somalia a laughing stork in the international arena.

Then, a dozen avaricious warlords jumped on the bandwagon each scavenging for a share of Somalia’s remaining natural resources by engaging in multifarious dastardly acts including dumping of nuclear and other hazardous wastes, contrabandism, counterfeit monies, money laundering, illicit charcoal trading, marijuana cultivation, and communal theft that instantly made them dreaded entrepreneurs with indomitable flexed muscles. Thereafter, tribal supremacy led to the cantonization of Somalia giving birth to names like Somaliland, Puntland, Maakhirland, GalMudug, and Hiiraanland. Political movements that took sides and based on tribal ideologies started growing roots everywhere.

Leaders of these cantons applied propaganda to advance their evil designs. The use of the internet, radio, newspapers and poets to convey derogatory messages resulted in immeasurable clashes and deaths beyond measure. The theory behind the innuendos and clash of ideas was aimed at maligning the good name and reputation of fellow opponents and garner support from unwilling or uncommitted clans. However, the main idea behind the political squabbles and hurling of invectives at each other was to win the highest office in the land and to become the most powerful person in the region. But one thing the warlords failed to realize was that what was at stake was to analyze the needs of the Somali nation and not the wishes of clan members. The young of a donkey suckles its mother from behind with confidence while any other creature is certain to receive a devastating kick.

The warlords came to symbolize the horrendous savages and barbarians of aforetimes until the arrival of the saintly sheikhs whose leadership styles utterly created panic and confusion as they embarked on public flogging, stoning to death for some crimes, amputations, and closure of video dens, cinema halls, and forbidding of cigarettes smoking and alcohol consumption. As a result, Somalis, horror-struck by the sheikhs’ modus operandi, felt duty-bound to search for other alternatives. Somali leaders wandered around the world in search of a way out of the protracted quagmire. The Sheikhs’ mode of communications was in the form of sermons and religious decrees-a coordination that was entirely unique to Somalia and Somalis. Despite having Western-educated personalities in their midst, the Sheikhs advocated a “love it or leave it” form of information diffusion alien in nature and unpalatable to Somalia’s nomadic community.

The use of threats against nations and entities they perceived as enemies of Somalia’s resulted in the intensification of hostile forces internally and externally. In modern research methodologies, the best way to overcoming erroneous representations is to conduct a thorough and extensive exploratory study, while being organized, and then write so as to produce a reliable manuscript that is to be presented to a reliable proofreader before being distributed to the public readership and consumer distribution.

The administrations of the succeeding transitional governments were no better either. Abdiqasim Salat Hassan took pleasure at lashing out at the administration in Addis Ababa while that of Abdullahi Yusuf publicly demonstrated its adoration of neighboring Ethiopia. It was Abdullahi Yusuf who directed the occupation of Somalia by Ethiopian forces. Lack of experience coupled with poor leadership approaches accelerated the fall of both regimes. Failing to comprehend the needs of the ordinary citizen is always a gateway for disaster. Abdiqasim Salat Hassan is a man who has been in government business for a long time. He is said to hold a doctoral degree and also fluently speaks several languages. He is said to be a friend of the Arabs yet he miserably failed to negotiate with his Somali people who brag to have Arab ancestry. On the other hand, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has been recorded to have claimed that he is descended from Yemen. If so, how comes he failed to come to terms with his own people who also claim Arab lineage? Of the various cultural dimensions in the world, the negotiating styles applied by the Arabs seem to be the most appealing. Arabs use emotional appeals through objective feelings; they are willing to make concessions; they approach deadlines casually, their negotiators treasure broad authority, and they are determined to build long-term relationships with their bargaining partners. As a result, Arabic, the language of the Arabs and of the Qur’an, is a divine language full of compassion that is appealing to the listener.

Practically, a government is a big organization and so for any government to prosper, it must demonstrate tremendous energy and display extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and be open to experience and have emotional stability. Quality assurance, innovation, commitment, goal achievement, clarity of measurement, being results oriented, problem solving, displaying influence, nurturing assured security, and tenacity are some of the required tools needed to advance an organization that is in the forefront for merit and reputation.

It is heartrending that Somalis have rejected every succeeding administration since 1991. Sardonically, they boisterously give a brand name to every new administration. For example, they consider any transitional government created in Addis Ababa as “gacan kurimis”-which may be translated to mean ‘artificially inseminated’. Leaders of these unfortunate administrations are referred to as “cadow kalkaal”, meaning ‘those who aid the enemy’. Likewise, if a government is not all-embracing, it is pejoratively identified as “dawladda laso dhoodhoobay” meaning ‘pieced together, patch-worked, collaged or jerry-rigged’. Similarly, when on the verge of collapse, it is “naf lacaari”. Leaders who call for the imposition of Sharia law are labelled “wadaadada waalan” or ‘crazy mullahs”. Because Somalis have witnessed a wealth of leadership qualities including that of the unsympathetic warlords, the perilous modes applied by the succession of previous transitional governments, and the sword-wielding mullahs with complicated religious or radical ideologies, what could be the best administrative style that best fits their ways of life politically, socially, and economically? Also, when will Somalia produce reputable leaders like Barack Obama, Mahatma Ghandi or Nelson Mandela?

