Sport or Diplomatic Tribalism

So if you have been following Universal Tv or simply the Somali Gossip lately , you will already know that Somaliland is having its annual Football championship in Burco . This is an interesting event for a few reasons . and the timing couldn't be anymore perfect . Here's why :

A few days ago, there was some tribal tensions in the northern region of Somaliland , precisely between Qabiley and Borama. I wont go into any specifics of the incident , since I have heard only one side of the story and am not very familiar with the whole situation. Let's just say there were Gunshots through 24 hours, Tribe Seniors Locked up and protests leading up to civilian clashes with the police - not very pretty at all.

So with a tribal feud building up slowly , what better way to settle it all than in the field with a ball - It was GAME TIME !!!! . a day after the tension started , there was a match between Qabileey and Borama. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said the whole town was glued to their screens through the 90 minute game. - and if it isn't clear yet , it wasn't because the whole town were interested in football.
You even had the Old women on standby and everytime a goal was scored , they'd ask who scored [ that's how oblivious they were to the whole game. to them it was just a bunch of men running around with a ball , but what they knew was they were playing the so called enemy !!!! ] and when they were told it was Borama - The drums would be playing and the whole ilyilyilyilyilyyy was the national anthem for the next 30 seconds. this was clearly tribalism invading football , a more diplomatic way of solving issues. No Guns involved , just loads of sweat on the field and a ball.

I dont particularly remember the score , but Borama did win that day and the Gunshots and clashes from the day before were followed with celebrations, drum playing and a joyful feel in the air.

Peace is restored once again to Borama, thanks to the beautiful game of Football :).

PS: To the readers of the blog, I'd like to introduce myself . I am the co-writer of this blog while Fatma is away. I will simply go under Anonymous for now but I will add my contact info to the "about me" page for those of you who are interested in knowing me . Hopefully I will be able to bring you an interesting read .

Dear Readers

I write this post with very mixed feelings. Lately My writing has been interfering with my Education .When I say that I do not mean I have been spending more time writing than homework, however apparently my opinions and observations have almost ended my University education. I am sorry I cannot go into the details of the incident or what I might be referring to for personal reasons. But hopefully in a few months , I will be free to get back to updating you all on the latest from wherever I might be .  
I do promise to come back with better stories after my graduation. But for now I am forced to stick to a Journal.


I love you all , and to those of you who do want to keep in touch you can always send me an email or tweet me @fayyDs. 
                                                           
                                                                                    Love,
                                                                                        Fayy [ Heblayo]

Do Not Enroll Into Med School - Advice from a med student

Through most of my School years , I've played with the idea of majoring in different fields. I've thought of being a lawyer, a Journalist , a psychologist , nutritionist , translator and ofcourse a Doctor. As HighSchool came to an end , I had narrowed down to 3 fields. But like most Somali families most of my choices were dismissed as inappropriate and I was enrolled into med school. The first 2 years of med school was a breeze , I wasn't challenged or impressed by the level of difficulty - A's grew on trees for me . Fastforward and I'm a senior with only 18 months to graduation and things are not all that easy anymore, the pressure is high, expectation even higher and the wide road to greatness seems to be turning into a narrow bridge . Not to mention being on binoculars at all times by the entire Somali community . So after much whining to everyone in sight here I am putting together a few paragraphs on why you should NOT enroll into med school. 

 Let me simply put it this way ; If anyone tells you medicine is the hardest field to be in , smack them in the face and tell them to FEAR THE LORDD for their outrageous Lie!!!! .
On a more serious note , from personal experience I would tell you I felt "smarter" when I was in highschool than I am right now. Med school killed a good portion of my brain cells. Studying medicine is 90% about your memory skills and 10% critical thinking. So basically you are rarely challenged to come up with a solution of your own , most of it is in the books . So unless you are willing to spend a minimum of 6 hours reading about sickness and disease, DO NOT ENROLL IN MED SCHOOL!!! . 


