"Ramadaan Kariim"رمضان مبارك Have a Happy Ramadan

The essence of Ramadan is to become humble

Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslim friends around the world. beautiful month of fasting, prayer, mercy, forgiveness,charity,guidance, tranquility,reflection & peace

Muslims around the world will begin fasting from Monday june 6, 2016 and for a whole month thereafter, however, for some it will begin only if the moon is sighted.

Since the beginning of Islam, there have been debates as to what constitutes moon sighting. Some interpret that there has to be a minion to declare that they have seen it themselves with their own eyes, where some others do not accept the holiday unless they have seen it themselves. In the United States, there is an organization that monitors moon sighting called the Hilal committee. At one time it was acceptable if the moon was sighted elsewhere, but now, each group has to have their own moon sighting.

Politics runs deeply in our communities, be it a temple, synagogue or a church, and mosques are no different. A few scientifically-inclined-Muslims have adopted NASA's calculation, believed to be precise. However, four different traditions are operative concurrently; i) Strictly Calendar, ii) NASA and iii) Sighting with bare eyes and iv) Sighting by others in the community.

The NASA-oriented and the calendar-group misses out the fun, joy and exhilaration of waiting and watching the needle thin moon on the horizon. The whole family gets out on the roof tops, or higher grounds, some even climb electric poles, and a few will drive out where they can see the sky without obstacles, kids would climb up on parent's shoulders, and a few run from place to place shouting in excitement, did you see? It is like the belief in Santa Claus, angels and other myths; each tradition fulfills one's emotional needs and every one becomes sentimental. After all, if celebration does not have the excitement, it is less of a celebration.

America's spirit of freedom touches every soul, no matter what religion or tradition they follow. American Muslims are no different, they prefer to have a pre-set date to start fasting and the celebration called "Eid" (pronounced as 'Eeed'). The idea is for them to take a day off from work or get an optional day off for their children from the schools. Always, the joy multiplies when the family and friends celebrate it together. They prefer not wait for the moon to show up to the bare eyes.

The conflict is the same every where on the earth. Each group subscribes to one of the four systems mentioned above. America is no different; you will find celebrations on one or three different days in any given city. The Sunnis, being the largest group has the greater division within, while the Shias, Ismailis, WD Mohammad, Bohra and Ahmadiyya follow the pre-determined dates. The consensus may be attributable to having central spiritual leadership in all groups except the Sunni. However like the American public wishes to see Republicans and Democrats drop the party lines and focus on what is good for America, the Muslims also wish they could celebrate the Eid on one single day. It ain't going to happen; it is human to disagree.

It is against the spirit of Ramadan to denigrate, diminish and devalue other practices. The essence of Ramadan is to become humble, simple and free from ill-will, anger, meanness and hate.

Let's fill our hearts with goodwill and honor Ramadan by saying "Eid Mubarak" or Happy Eid to every one who celebrates on a different day in the same town. The essence of Ramadan is joy and let's not prick any one's bubble; God has not signed a pact with any one behind others back, let's rejoice the differences of interpretations. If you want to celebrate every day, go to every celebration.

In the spirit of Ramadan, I pray that Ramadan gets into our hearts and minds and make us embrace all factions of Muslims without undermining their tradition and further pray that we treat every human on the earth with dignity, respect and care.

That is indeed the wisdom expressed in Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of God, is the best in conduct. God Knows and is Aware of everything you do."

Ramadan Mubarak! 2017

 

President Farmaajo Briefly Meets Trump In Riyadh, Appeals Backing

Somali President H:E Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Sunday briefly met with the U.S President H:E Donald Trump in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh following the conclusion of the US-Arab-Muslim conference, Presidential Communications officer confirms.

Somali Presidential Communications officer, Abdinur Mohamed said the two leaders talked on security collaboration between Somalia and the United States, where President Farmajo highlighted the need for strong U.S support/cooperation to defeat the Islamist militant group Al-Shabab that is battling the Federal government and the African Union forces (AMISOM).

We are in war on terror and we need international assistance as Somalia lone cannot defeat the terror groups

President Farmajo in media brief said the U.S administration promised 100% backing for the new Somali government to secure the Horn of African nation and rebuild the country’s national forces. The Riyadh meeting was the first face-to-face talk between Donald Trump and Farmajo and came one month after U.S president increased the number of U.S Special Forces operating in Somalia.