Somalia will Shine once Again

'That has a beginning has an end’. It is almost twenty years since the Somali civil war started. Since the election of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as President of the Transitional Government in neighboring Djibouti this year, a sigh of relief has been felt across the country even though a few extremist groups continue to escalate hostilities. For sure, the level of antagonism experienced in the preceding years cannot be compared to the current low level power struggles limited to a few restive areas exclusively in the central regions of the country. Consequently, what we have seen is that Sheikh Sharif seems to be more welcome in Mogadishu than his predecessor who finished his mandate secluded in an area the size of the Vatican and surrounded by Ethiopian Army artillery until his very last day.

Ironically, the youthful Sheikh got strong backing from members of the dissolved parliament during the election process held in Djibouti giving him resounding victory over rival candidates nominated by the previous administration. To this day, concerned nationals living inside and outside of Somalia continue to celebrate the moderate leader’s election as head of state. Needless to say, there are many conflicting ideas as to why today's Somalia seems far much safer than it was previously. For some, the current relative peace may be attributed to the withdrawal of the much-despised Ethiopian occupation forces while others hypothesize the partial cessation of hostilities to have been ushered in extenuatingly after the technical defeat and exit of the former President, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who, as they claim, masterminded the collapse of the military government, pioneered Ethiopia’s occupation of Somalia, instigated the debilitating Horn of Africa piracy that has attracted international attention, and subsequently ignited internecine wars intended to create massive influx of refugees and internally displaced persons. Conversely, some are of the believe that former President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s political conviction and ambition revolved around his desire to destabilize or denervate or neutralize any present or future danger to his leadership and to that of the Darod clan from any feasible Hawiye armed opposition movements. Whichever view may be correct, Somalia’s current political solution seems to be gaining ground as Sheikh Sharif embarks on a philosophy based on political inclusivity, religious consideration, tribal deliberation, and the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission for the sake of accomplishing an everlasting peace for the devastated nation.

However, the new administration has received tough opposition from Al-shabab-the armed Islamist extremist group fighting to impose Islamic Sharia in the war-ravaged nation. Leaders of Al-shabab have categorically rejected any attempts aimed at enticing them to join the newly formed administration headed by Sheikh Sharif-the man who once shared the religious beliefs they currently exemplify. It is no secret Sheikh Sharif attached special importance to the theocratic beliefs Al-shabab is attempting to enforce at this difficult moment despite present and imminent danger from forces from within and outside of Somalia. Together with Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a man who is reportedly in the U.S. terror list, the duo pacified the entire south of the country after courageously spearheading the defeat of the dreaded warlords in 2006 with support from the amalgamation of eleven courts that came to be known as the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Thus, the impecunious Sheikh’s defeat of the avaricious West-funded warlords elevated his status quo, an observable fact that befuddled his followers and foes alike and begrudgingly altered the perception of the international community. Finally, the UIC disbanded after neighboring Ethiopia, in response to a call from the weak Somali government of that time, unleashed a contingent of poorly-trained but well-armed force that left behind tremendous destruction despite losing the war to factions of Somali youth trained in guerrilla warfare.

Recently, Somalia’s bloated otiose parliament, without much opposition, unanimously proclaimed the implementation of Sharia law for Somalia. Despite the approval of Islamic Sharia for the nation, leaders of Al-Shabab quickly refused to recognize the new government because, as they claim, it is a government having secularist leanings and commanded by a man who renounced the Islamic faith and thus chose to become a ‘disbeliever’.

Ideally, such fallacious accusations have been a common blueprint for all kinds of forces jostling for power regardless of political affiliation or worldly location. To add insult to injury, Osama bin Laden, the most-wanted man in the U.S who has a $25 million bounty to his head, is reported to have released a recorded message urging Somali Mujahedeen to overthrow Somalia’s newly-elected President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The involvement of Al-shabab and Al-Qaeda in Somalia will, without an iota of doubt, advance the spread of extremist ideologies among the youth affected by the current economic meltdown afflicting the entire world.