Reason 2: If you're a laid back person to begin with , who enjoys doing nothing most days except hanging out with your friends and living your social life to the max, then again I would tell you not to enroll into med school . You see there's this Triangle to med school , and the equation to success can have only 2 of these 3 factors. ; Homework , Sleep and Social Life. You will always have to sacrifice one , and when in med school it's always the social life that gets cut out. You could try and act all smart about it and cut out sleep , but once again from experience that is usually a short term solution and will most likely lead to a good number of D's and F's on your transcript .


Reason 3: you have to be an A or B student AT ALL TIMES, anything below that is just unacceptable- Talk about Pressure!!! . And when you have about 95% of the class getting straight A's , your C+ will have you feeling like an Idiot all day long. So if you enjoy the comfort of having to "Just pass" DO NOT ENROLL INTO MED SCHOOL!!!!!. 


And my closing Argument , The Work field is already highly competitive as it is , and unless you are the best around, you will most likely not get a decent job as a doctor. There is no " just okay applicant" - Be the Greatest or Go Home. So practically speaking are you willing to go through 6 - 10 years of school and risk ending up staying home? or even worse working for minimum wages in a village in the middle of nowhere ?. 


Final Words - DO NOT ENROLL INTO MED SCHOOL , MAKE ME PROUD AND BE ANY OF THE THINGS I COULD NOT BE ;) 

The Hush Hush talk - Hymens and Virginity

Hymen reconstructions, little Chinese hymen look-alike products, Ketchup, little cuts on the thighs etc etc etc. The lengths some would go to prove their virginity on the night of their wedding . Would I blame them ? not necessarily . I am sure many are already shaking their heads and yelling out profanities at my choice of topic but I really couldn't care less. 


Over the years , different cultures have challenged each other at how to prove a girl's virginity . The Somalis, like many other Africans decided to go with the FGM , a creative way to keep girls from having premarital sex. I mean who would want to go through excruciating pain just for some one night stand. right? . What they forgot to think of was the after effect; Infections, Labor complications, Death and so on . I guess it all didn't matter as long as her purity was kept for her.
 The Arabs however have been less creative , They decided that the hymen would be a great indicator of a girl's virginity . So in Egypt for example the bed sheets must be stained with blood and hanged over the balcony for the whole neighborhood to see, this is then followed by drum playing and a celebration - So much for Romance and easing the tension. 
In Turkey , things are less of a national celebration but rather a family affair. A small handkerchief is stained and then wrapped in a garment and given to the Groom's mother who present's it to the bride's in-laws with pride. and so on through most of the Arabian peninsula. .  

Unfortunately that hasn't been working out quite well . Apparently the hymen comes in different forms. Some more elastic than others, Some perforated and some non-existent to begin with.Like most parts of the female body , the hymen is no exception to the changes that happen after puberty. Thus Horse riding, Bike riding, sprints, and many other physical activities can break the precious purity ring. At other times, A woman can be well into her pregnancy and still have an intact hymen

 " OH MY GOD IT MUST BE A MIRACLE!!! ,SHE MUST BE ONE OF THE CHOSEN FEW!!! TAKBIIRRR - ALLAHU AKBAR ALLAHU AKBAR!!!! ILYLYLYLYLYYYYYYYYYY" - smell my sarcasm yet ??. 

It's sad to think some husbands, brothers, and fathers would kill their spouses, sisters and daughters over a mucous membrane that has no physiological significance. 


Honestly , Don't you think God would be fair and place a hymen on every male too , if it's purpose was to indicate Virginity , purity etc etc etc. I mean Obviously God is All-Just and just to make things even more convincing . When accusing someone of premarital sex , notice how there is no mention of a vaginal checkup or a must staining of a cloth . On the contrary you cannot accuse someone of adultery unless you have 4 witnesses to the act and a confession from the person being accused . 