Mattis 'Heartened' After Attending Somalia Meeting in London

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis came away from yesterday’s British-sponsored conference on Somalia in London with renewed hope for the peace process in the African nation.

Mattis told reporters flying with him back to Washington, that he had a private meeting with Somali President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed, “and I came away from that heartened.”

The United States has a role to play in Somalia, and in helping that nation eradicate al-Shabaab, a vicious terror group, Mattis said. The United Nations, the African Union and the European Union joined with Arab, African and European nations to discuss the way forward.

International Support for Somalia

Mattis said Somalia has an economic and a governmental program to put it back on its feet, and that international support is crucial to the process.

“So, we were working on how the future looks and what nations could commit what to what and get the framework right,” Mattis said. “It includes on the security side both a continued maturation of their security forces in the defenses against al-Shabaab, but it also includes a reconciliation program designed to pull the fence-sitters and the middle-of-the-roaders away from al-Shabaab. It's very well put together.”

The holistic approach to the situation in Somalia is the one that has a chance of succeeding, Mattis said.

“There is certainly an attitude of renewed hope based on the election of what appears to be a very good leader in terms of understanding the need for military security, but as well economic efforts, and certainly reconciliation is going to have to mark this way forward, as well,” he said.

Confronting Terrorism

Mattis praised the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, saying the African Union Mission in Somalia troops have done a good job in a difficult position.

“For years, AMISOM and the Somali soldiers have fought against a pretty tough enemy that has sworn allegiance … to al-Qaida,” Mattis said. “It’s an enemy that's got to be fought and the people have to be defended.”

Mattis took advantage of the Somali meeting to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. He said the meeting was an “honest, transparent and helpful” discussion between two NATO allies on NATO issues and other issues that directly impact Turkish security. The two leaders also discussed how to best work together to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Mattis said Turkey is committed to the counter-ISIS campaign, “just like the rest of NATO and the 68 nations that are aligned against ISIS, and that includes in particular the campaign against the enemy’s … self-proclaimed caliphate in Raqqa.”

(Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDoDNews)

One Navy SEAL Killed, 2 injured in during clashes between Al-Shabaab fighters & US Forces in Lower Shabelle region

WASHINGTON — An American Navy SEAL was killed on Thursday during a raid against the Islamic militant group known as the Shabab in Somalia, Pentagon officials said.

Defense Department officials said the service member was in Somalia as part of an advise-and-assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army. He was killed in an operation near Barii, around 40 miles west of Mogadishu, according to a statement from the United States Africa Command.

Separately, a Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters regarding Special Operations forces, said that the service member killed was a Navy SEAL.

“We continue to support our Somali and regional partners to systematically dismantle this Qaeda affiliate, and help them to achieve stability and security throughout the region as part of the global counterterrorism effort,” Africa Command said in the statement.

The death of a Navy SEAL in Somalia comes as the American military’s campaign against the Shabab in Somalia has been expanding over the last several years. That Islamist group is complex, with some factions focused on controlling Somalia, while others want to participate in external terrorist operations in line with Al Qaeda’s global war.

In 2013, the group carried out the attack at the Westgate mall, in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed more than 60 people and wounded more than 175. Since then, it has adopted more sophisticated forms of terrorism, including nearly bringing down a Somali airliner in February with a bomb hidden in a laptop computer.

To counter the Shabab, the United States has increasingly used Special Operations forces, airstrikes, private contractors and African allies. Hundreds of American troops now rotate through makeshift bases in Somalia, the largest military presence since the United States pulled out of the country after the “Black Hawk Down” battle in 1993. They have served as trainers and advisers to African Union and

Somali government forces, and have sometimes participated directly in combat. Military officials said they believed this was the first American combat death in Somalia since the “Black Hawk Down” battle.

About 200 to 300 American Special Operations forces have been working with soldiers from Somalia and other African nations like Kenya and Uganda to carry out more than a half-dozen raids every month, according to senior American military officials. The Navy’s classified SEAL Team 6 has been heavily involved in many of these operations.

The Pentagon has acknowledged only a fraction of these missions. But even the publicly available information shows a marked increase in recent years. The Pentagon announced 13 ground raids and airstrikes in 2016, up from five in 2015, according to data compiled by New America, a Washington think tank. Those strikes killed about 25 civilians and 200 people suspected of being militants, the group found.

Source: NYTimes