Though many international media houses have exhaustively written much about the achievements of the unrecognized breakaway republic of Somaliland, the region's inability to grapple with the threat of suicide bombers, election irregularities and political schisms confounded with tribal hegemony, and the unresolved border conflict with the autonomous region of Puntland could be the ultimate undermining factor in its foreseeable future. Currently, Puntland is unable to come to grips with the recurring abduction of foreigners; it has become a victim of maritime piracy that has brought together the navies of the world’s most powerful nations creating an oceanic epicenter that willfully deplete Somalia’s fishing lifeline, undermines the territorial integrity of the Somali nation leaving behind petrifying noxious wastes to be inherited by a war-wary Somali nation long after the dust settles.

In conclusion, it is my sincere belief Somalia will come out of the current quagmire regardless of how long the current conflict will take. Also, there is hope in the leadership of the newly-elected President as he is already displaying astute leadership, perseverance, love for his people and his nation, and that he is ideologically moderate in all his political and religious undertakings. To cut a whole history short, Sheikh Sharif has emerged the most admired of Somali leaders since the collapse of the military junta in 1991.

ROSARIES AND AMULETS

A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes-James Feibleman

Rosaries and Amulets are two religious symbols whose historical significance has baffled researchers mainly those engaged in anthropology, sociology, and archeology. Mythological, religious or otherwise, the rosary is seen as a device that plays a great role in human contemplation of the unknowns as well as a revealer of unfathomable heavenly mystiques. An ordinary object of daily use for millions of committed adherents with differing religious, ideological, and cultural backgrounds, the rosary continues to dangle from the necks of Sheikhs, priests, Rabbis, knowledgeable hermits, spiritualists, and monks without losing its rightful role in society regardless of whether it is crafted from simple wood or made from precious gemstone.

The use of rosaries or prayer beads is widespread among the followers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In Buddhism and Hinduism, the Japa Mala or simply Mala, is a rosary of 108 beads usually worn by priests exclusively for chants purposes. In esoteric Japanese and Tibetan Buddhism, rosaries are used for counting the Mantras and also serve as attributes for some deities most notably the Avalokiteshvara who is the Bodhisattva of compassion. In almost all religions, as usual, the right hand is the regulator of the rosary in every session with the finger nearest the thumb being the one that flicks and counts the preferred chant. In Chinese, the rosary is called Nianzhu; in Japanese it is Nenju; in Vietnamese it is known as Tranghat; while it is Rosarium in Latin.

There is a lot of debate regarding the origin of the rosary among users. “In Islam, however, the performance of the rosary is an act of piety. The word for "rosary" in the Arabic language is sibha or masbaha, which is derived from Subhana Allah (God be praised). According to Ali Gom'a Mohamed, professor of fiqh (Jurisprudence in Islam) at Al-Azhar University, the number of beads in the Muslim rosary varies: there is a 33- bead rosary which requires three turns around the circle of beads. Each bead represents one of the names of God mentioned in the Qur'an, the total of which is 99. Another is divided into three parts, each made up of 33 beads which are used at the end of each of the five daily prayers. There is also a 100- bead rosary used in accordance with Sunah. In his book, Manners and Customs of Modern Egyptians, Edward Lane mentioned a 1,000-bead rosary used for funerals.” To some Muslim scholars, the use of the fingers is more preferred than the rosary. They claim that the joints at the phalanges and metacarpals have been created to count prayer chants and that the rosary is an unnecessary innovation into Islam.

Abrahamic and philosophic religions, Pagan and animist practices display amulets of various makes, shapes, and colors worn around the neck with the promises of wealth, children, health, and other human allures or to ward off evil, magic, wicked spirits, and misfortunes. “An amulet or charm is an apotropaic object or device, usually with writing on it, which provides prophylaxis against harm, whether of natural or supernatural origin. The use of amulets and charms is virtually universal across human cultures and across time, and Jews are no exception. Jewish amulets have been used to ward off a variety of ills: disease, mishap, sorcery, and/or malevolent spirits. They can also serve as love charms. They have been particularly used by Jews to protect women during pregnancy and to shield newborn infants.”
Amulets have been in existence since the days of the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Ancient Egyptians. In Turkey, Nazar boncuk, is a special type of amulet believed to protect one from evil eye. Amulets can be found all over Turkey; Turkish women use amulets as bracelets, earrings or necklaces. Turkish people hang them in their houses, offices and also inside cars while babies have specially designed amulets attached to their cloths. This leads us to the notion that the nation of Turkey is the leading producer of amulets in the world. Turkish amulets are mainly blue in color and look like an eye. Some Turkish amulets have magnetic fields making them easily stick to some select surfaces like the refrigerator door. There is a common belief among the Turkish people that even well-intentioned compliments have a conscious or unconscious measure of spite and resentment. For a Turkish amulet to guard a house, it should be hang at the entrance to the house.
An explanation of the origin of the amulet in Turkish superstition goes this way: once upon a time…there was a massive rock by the sea that could not be split asunder, cracked or broken into pieces despite the combined efforts of a hundred men and repeated dynamiting. After exhausting all energy and technical expertise, mention was made of a man who lived by the sea and who was known to carry the evil eye (nazar). Finally, a plan was hatched to bring the man to the rock venue so he could display his spectacular rock-splitting skills. Upon arriving at the scene and upon setting his sights on the rock, the man was heard to exclaim, “oh my God, what a gigantic rock!” The instant he finished his intonation, there was a crack and then a thunderous sound followed by violent convulsion that reduced the unbreakable huge rock into two pieces.