Now take a moment to contemplate the issue at hand. Imagine the countless number of girls who have been ridiculed and shamed by society by such a myth. Imagine the number of women who have lost their lifes in these so called honour killings because her virginity was being questioned. Imagine the millions of little 5 year olds who have died because of FGM and the thousands who continue to suffer from it's effects upto this day .

Do you still think the hymen is that important. Is the price payed for such ignorance through the years still not enough ? Shall we continue to undermine and humiliate little girls for another decade before we snap out of this cultural craze? 




- For those of you still interested in reading more on the topic, Read The myth of the hymen this is a beautiful article by a muslim female who really takes the time and effort to break into it all . 

Eathquake Alert - Aftermath

I think I'll start this post off with a curse . A curse on the idiot who thought it would be funny to pull an April's fool 6 months early. May the Ground split into two and drag you six feet under !!!!.
Yes the Earthquake alert was a huge prank. But it sure had almost everyone scared .


So At around 2:30 am My phone starts ringing, while I snored away , I could tell something was making a very annoying sound but oh well I just imagined it was the background music to my awesome dream which I can't even remember now . Two minutes later my little sister is literally running circles in the room and yelling out "AN EARTHQUAKE'S COMING ..IT'S COMINGGG OMG OMG OMG" . She tries to tell me that we're all dying and it takes me a good one minute to take in everything she's saying . when it finally got through I ran in circles with her , felt my heart pound right out of my chest and eventually got to waking the rest of the house up. 
By now everyone was terrified , except for my cousin who found it all nonsensical and did not even bother to get out of bed . As we sat contemplating what to do next , we decided to get dressed, grab our passports and money and stand outside the house. I managed to get in a blog post and a facebook status update right before we headed out 

 ( this is to show how social networks have over the years undermined something as serious as possible death )

" Oh you guys pray for me I'm about to die  wink wink kisses :)" 

2 hours later and we're still sitting on our doorstep waiting for some 5.0 devastating earthquake to hit. We were freezing and starving but still terrified of heading back in .To make things worse the city dogs were having a singing choir  and every time they would start howling we would stand and squat a little , making sure our legs were firm on the ground. Apparently the howling of Dogs is an ineffective indicator of an earthquake coming - lesson learned.
 It was only at around 5:30 am when the sun rose that we realized this was a horrible prank . We headed back in and that was the end of it - Just another day in Borama, Somaliland/North Somalia

Earthquake alert

So it's 3:07 am and I just got a phone call that there's probably going to be a really bad earthquake anytime through tonight. I am freaked out and the fact that I've never been through any sort of Earthquake drill makes me even the less capable to deal with anything . I know that hiding under tables and staying away from windows is completely useless in this part of the world . The Only drill I know of is "Run For Your Lives" . The  housing infrastructure is so weak , a mere 3.0 would bring it down to rubble.

To those of you awake at this very hour , Your prayers would be of much value to all of us in Borama and it's surroundings . Keep them Du'as coming please.
Goodnight 

Foreigner in My own Country

I bet you all are wondering what could I possibly mean with such a strange topic . My fellow Somalis might think I am referring to tribalism and what not . Ofcourse that would be relevant to the Subject in hand . But I am referring to the strange , unreasonable politics within Somalia  and it's many regions ( that Includes Somaliland).

So last month after a 2 month holiday in Kenya , I landed in Berbera Airport . As we made our way through the Immigration booth I handed the officer my Somali passport .The next few moments would introduce me to the sad reality that Being Somali meant being Homeless. As I waited for the officer to stamp my passport and hand it back , he casually asked me for 30 dollars . When I asked him what for , he was quick to tell me I was a "Foreign Passport Holder" . It literally took me a good 2 minutes to completely comprehend what he was saying . How could I be a Foreigner in Somalia when my Document clearly stated I am Somali !!!!. He then quickly mentioned how in Somaliland, (yet to be recognised Independent Country, still recognised by the International communtiy as Somalia) they classify  the "New Somali passport " as foreign and If I had the old green one I wouldn't have to pay .

