Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: Somalis demand to be withdrawn Arab league
From: aali@vax1.umkc.edu
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 23:16:14 GMT
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City

In article <1992Nov2.173357.1823@awdprime.austin.ibm.com>, jama@inetnode.austin.ibm.com (Jama Barreh) writes:
> In article <1992Oct30.164703.60254@cc.usu.edu> sls2c@cc.usu.edu writes:
>>               Somalis demand to be withdrawn from the 
>>               Arab league.
>>
>>
>>     In the first place, the country and its people were forced to
>>join the Arab league by the former leader Siyaad Barre and his
>>fellow government men. Barre joined this organization to make money
>>from it by purposing different kind of projects including, building
>>new schools that will teach Arabic from elementary through
>>secondary, opening places for public to learn the language,
>>programs on the TV

At the risk of sounding Siyad Barre's defender, i dare to disagree with the
assertion that Barre forced Somalia into the arms of the Arab league.
Like many actions taken by Siyad in the early days of his regime, Somalia's
 membership of the Arab league was highly popular and welcomed.  One 
might even argue that such membership was badly needed for both economic
and political reasons.  As poor and less developed as we were, the Arabian
patro-dollars gained a good deal of our attention and not just the regime
but the average guy on streets of  Xamar and Hargeysa.  Further, as we
expected potential wars with both our African neighbors and the rest of
African (in deed most of the world) rejecting our attempt to rearrange
the Horn's post-colonial boundaries,  Arab countries seemed natural
allies.  Looking back, we can see now it was all miscalculation in the 
part of the Somalis to have such a confidence in Arab countries.   
 
>>and overall by making the country's second language Arabic.
>>     And clearly Barre has made a huge profit by joining the
>>richest  organization in the world by means and the organization it
>>self was proud for its achievement by  buying the whole country and
>>its people. it would have been nice if it was all ended there but
>>the former regime still gets support from the organization both
>>financial and militarily and the organization still wants to
>>restore the regime as it was before, and that is one of the main
>>reasons problems of why the country is not reaching stability.


This is entirely news to me.  Where is the evidence?  Siyad Barre is 
out of power and out of Somalia for good but unfortunately those who
replaced him are making him look like a harmless dictator.


>>      The worst of all the organization has and is ignoring the
>>starvation of our people as they watch us die, we ask the
>>organization, forget about their help, not to support those
>>warlords and their function.
>>     We (Somalis) are saying  leave us alone and we have had enough
>>& we are not members of your organization any more.

 Who is "we"? & who is "SSA-USU &SC-US" ?

>>
>>                              SSA-USU & SC-USA

it is quit true that the Arab countries, in general, ignored the plight of 
the Somali people but so is everybody else with exception of NGOs that
mainly operate around Mogadishu area. Yet the angry young man/woman should
keep in mind that it is us, Somalis, who are self_inflicting such a horrific
devastation and just to keep on blaming others for not being attentive enough
sounds a little unconventional. 

> 
>    I agree with you that the Arab nations have not done nearly enough for
>  Somalia and for that matter any other Sub-Saharan african country . I also
>  agree with you that Siyad Barre joined the Arab League to gain financial
>  resources.
>    I disagree with you on two points. One that the Somalis were forced into
>  joining the organization. As I recall , even though there were no formal
>  voting or polling , people were in general agreement to joining the
>  organization .
>      Somalia is usually referred as the "orphan child" of Africa
>  because the Sub-Saharan Africa does not claim it , because of historical
>  ties to the Arabs ,and the Arab world does not claim it because the Somali
>  people do not speak Arabic even though the culture is closer to the
>  arab world than it is to that of its nearby neighbors such as Kenya and
>  Ethopia.
>     The real question is do Somali people consider themselves as Arabs,
>  Africans or Afro-Arabs ? That question is a lot more difficult than it
>  seems on the surface. Somalis definitely do no think they are Arabs.
>  Historically when Sayid Mohamed Abdullah Hassan was fighting the
>  british in 1920's he appealed to Arab nations at that time and there was
>  no help forth coming. When british finally used airplanes to bomb his
>  fortress in Taleh and forced him to go into exile in Ethopia , someone
>  asked him about the Arabs and he made a long  peom which is widely
>  recited even today. I remmber only when line.
>        " Maandhow ayaarta iga daa Arabi waa naage ! "


 A point well taken but some female Somalis object to the use of
word "naag" used in this manner.  I guess, the Sayid did not exactly
thought of the peom's possible use in an era of feminist sensitivity.

  
>   Basically it says you can not count on the Arabs. Somalis always felt and
>   KNEW that. On the other hand Somalis never considered themselves as  part of
>   sub-saharan Africa. Almost every Somali can count his/her paternal lineage
>   upto 15 or 16 forefathers, hence all the divisions , and almost all claim
>   linkage to Arab forfathers , even to Quraish , Prophet Mohamed's ancestors .
>   Even  though these claims exit , not a single Somali will tell you he/she is
>   an Arab if you ask them today. They feel they might be related to Arabs but
>   definitely they are not Arabs.
>       This left them no where to go except being Somalis.
>    I agree you we should not expect anything from the Arab nations , and I can
>    you assure most Somalis did not , but this is not a time to turn away any
>    help. Being in the Arab league might not be any help now but it is not a
>    hinderance either.
>        My second point is:
>        The Somali situation would have been ten fold worse if it had not been
>    for hundreds of thousands in the Arab world sending their meager incomes
>    home to support their families. What would happen to them .

      You are right on the money here Jama.
      
>        We might reconsider being part of ineffective political group later
>    on , but this is not the time.
> 
> 
>                                                  jama
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african,soc.culture.african.american