Moreover, in almost all superstitious communities, it is common for visiting neighbors and strangers alike to compliment on the health, shape, size, and color of newborn babies. For some reason, as fate would have it, the baby gets sick because the invisible evil eye penetrated the baby’s body and soul. At this point in time, parents and immediate relatives of the infant have no other choice but to contact a shaman or cleric to prepare an amulet to keep at bay all varieties of evil eyes as the baby undergoes various developmental stages of metamorphosis. In some communities, a crack on an amulet resulting from prolonged use denotes the wearer has received overwhelming protection and blessings for the duration the amulet was worn.

Egyptologists carrying out archeological excavations in the many burial sites scattered all over Egypt stumbled upon historical amulets made of papyrus finely encased in pharaonic sarcophagus. Also, Coptic amulets dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. have been unearthed in Egypt. Some of the amulets found in Egyptian pyramids are written in Mandaic (an Eastern Aramaic dialect) and have not been translated to this day. In some rare amulets, ancient Egyptians displayed images of the two-headed god (snake and Ibis); there are amulets depicting the cock-headed-snake-legged god, others display the eagle-headed god, crowned hawks, papyri boats, symbols of deities and the ram-headed god. Uterine amulets helped control contraception and childbirth, others were meant for regeneration and eternity and for hip pains (sciatica). The discovery of Greco-Roman, Babylonian, and other varieties of amulets used by diverse ancient civilizations add flavor to the expanding infant archeological sciences.

In Somalia, amulet use is common among nomadic, urban and tribal communities. A well crafted amulet, depending on size and shape, typically is encased in leather while others are sheathed in fine threads. However, there is a type of amulet known locally as “Qardhaas” which is usually carved out of wood and worn around the neck.
Also, Qardhaas may be strapped round the neck of domesticated animals for protection against theft, disease, and the evil eye. The most remarkable trademark amulet known among Somalis is “Xirsi”- which is used for overcoming the whispers of the dreaded Jinni notorious for its mischievous use of supernatural powers. Whether one is seeking to expand a stagnated business enterprise, win the heart of a stubborn mademoiselle, embark on a treacherous journey, overcome the trauma of sterility or recover from a debilitating malady, owning an amulet that will dangle from one’s wrist, neck, leg, thigh, around the waist or other parts of the body, will, if determined by the amulet’s original designer or prescriber bring about abrupt changes and healing to the afflicted body and mind in the nick of time. In women, amulets may be worn to overcome gynecological ailments, vitamin deficiencies, urinary tract infections, migraines, infertility, schizophrenia, mental disorders and even to overcome jealousy.

Perhaps, humans used amulets to triumph over hardships at a time when modern medications other than herbal medicine were nonexistent. Natural hazards like Tsunamis, epidemics, flooding, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other unavoidable predicaments that decimated populations may have contributed to the discovery of amulets by shamans whose livelihood depended on the knowledge and skills of prescribing medication and healing the sick. Despite their dependence on trial and error techniques and despite premeditated medical malpractices, healers and shamans continued to be a source of inspiration for millions in need of medical attention.

Religious and historical accounts of human sacrifices as a last resort evolved as a result of appeasing virulent gods and deities whose anger could only be contained by spilling blood and goring human flesh in pagan and animist ritual practices-secret procedures found in some communities. The wave of secret murders of Albinos for ritualistic purposes and the rape of infants by HIV/AIDS sufferers in some countries epitomizes the continuation of ancient practices and the total disregard for the sanctity of human life.

People living in modern western democracies do attach importance to the use of amulets. Rock band musicians, reggae ragamuffins, gangsters, heads of government institutions, and people from all walks of society wear amulets in daily life either as ornaments or for protection against the unknowns. In the African continent, reports of leaders seeking consultations with magicians, shamans, and soothsayers, palmists and astrologers during election times is no secret. Thus, mythological experts have the power to instill fear in the hearts of their clients’ opponents or even cause them to suffer diseases unbeknownst to modern doctors. In some Asian cultures, shamans have mastered the art of shedding light on natural phenomena say like how a perceived volcanic eruption will affect surrounding inhabitants.