To those of you not familiar with the Somali passport system. Back in the days when Somalia had a functional , capable government run by Siad Barre , there was this green  passport. As Somalia progressed into Civil war and with the fall of the government , The Somali passport had become the easiest travelling document to forge . Anyone could get it . As long as you had a few American dollars on you You would become a Somali Citizen in less than 24 hours.
Fast forward 15 years and Abdulahi Yusuf came into power . He introduced the Somali E-passport and discontinued the old one, making it mandatory on every Somali willing to travel to get the new Document ( the blue one), a blessing for most Somalis in the Diaspora with a Somali passport. Less forging , more authentic documents , recognized travel document

To sum things up , the old Somali document is not recognized anymore , and 9 out of 10 times you will not be granted entry into any country with it . On the Other hand the Somaliland Government has yet to be recognized , therefore making any S.Land travelling document worthless. So the question is what would make me a national of Northern Somalia/ Somaliland ? . A travel document that is no longer recognized or one that has yet to be recognized? 

Quranic Schools and it's Teachers

Before I begin this post I just want to make it clear this is not an attack on anyone or any Religious institutions . these are my observations and thoughts , you are free to agree or disagree. 

About 3 years ago , I enrolled in a Quranic school in my neighbourhood .I explained to the Teacher how I had classes early in the morning , and I just needed someone to correct my recitations . He agreed to let me go as soon as I was done with my recitations.  2 weeks later I dropped out and vowed to never return to a Quranic school . My reasons were simple . One morning I arrived about 5 mins late and as soon as I walked in and sat down . I was asked to stand once more . When I stood I was asked why I was late infront of a class of about 30 students. I simply said I had some things to deal with at home and it was personal. The teacher then asked me to extend my hand forward as he pulled out a rather long tree branch. I refused and he went on to hit me wherever he could. I was outraged . Here I was being whooped by some Sheikh who claimed to know the religion. 

Sadly that is nothing compared to what others have to deal with on a daily basis . I have witnessed little boys being spanked with a piece of tire , others are locked up in a room with chains attached to their legs . they are left in there for a day or two with no food or toilet breaks. Some even go as far as to leave you out in the sun around noon, barefoot.

Like I stated earlier , this is not a campaign to shame and ridicule all Quranic teacher and Dugsiis . However  this is to raise awareness as to what really happens in many Quranic schools. 
I think Parents should pay more attention to where they send their kids to study , the circumstances of the institution, have a sit down with the teacher , and most importantly talk to your children, find out if anything has happened to them in class and so forth. Alot of the times, Religious figures are exempt from all public criticism and questioning . Parents don’t believe their children when they tell them about what the Sheikh did and often punish them for speaking in such a manner about a Man of faith . And with the lack of a regulatory committee in most cities and countries ,Becoming a Quranic teacher has attracted pedophiles and extremists equally to freely abuse little girls and boys physically , mentally and sexually .

I think it’s about time people stopped placing certain individuals on a podium with full immunity . Every action has a consequence , and for those people who do not have the heart or the mind to know what they are doing is wrong . the legal consequence is the only thing that keeps them straight.

In my opinion Quranic teachers should be forced to take a course on teaching methodology , get a diploma , and get a license to teach. there should be some form of Regulatory committee for Quranic Schools , a curriculum , a set of rules and regulations to follow and regular visits from this committee to see how things are being run . It’s about time the same amount of importance is placed on Quranic schools just like Academic Schools and Institutions. 

Not fitting the Stereotype - You are a Woman

It was noon , and everyone was tired after a long morning of lectures and studying. We started arguing about the wording of a formal letter written to the dean of the University . Being the one who wrote it I was defensive . My grammar skills were being questioned and I was offended.It started out as an intellectual argument but then out of nowhere the following words were being yelled out 

 " You are a girl , have some shame . Girls do not talk like that" .

