Somalia: A Colossal Disservice to Islam

The new faith-based trend of terror in Somalia is having its toll on the morale and the wellbeing of the nation. It is a phenomenon that is strange to Islam in Somalia and to its culture. The opposition (Islamic) groups to the current government have publicly declared war on a president who is exploring all avenues for peace and who is committed to incorporate Islamic Laws (Sharia) into the constitution. Instead of rallying behind their former leader, Sheik Sharif, they branded him as a deserter of the faith (murtad) and charged his government with an apostasy (Irtidad). In Islam, a “murtad” means a person who is born Muslim and then he/she apostates (rejects) Islam. These laughable allegations are meant to cripple the government and make Somalia a refuge for murderers and terrorists. It is unmistakable that the president is a devoted Muslim, a patriot, and a leader who methodically deals with the challenges facing the nation. The matter is not about apostasy but rather a dangerous practice of appalling rituals that have no place in our society. These organizations proclaimed their own twisted version of faith with a freehold title for murder and destruction.
Gulped down by darkness, the champions of this doomsday cult include Mokhtar Robow, Godane, Abuzubair, Shoongale, and others. Their misguided minds would not settle anything less than destroying everything commonsensical. They must have learned lessons from the devil’s lexicon. How would one justify waging war against a government that accepted Islam as the basis for constitution? How would one justify glamorizing the beheading and stoning teenagers, Quran teachers, and civil service workers in the name of faith? How would one rationalize the practice of vandalising cemeteries and desecrating the remains of the deceased? They have done a colossal disservice to Islam in Somalia. These actions are comparable to the conduct of the prison guards at Guantanamo who put the holy Quran under their feet and showed the greatest disrespect for it.
Astonishingly, recent events (suicide attacks) in Somalia were linked to young Somalis who have been recruited from the United States to carry out murderous attacks against fellow Somalis. This apocalyptic vision of the world combined with lust for power is having both mental and physical control over some of our youth.
We, as a nation, need to tackle this unprecedented challenge collectively. It is not just the government’s job anymore. It is the duty of every citizen to stand up and reject this Bid'a (reprehensible innovation) in our faith. The government should wage a counter attack in a number of fronts. This includes empowering the Ulama in sanitizing the bad minds of young men lured to this kind of belief. It should also carry an awareness campaign to educate its citizens about extremism and its effects on the society and culture. A massive campaign should also be carried out in every mosque in the country to halt their ability to infuse rituals of murder into the young minds. Lastly, the government should expedite the reconstruction of a professional police force and a justice system that are committed to the principles of rule of law. We should not discount the immense difficulty that our country is facing and we must be contributing to the rebuilding of Somalia as a secure, stable country with viable economic development.
Abdulkadir K. Dirie, MSc. EDTeacher at the Toronto District School BoardToronto, CanadaEmail: dirie2004@yahoo.com