Amulets are widely worn as aphrodisiacs in some communities even with the advancement of medical technology. In some diverse cultures, dangling a piece of rhino horn around the neck is a prescription for erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and other aspects related to sexual genitalia malfunctioning. A man in need of instantaneous desirability from an unfriendly woman may resort to wearing a specially designed amulet meant to win her heart even when real love is not on her side. Likewise, women may influence men by wearing amulets of like kind and purpose. Wearing articulately designed amulets with religious inscriptions is a common occurrence across cultures.

However, amulets come in many shapes and designs depending on culture, religion, and intention. Primarily, women who are sterile may wear them around the waist right across where the uterus is located; it may dangle from the neck; it is worn on the wrist and it may also be worn around the thighs. It could be as tiny as a finger ring or it could even be a seed to be retained in the pocket. It is up to one’s preference and choosing how an amulet should be worn and how it should look like.
The emergence of religious fundamentalism has instilled terror among amulet wearers. Fear of retribution or the dread of being associated with certain cults has forced many to formulate assortment of amulets that dissuade the attention of religious fanatics. For example, the use of regular necklaces, finger rings, and even ear rings as amulets has made ancient amulet blueprints obsolete and replicated for modernity.

Thus, inscriptional amulets have been substituted with intentional amulets. This brings us to the idea that amulets need not be handwritten on a piece of paper by a cleric with verses from a divine scripture and then folded into shape anymore. Instead, reciting select verses on to a piece of jewelry is enough to hold the message as intention is superior to scribbling. In Africa, amulet use is widespread among cultures though its use among communities depends on the nature of religious practices and form of worship. Surprisingly, Tuareg amulets sell for up to $150 a piece on eBay. However civilized and transformed the world has become, amulet and rosary use will remain with humankind for a long time to come.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/627/fe2.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/amulet.html
http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/magic/def1.display.html

Somalia's Pharaohs, Korahs, and Ammons

Something must be wrong with the brains of some of Somalia's most power hungry infidels. Known for their fundamentalist and extreme ideologies, these men will do everything in their power to ensure they get some sort of ministerial or departmental positions so they can be seen among men of like nature. They claim to be the rightfully chosen representatives of their clans and that any attempts to belittle their desired goals and ambitions will have disastrous consequences for the entire nation. Thus, without fulfilling their demands, no legitimate government will ever be established for Somalia. They claim to be Muslims, but in reality they contradict their faiths by not conforming to the accepted religious obligations and spiritual dimensions expected of a good Muslim.

It seems none of these men have the conducts of professionals. The service of a professional is an advantage to the people he/she serves and does not in any way benefit the professional. In contrast, unprofessional people are known for being exploitative and fraudulent. Utilitarianism, which is the category to which these men belong, is using one another for selfish gains which in the end lead to totalitarianism. Societies that exploit people do so only for selfish gains. Impulses, attractions, and evil inclinations are major gateways for drug abuse, alcoholism, quarrels, hopelessness, diseases, wickedness, self-aggrandizement and self-immolation, jest, and other inappropriate behavioral distortions that render the human soul hopeless, miserable and devoid of intellect and resolution.
Humans have natural intellects which empower them to choose precisely because they have the brainpower that help them differentiate between rights and wrongs.

It is important we denounce the imaginary beliefs of men especially their audacious magnification of the characters of their wives-to-be. The ideology of a rational man rests on the believe that people have different characters and dissimilar behavioral mannerisms. It is a bad reflection for a man to anticipate supernatural personality from his wife-to-be prior to tying the knot. Humans see each other as objects because of the fall from grace. People do things in different ways because each and every human being has a different trait. Children are commanded by attractions, impulses, and senses. On the contrary, adults follow reason and truth.

Materialization may be described as the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of pride. These three lusts lead to perdition and destruction of the individual and the society as a whole unless otherwise individual and broad-spectrum corrective measures are taken to turn them around. The lust for evil leads to anxiety, doubt, worry, ignorance, pride, guilt, selfishness, fornication, adultery, sodomy, barbarism, and murder. All these evil deeds can be overturned by espousing obedience, prayer, poverty eradication through alms giving, chastity, and fasting.

When one has no faith in God; when religious devotion disappears into thin air, and when ethical guidance dissipates, material wealth transforms into a misleading glittering ornament and a dangerous figment of the imagination. Like a distantly appearing mirage, wealth without faith, spontaneously formulates an empire with evil underpinnings that is of no benefit to human beings. With the right use of intellect, memory, and will comes faith, truth, hope, and trust. We should inculcate equal justice and equanimity when dealing with our parents because it is in the best interests of every human being to look ahead to a hassle-free world. A child who abandons his/her parents will, in retaliation, be abandoned in his/her final days of life. Likewise, those with authority who abandon their subjects will ultimately be abandoned when they attain old age. Therefore, it is expected of us that we observe human dignity by respecting the sacredness of the human life as expressed in the Holy Qur'an and authentic Hadith.