  It was the first time my intellect was looked down at simply because of my gender. I could not comprehend what had just happened.It was not the letter that was flawed , it was not my grammar that was mistaken. We were not having an Intellectual argument. This was a Guy that was offended a female could do a good job without asking for assistance. these were a group of guys who were yelling out profanities so as to demean me and break my confidence. What they did not know was I was not about to fall into their stereotype of what a female should be like. I was not going to be forced to change and lower my IQ simply because that was what they were accustomed to .  


I was In Somalia , a failed state where little boys were raised to think that they were somehow smarter, privileged and entitled to more than a female. Sexism was something foreign to me . An issue I would read about or watch other women make a big deal of.  It was heartbreaking to not only see it firsthand but to experience it as well. 
This was where so called religious schools teach girls and boys that women are lacking in mental capability , that a women's place is at home in the kitchen . this is where teachers are shocked when female students are on honor rolls and tell the boys to step up their education and not let "A girl beat you ". 


Fortunately I was blessed to be in a class with 6 other strong females who felt as I did. The first three years of medical school was a struggle. We were outnumbered and constantly fighting for our voices to be heard. 5 years later I am glad to say we did it . We forced them to treat us with the respect we deserved. Our voices are clearly heard and our opinions are held with importance . Over the course of these years a fellow female classmate and I had the opportunity to be Class presidents . And the lower classes have been influenced and have in turn elected Female Class presidents as well .Something that has not happened before.


That day back in 2007 , was the beginning of our journey into breaking stereotypes, defying cultural norms and changing mindsets for the better. I was only 16 years old , fresh out of high school and naive to what being a Somali female really meant back home . I have the highest form of respect for all women who have had the strength to push forward even when everything was pulling them, You are all an Inspiration to everyone.

For those women in Somalia. Where there is no law to protect them and no culture to stand by them. I pray for all of you and may you have the strength to not give into stereotypes and cultural bullshit. Someday your story will be heard and your struggle will be a source of empowerment for others. 

Sexual Abuse and Homosexuality - Common misconceptions

Before I begin I’d like to make it clear this post is not Intended to criticize, shame or in anyway ridicule Homosexuals. I personally do not care how people express their sexuality, that is their private bussiness and should be treated according.

Recently I ran into this blog called “An Arab Survivor of childhood Abuse” [ a great blog that creates awareness and highlights the memories of a Childood Sexual Abuse victim ] and one of his posts was titled “Am I Gay” . As I read it I remembered some videos I watched on youtube a few years back which was basically an Interview with young arabs who explained how they turned gay. A lot of the times when asked what made you Turn this way ? - Aside from the regular ” I’ve always felt different than other boys” and so on they would usually state their first sexual encounter as being raped or forced into Sex.

I have always heard people state “Once a boy is raped , he sometimes ends up going back to the same act willingly and eventually becomes homosexual”. This might at first sound a little exaggerated but looking into the science of it. It just might be logical:

 Every male has a gland, where doctors refer to as a prostate. The function of the prostate is to store and secrete a slightly alkaline fluid, milky or white in appearance, that usually constitutes 20-30% of the volume of the semen along with spermatozoa and seminal vesicle fluid. (source: Wikipedia) One of the ways to get an erection is by stimulating or massaging the prostate. The prostate gland is just below the bladder, behind the pubic bone and just in front of the rectum. When being raped, the abuser directly stimulates the prostate which results in an erection and sometimes even an ejaculation..  

Most Victims of Sexual Abuse might not know that although you are being forced into it, your body will not realize the difference .Which Leaves them feeling guilty for enjoying such an act of violation, Or considering themselves gay because according to them “no straight male would enjoy such an act”, when in the contrary if any male was put in the same situation , their body would have  reacted in the same exact way. 

One of the things lacking in great parts of Asia and Africa in general is Counselling for victims of rape, Domestic violence and so on. Alot of it owing back to how these things are considered Inappropriate to speak of and usually kept behind closed doors , Leaving the victim stuck in that state of feeling used, responsible for the act and forever a cast from society. Over the past few years the number of kidnappings and abuse of little boys has increased greatly alongside the number of individuals who come out as being homosexual. Maybe and this is just a hypothesis : This could be due to a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge that just because your body responds in a particular way during rape or sexual Abuse, it does not mean you are automatically considered Gay/Homosexual. 