Because we are the vicegerents of God on earth, it is equally important to have preferential option for the poor so that the underprivileged are cared for ad infinitum. Likewise, the only way to eradicate poverty is to give to the poor generously without regard to religion, race, color, gender or national origin. We need to have solidarity with the orphans, wayfarers, the poor, and the homeless by forming communities that exclusively cater for their needs. I find it strange that we have in our midst millions of homeless men and women while millions of dollars get wasted due to corruption and misuse each day. Where are the millions of dollars donated by the international community to the various transitional governments in Somalia since the collapse of the central government in 1991? Have these monies been accounted for? Who took them and how were they used?

Children should care for their parents when they attain feeble age just as they cared for them when they were helpless in infancy. Children need reflect how the affectionate bird cares for her immature hatchlings and that they should likewise care for their parents unreservedly by spreading their wings of humility around them. Love, affection, and devotion to the welfare of the aging parent should be the best appropriate tool for every son and daughter yearning for the mercy and grace of the Almighty God who created his servants for a reason. In Africa, children are considered to have social benefits because they will care for their parents in old age.

Despite the formation of a unity government to which they were party to, these infidels remain at odds with the rest of peace loving Somalis. These bunch of idiots need realize that the era of power struggles is over and that wisdom lies in conceding defeat for the sake of giving peace a chance. Today's Somalia is filled with so-called leaders who possess the hearts and minds of Pharaoh, Korah, and Ammon of ancient Egypt. For now, the greatest struggle for Somalia is how to get rid of these selfish, barbaric, and merciless dirty dozen.

Young and talented leaders for Somalia

Finally, after almost two decades of conflict and power vacuum, Somalia has found the blessings of two young under-fifty talented leaders: President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. The President is known worldwide as a peace loving moderate Islamist who is always in favor of dialogue and reconciliation. Since December of 2006 when his faction-the Union of Islamic Courts-was kicked out of Mogadishu by the heavily-armed Ethiopian occupation forces, President Sharif has been in the forefront of garnering support from warring Somali factions and the international community for an everlasting peace for Somalia. Besides, President Sharif had his university education in Sudan and Libya respctively. On the other hand, Prime Minister Omar is the son of slain President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. Omar is a graduate of a reputed Canadian university and has been a longtime employee of the United Nations.

So far, most of the deafening big guns of Mogadishu have fallen silent and that even some of the volatile Jihadists and vicious warlords who have been the cause of lawlessness and destruction have been given ministerial posts in the 36-member cabinet. Despite sporadic fighting in some parts of the country, the most we can say for now is that Somalia is headed towards the reclamation of its lost glory in the international political arena.

Does Somalia need tribal elders?

We now know leaders are made and not born. In African tribal communities, predominantly male leaders publicly known as either 'chiefs or chieftains', 'tribal elders' or 'communal heads' wield considerable wealth, respect, and power to an extent they have their rightful places in the legal and constitutional frameworks of their respective governments that give them executory muscle to handle matters pertaining to declaration of war, restoration of peace, and judicial deliberations, if need be. Thus, they run double-faced parallel foundations that sometimes do more harm than good to the communities they serve and to the constitutions they pledge allegiance to. We learn from the history of slavery and slave trade how African chiefs played great roles in the selling and enslavement of their own kith and kin and how they monotonously depleted the natural resources that collectively belonged to those under their commands.

While chieftainships in some peaceful African states spearhead social integration and coherence, oversee spiritual and religious commemorations and the observation of political stability, what boggles the mind is the sorry state of the devastated sparsely populated nation of Somalia whose sense of pride dissipated when tribal chiefs and warlords took over control of its affairs beginning 1991 when the central government collapsed leaving behind a big power vacuum.

Depending on clan, dialect, region or locality, Somali tribal elders are known by various names. Most commonly and before the emergence of the modern state of Somalia in 1960, a powerful leader could be referred to as "Boqor", "Ugaas" or "Suldaan" which implied they enjoyed Kingly statuses. Ahmed "Gurey" or "gran" (the left-handed), a man whose identity and nationality is shrouded in mystery because he is claimed by several Abyssinian tribal groups, enjoys greater popularity among Somalis because he is regarded as the most powerful leader in Somali history and therefore is categorized as king and a religious figurehead. Most of the wars he fought were directed at the Christian kings of Abyssinia. The man the British Empire nicknamed "Mad Mullah", Muhammad Abdille Hassan, was a "Seyyid" as he epitomized a religious figurehead and not a king. Mad Mullah fought vigorously for over twenty years until his sudden death in 1929 in the village of Imey in the predominantly Somali inhabited Ethiopia-occupied Ogaden region. Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan had direct military and diplomatic cooperation with the Mahdi of Sudan; he performed pilgrimage in the Holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at a time when few dared travel great distances ; he received his religious education in the Middle East and he is regarded to this day as the best poet Somalia has ever had. Thus, his elevated profile, his poetic eloquence, his struggle for Somali nationalism, his unchallenged worldly adventures and his military prowess remain challenges for modern Somali men to this day.

In contrast, men who play the roles of "Malaaq", an inferior designation commonly reserved for tribes inhabiting the central and southern regions of Somalia, wield little power and influence. Lately, Malaaqs have become popular in several central restive regions, in Mogadishu and its environs. Their proliferation among rural communities has hampered the effective delivery of humanitarian supplies by relief agencies whose employees often become victims of extortion, assassinations, and abductions because the types of administrations these Malaaqs oversee are dependent on the strength of highway robbers and armed hooligans drawn from a wide range of hardcore criminals whose livelihood is dependent on the subjugation of law and order. The scramble for land and competition for dwindling resources have seriously hampered the powers of most Malaaqs who, due to worldly temptations, finally jump on the bandwagon to fully participate in any conceivable illegal activity as a last resort.

Amazingly, most Somali transitional governments collapsed because they could not receive the unanimous or collective blessings of the multifarious tribal structures operating in the country. Some powerful tribal leaders threw their weights behind the transitional governments of their choice. Others rejected them forthrightly because of difference of opinion or categorically refused to endorse any entity due to the existence of tribal schisms with the respective head of state or with his immediate trusted lieutenants. Ironically, when the military junta was in power, Somali tribal chieftains or tribal elders hardly received any attention in the government-controlled media. They started emerging and receiving ethnic recognition after 1991 when law and order dissipated.

Currently, the largest and most famous clan-based tribal leadership in the center of Somali conflict is the so-called Hawiye council of tribal elders headed by Ahmed Dirie. Despite the existence of Somali tribal elders since time immemorial, there has never been a time in recorded Somali history when community heads failed to reconcile warring tribes other than today where tribal animosity has become an incurable affliction whose remedy has evaded divine admonitions, jurisdictions, and interferences of the international community, friendly and neighboring states, saintly scholars, and even the peace-loving layman. The irony is that even Somali academics and government heads of our modern era fully support tribal elders and revere them so fondly such that they are considered to be living saints.

Ironically, all previous reconciliation efforts blessed by these tribal leaders were either short-lived or ended in disarray. Somali tribal elders have no offices to operate from; many are illiterate; because they are not deeply religious, they cannot be categorized as Imams; they are never elected by popular vote; all came to dominate the throne of authority by way of inheritance or through automatic succession after the eventual death of next of kin.

In a male dominated society like that of Somalia, often, no mention is made of an incumbent female tribal elder or chieftain. Somalia's most idolized female leader is the historically famous Arawelo-an astute woman mentioned in oral literature who was notorious for castrating male offenders. The national origin of Arawelo is in doubt though popular opinion states that she was of Portuguese descent and not Somali as many would want us believe.

Since Somalia's tribal elders have a hand in the prolonged conflict, is it not wise to reduce their powers and the considerable influence they have in society? In my view, the era of tribal leadership is over and without an iota of doubt, I am overly convinced that tribal chieftains are the major cause of Somalia's two-decade civil disobedience and that this position of influence should be abolished whenever a stable Somali government emerges from the ashes of destruction.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys: What does he want?

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys was a former colonel in the defunct Somali Army. When the Somali central government collapsed in 1991, he became a member of Al-Ittihad Al-Islami-a notorious religious movement that became famous for guerrilla activities in Somalia. The movement was finally disbanded after Ethiopia's Armed Forces inflicted heavy losses on its file and rank in the Gedo region. Sheikh Hassan Dahir is said to have even captured former President of Somalia, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who was at that time head of a guerilla movement, in combat in the 90s, though he finally released him. The Sheikh appeared in Somalia's political scene in 2006, when together with the current Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, they defeated the vicious warlords that terrorized Somalia for over a decade and a half. When Ethiopia's occupation forces invaded Somalia in December of 2006, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys defected to Eritrea where he was given asylum and a base to operate from. He was added onto U.S. "terror list" after the 9/11 incident for having links to Al-Qaeda. Though he claims to be innocent of any terrorist activities, his frequent outbursts targeting Western regional influence, his alliance with Eritrea's strongman Issaias Afewerki, his opposition to the fallen Ethiopia-friendly Somali transitional government headed by former foe Abdullahi Yusuf, and his desire to spearhead a strong imaginary Caliphate, saw formidable forces opposed to his whimsical designs mobilize to his own detriment. So far, several of his comrades-in-arms have perished in aerial bombardments carried out by highly sophisticated military air crafts that catapulted from naval warships from the coasts of his tiny war-plagued Horn of African nation of Somalia or by precision-guided remote-controlled cruise missiles that delivered the most debilitating blows upon contact with enemy hideouts.