PS: This does not mean everyone who is gay has been raped or Sexually abused, or everyone who is victimized is gay. It is simply a different perspective on things and should be viewed objectively. The correlation between rape and homosexuality that I stated is relevant to the middle east and the Arab world in general . I do not know if it is applicable elsewhere.

African Union - friend or foe ?

Muhideen Mohamed, who works with the charity, said troops from Amisom - the AU peacekeeping force which was patrolling the city - fired on the journalists as they travelled to the airport, where they were based.

“Amisom killed a Malaysian journalist and injured another between the K4 road junction and Mogadishu airport on Friday,” Mr Mohamed, the aid group’s local coordinator, told Reuters.

The claim could not be verified and AU officials were not immediately available for comment. 

So al-Shabaab pull out of Somalia for the first time in years . they have been out of the capital for almost 4 weeks now. And the news headlines says : Malaysian journalist shot dead in moqadishu . The first thing that came to mind was :AL - SHABAB ARE BACK !!! IT HAS TO BE THEM !! I KNEW IT !! . But surprisingly it’s the African Union . I don’t fully understand why the very people who were brought into the country to help uphold peace would shoot a journalist to death . I remember Many Somalis being against bringing in the African Union in the first place . But the question is : Is this a one time incident ? Or has the African Union been doing this for a while , all under the Cover of Al- Shabaab? . I’m just really interested in what their statement is going to be regarding this situation. 

Could it be the African Union is just as bad as Al-Shabaab?? Do they really have a role in Somalia’s 21 year long Civil war ? 

Deportation and the Inhumane process - Stories from those who experienced it

 -He was a resident in the country for 60 years , taking refuge in a place he believed would bring him closer to the house of God. Today he spends his days behind prison in the uttmost humiliation and embarassment. He is heart broken and too depressed to express how he feels . his words - 7asbi Allah wa Ni3m Al wakiil. 7asbi Allah wa Ni3m Al wakil and so he repeats . His wife and children share a similar faith , with thoughts of famine and poverty and a return to a place they have not seen , They have lost hope in those they once called their brothers and Sisters in faith.

- She was unconscious and in need of medical help , an old woman too sick to understand what was going on around her. After being refused admission from at least 4 hospitals , simply because she is a citizen of a failed state . She is treated at home with an NG tube down her nose being her only feeding method . Her son , sheds tears of blood . you can see the anger in his eyes. He asks rather shocked: How do you people live ? Animals are treated better than this . Ina lillah Wa Ina Ilayhi Raji3oon , Ina Lillah Wa Ina Ilayhi Raji3oon !!! are all he can utter before he breaks into a sob . 

- It’s 3:am in the morning and their door is forcefully broken down , it is only a second before they are being dragged out of their bedroom in their night gowns . the 2 month old baby cries at all the noise, the mother has no chance at grabbing a head scarf or guarding her modesty. The husband in a moment of rage asks : Why are you treating as like this, are we not muslims like you ?. His reply is a beating that will leave him bruised for weeks . the next few weeks are spent in jail , followed by a forceful deportation without a chance for goodbyes or the likes of it. 

- She went out with the intention of getting groceries from the local market but she did not know it would be the last time she walked those streets again. With her two infants at her sides, she is stopped in the middle of the street and jailed. I wonder why it was her that was stopped and not the woman or man right beside her . It must’ve been because she looked african or was it because she was not flashing the latest abaya or handbag ? Was her rather modest look what gave her away ??. It’s been only 2 years since she made that dreadful journey in a fishing boat and through the arabian desert. She regrets choosing this country as her destination. But I guess it’s only a lesson learned and a mistake not to be repeated. 