While President Sharif enjoys a degree of moderation, Aweys embodies extremism and Jihadist philosophical thoughts. His struggle and determination rests on the eventual creation of an Islamic Caliphate encompassing the current war-ravaged Somali state, the occupied-Ogaden region of Ethiopia, and the former Northern Frontier Districts in Kenya. His concurrent fire-spitting declarations, threats and intimidation, and his unwarranted vituperation upon crushing the warlords resulted in Ethiopia's two-year occupation of Somalia without seeking approval from the international community and the Africa governing body-the African Union.

Despite the departure of Ethiopian troops from Somali soil, Aweys has never given up his mouth-bashing, tongue-lashing, and explosive rhetoric aimed at the Transitional Somali Federal government and the African Union peace keeping troops in Mogadishu. Despite the selection or election of his former colleague in struggle, Sheikh Sharif as President, Aweys seems not satisfied with any political deal and policy implementation that can be of benefit to Somali cause and stability. For him, Somalia without Sharia rule is tantamount to hypocrisy. He is an Islamic scholar who is vigorously in pursuit of the imposition of divine rule for Somalia-an ideological rule perceived by the West as a threat to the region and to their political and economic interests.

Sheikh Aweys belongs to the same clan as the current President, Sheikh Sharif, though of a separate sun-clan. The Henna-dyed, goateed septuagenarian Aweys has opposed almost every Somali transitional government, political dialogue, and reconciliation. The Sheikh seems to be in opposition to any political ideology and the formation of any central central government with secular leanings that differ from his strong Islamic beliefs. With so many warring factions and political divisions wrecking havoc on Somalia, Aweys has not shown any inclination to any political party of interest. Despite the fragmentation of the Asmara-group in to two divisions with differing thoughts and processes, Aweys' group remains in complete limbo politically, socially, and economically.

Despite President Sharif making avowed enemies in the past, at present, he seems to be admired even by the administration in Addis Ababa that was responsible for the defeat, collapse, and fragmentation of his powerful Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Ironically, Sharif was feted by Africa's heads of states at the recently concluded African Union convention held in Ethiopia. Surprisingly, he met and shook hands with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia-the man who once branded him a Jihadist and extremist. He is currently seen as the only hope for the future of Somalia and has so far captured the hearts and minds of many Diaspora Somalis. With the exception of a few web sites spewing hate and division, majority of online publications that are owned and operated by Somalis seem to concur with his heroic achievements. Many nations have thrown their support behind him and the number of press congratulating his election successes are quite overwhelming. President Sharif has gone down in history as the most popular transitional Somali President since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

On the contrary, Sheikh Aweys' activities, location, and influence in Somali politics remain shrouded in mystery. On the other hand, he issues communiques and gives interviews from undisclosed locations-a sign of seclusion and rebellion. His Somali opponents are dumbfounded by his failure to compromise and give peace a chance. Islam means 'peace' and peace can only be attained when Muslim leaders take the lead responsibly by avoiding all sorts of transgressions that undermine stability, life, and property. If Sheikh Aweys has the welfare of the Somali people at heart, why can't he make peace with his Muslim brothers-in-arms? What is preventing him from taking the right measures to avert further death and destruction of his Muslim nation? Why can't he absolve himself of the crimes he is said to have committed through legal process if he feels he is innocent rather than hiding under a veil of deception in a material world of amusement and play that is clearly stated in the Qur'an?

The proposed Saudi initiative circulating in Somali media aiming to reconcile Aweys with President Sharif, will, if effectively scrutinized, bear fruit and pave the way for Aweys' inclusion into the much anticipated Somali administration. Perhaps, Aweys is in search of recognition; may be he is being driven by the power of greed and that he wants nothing short of the Presidency; he could be a petty spoiler who only wants to shine in the Somali political arena and nothing more; or may be he wants to prove to be a dynamic hero who wants to fight tooth and nail against all kinds of foreign influences and alien religious practices; or maybe he wants to prove to the world that he is the reincarnation of an ancient saint. Only historical chroniclers and his army of admirers will prove to the world the kind of person he was long after he reclaims his place in the after-world.