- He was stabbed by a national in broad daylight.After 3 weeks in a hospital in critical condition. He recovers and gives his statement to the police and with witnesses present , he is sure to get justice. a week later and he hears his offender is released and free to run the streets. In a moment of rage he takes justice into his own hands . An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth . But he is no national , and justice is only served when seemed appropriate . He is deported with a criminal record and content in his heart. Justice he has truly served . 

They all fled a country that was burning in flames , only to be returned to it with heavy hearts and their remaining dignity burned to ashes.They hoped for a better future and now those simple dreams have been beaten down and shattered. They laughed at those who ran elsewhere , thinking their brothers would be more merciful of their circumstance but today they regret the choices they made and vow to only return to such a place when their passports puts authorities at unease.

- Is it not funny how respect is given based on a document and not because of your right to one…. 

Rape, Teen Pregnancies and Society

Last night as my mom , the maid and I sat watching tv. My mom mentioned how 2 girls were raped a few days ago by 3 guys on their way home .The maid instantly jumped in and said

 ”They knew the guys , they didn’t just get kidnapped and raped , so they deserve what happened to them”.

 Before I could respond , my mom was already at it :

 ” Just because they knew them does not give them the right to rape .Would you be okay with getting raped just because you were out with a guy ?.  No one deserves to be raped and those men should be sentenced for life”.

It was only then I realized how Rape and teen Pregnancies have become fairly common over the last few years in this part of the world. 

I cannot even begin to put my frustration into words when it comes to rape. But when in Somalia, Rape takes on a whole new dimension. Rape in Somalia is a quick way to make money for some. You are probably wondering how ? . Let me Introduce you to the Clan Ideology : If any harm happens to you , your Clan serve as your Justice system.There will be a meeting with the victim’s clan Seniors and the Offenders clan seniors. They will discuss the amount of damage caused and the most suitable ruling. Usually the only suitable ruling is a certain sum of money set by the Victim’s Clan. So when a girl does get raped , the rapist does not get punished in any way or form. However the two clans have a sit together and decide on the number of dollars to be payed as a form of compensation.Now here’s the interesting part .This so called compensation for the girl never makes it into her hands , However it is divided among the Clan members and the closest it get’s to the lawful recepient is through her father . A mere 2-4% of the actual compensation.the offender always walks away free of charge with a simple scolding not  to repeat the offense so as his Clan do not have to pay anymore money. Behold the Clan/tribe Ideology!!!!. That is only One of the many reasons why Rape is so frequent around this place. Another reason being that very thinking so many people share ; TURNING THE VICTIM INTO THE CULPRIT.  

“Oh why was she out after 9pm” .

” why was she with a guy in the first place” .

” Why was she walking in that part of town alone” .

” Why was she dressed in that manner” 

She brought it on herself ,SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT , SHE DESERVES IT !! SAY NO TO SYMPATHY , SAY NO TO LOGIC , SAY NO TO REASONING!!!

I just don’t understand these statements. Nobody wants to be raped . It could happen to anyone really . It could happen at 12pm noon, to a woman dressed like a ninja. It is society that is messed up for trying to make excuses for such kind of people. Why not make excuses for the victim instead. Why not Question the offender’s behavior. Why not for once put aside all the sexism and Just say right from wrong.

About a year ago I did a post on teen girls burning themselves for what I considered silly reasons .[ here’s the post ]. Back then Rape was not so common, However there was a reasonable number of teen pregnancies.

Back in march this year I was assigned to the Gyn/Obs ward at the general Hospital in town , we did 6 days a week , 7 hour shifts for 3 months. The one thing that caught my attention during that period was the number of little girls that were coming in pregnant. Before this time , I was only familiar with the daily gossip that went around town but what I was not aware of was the actual scale of this issue.But what made this even more interesting is how when they were asked about the father of the child , Most of them responded in the same manner :

He refused to claim responsibility for the child and is in no way planning to be a part of this.  

Most of these girls were lured in with dreams of being married and finding her happily ever after. They were all promised love and support , only to be used and dumped. For those of you that are sitting there thinking “Oh well she did consent to it ,She should take responsibility for it .” Isn’t the fact that she is going through with the pregnancy while still in school enough proof of her owning up to her mistake. But my question is why not place the same harsh stigmas on the other person involved,Afterall it was not a pen that impregnated her. It is that guy you make excuses for time and time again

” Oh he was young and naive” .

” He will grow to be a fine gentleman” .

“She seduced him into it , he would never have done it otherwise” 

NGOs in Somalia and the Rip-off

Over the past 20 or so years , the number of foreign NGOs in Somalia have increased noticeably . Now with so many non-governmental organisations in the region, you would expect to see a real visible positive difference in our society . Instead every once in awhile you see an unrealistic statistic pop up about the number of young mothers who die in child labor , or how 80% of the Somali youth are illiterate . 

I have been in Somalia during the past 4 years , for 10 months each year. Not once did someone knock my door and ask me to fill out a questionnaire , Not once was there a census conducted, Not once did i see an NGO put together an event to educate the public as a whole. Instead what i keep seeing is these very NGOs who claim to help pregnant women waste money that could have bought enough iron tablets for 9 months for at least 10 women .

A few months ago, we were called for a seminar that was about Postpartum hemorrhages and its effects on women. I am not going to deny that it was rather informative ,and i did learn something new . But what bothered me is why hold a luncheon for all the attendants when that same money can be utilized elsewhere. I can manage to eat lunch at home, I can bring along my own pen and paper for the seminar , I do not need a file to hold my papers, I will do just fine without all that .As long as i brought my mind with me , you have nothing to worry about. Your message will get through

Now with all that i have said , I am not pointing fingers nor accusing Every Single NGO of ripping people off. there's always the good and the corrupt , and this post is directed at the corrupt , financially draining NGOs that have done us no good , yet accept large amounts of donations in our name -Somalia.
Donations large enough to send some of their employees on a completely prepaid trip around the world.

Hopefully someday we will all realize how much harm has been done to our society through these so called non-profit organizations.

Finally - Change is in Progress

About a year ago , I wrote a post about little girls committing suicide by burning themselves. here's the link
Its been a year since and the trend has not gone away . BUT ..and here's the good news :  finally there are people out there who do notice and do care, people with the knowledge to change things around .
 Its just a beginning , but the fact that it is being acknowledged , and there are people who want to follow these little girls ,sit down with them, listen to their point of views and explain to them that they are the future of this country is just more than i could ever wish for. If only our society was not so brutal on little girls, We could have been a much greater of a nation .

So basically the Dean of the Nursing department in Amoud University put together a program , that includes health education for high school students and expecting mothers, antenatal care , and immunization for children under the age of 5 in the city's MCH (mother and child health centers) and visits to the city's prisons . This program will be carried out by the nursing students and the medical students together, under the supervision of the graduates. This will not be just any random program, it will be recorded and critically followed , and hopefully 6 months from now , there will be a visible difference in our society and their perception on health care .
I'll follow this post with an update as soon as we start hands on , which will be maybe a week or two from now . 

To all my viewers

Its been a good 4 months and a half since i have posted on this blog , It is not because i have forgotten about it but life has kept me very busy . When i first started this blog, it was for the purposes of letting people know there is more to Somalia than just Al- Shabaab ad pirates, it was my perspective on things , random ventings,  my opinions and it was mostly done with a sense of humour .Some of my Somali readers may have found my style of writing offensive, and I am sorry if it was not to your liking , but like i said this is MY perspective and opinions and i will not change anything about it . To all of you who have enjoyed my blog , I hope i was able to make you smile at some point and hopefully this is not the end of this blog .
Ill broaden the objective of this blog more so as to include MY opinions on recent world affairs, a few recipes that i love and anything that might be of use or entertaining to all of you . I will still be posting about Somalia though simply because that is where i come from [ patriotic moment]


Thank you all for stopping by :)