Somalia's High Road To Self-Destruction

It was sometime in 1988, somewhere in Southern California, when I met a young undergraduate student from the Middle East. At the time, I was a graduate Teaching Assistant. The student told me he was an Iranian Jew and that his family had fled Iran for fear of persecution. “Have you seen the movie Rambo II?” he asked me. I told him that I didn’t. “Well, John J. Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, is quoted saying in the movie, ‘what you call hell, I call home’ “the student said, with a chuckle.

Somehow, that quote stuck in my mind. I never thought that one day my own country, Somalia, will degenerate into chaos and become the playground for international terrorists.

The year 2009 was a tragic one for many Somalis because the country went through a hellish period. There was a change of government, piracy piqued, thousands of people were killed or left the country for failed states like Yemen. Thousands of people were also displaced. Moreover, there is an ongoing Talibanization of the country in the hands of al-Shabaab terrorists.
The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has changed its leadership. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected by a gerrymandered parliament assembled in Djibouti. The former Geography teacher and Shari’ah court cleric was the last person who expected that, one day, he would be crowned the president of Somalia. He was content in issuing edicts until the Union of Islamic Courts propelled him into the forefront of the country’s political landscape. That is when his scheming and double-talk became in play. He was a colleague of Hassan Dahir Aweys, a radical who never minces words. Sheikh Sharif had no trouble cavorting with Aweys and Ayro (the founder of al-Shabaab) when it suited him. He even fled, with some wanted militants, according to Jon Lee Anderson of the New Yorker (December 14, 2009) when Ethiopia invaded Somalia. But the powers that be had another plan for this pedantic and unassuming cleric. He was installed as the president of the TFG. Abdullahi Yusuf, his predecessor, became expendable. Sheikh Sharif, meanwhile, has been trying to defeat al-Shabaab terrorists, on one hand, while at the same time trying to lure his one-time compatriot Aweys from the militants on the other. Aweys, interestingly, is vying for Sharif’s own seat, and would not accept anything else. He is having difficulty accepting the idea that Sharif can be the president of Somalia and not him. Sharif could have been a ‘wanted terrorist’, like Aweys, if he had not, according to the New Yorker article, accepted to cooperate with the powers that be. He was threatened; Cooperate or go to Guantanamo. He instead chose the latter. Now, the former Chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts is castigating his former colleagues as ‘terrorists’ and ‘foreign-inspired’. His handshake with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sealed the deal, literally and figuratively. Many of his former allies were dismayed that the president not only deviated from the ‘right path’ but had also aligned himself with infidels.

The enemies of Sheikh Sharif, notably al-Shabaab, have proven their commitment and dedication to imposing radical, misguided, and draconian religious rule in the vast areas they control. Like the Taliban of Afghanistan, al-Shabaab banned movies, music, television, pictures, videos, etc. There was even the story of the Koran competition organized by al-Shabaab (Foxnews.com, 10/19/2009) in which the winner was awarded, “an AK-47, two hand grenades, and anti-tank mine, and a computer.” Oddly, I was surprised that the Shabaab terrorists, unlike their brethren in Afghanistan, did not ban lobsters and crab. Afghanistan, a land-locked country, apparently puts no premium on sea food. But al-Shabaab controls Marka, a coastal city 90 kilometers south of Mogadishu. It is Marka where newly-arriving Jihadists are received and, perhaps, trained. Moreover, all men are expected to grow beard. Have you ever heard of the Prophet-Peace be Upon Him- going around Mecca and Medina, with a sword, ordering men not to trim their beards or else. These al-Shabaab terrorists must know something about Islam that no one else does.

Then, there are the pirates who have been, unfortunately, lionized by even some intellectuals as modern-day Robin Hoods. I have heard many smart commentators defending the pirates as the shield against illegal fishing and dumping of chemical waste in the shores of Somalia. There were two periods in our most recent and shameful history when the country became awash with hundred-dollar bills. First, it was when the CIA funded Somali warlords and gangsters, under the umbrella of what was comically dubbed as ‘The Alliance for Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism’. Second, it was when pirates started getting paid handsomely by insurance companies and timid states for their criminal enterprise. Do you think a Qaat-chewing, gun-wielding pirate, somewhere in Puntland, cares about the protection and the welfare of Somalia’s national resources? It is very unfortunate that some Somali youngsters in the West have fallen into the trap of justifying the illegal and heinous acts of pirates. There are no doubts that some countries have exploited Somalia’s resources due to the lack of a strong and viable government in Mogadishu. But there are of course other strategically important considerations when countries like Iran place their naval ships in the Red Sea ‘to fight pirates’. The Iranians are also probably there to counter the new Saudi naval presence in the Red Sea.

Overall, the year 2009 was a sad year for some Somali youth who were recruited to leave America and Canada and wage violent jihad in Somalia. Al-Shabaab might have liquidated some of these youngsters when they attempted to return to North America. It is a vicious world! Although the number of Somali jihadists from the USA is dismal, al-Shabaab has used the recruitment of these young militants as a resume-enhancement. The mantra of al-Shabaab being, “we are an international group that we even have jihadists from the USA and Canada”. Finally, there is a glimmer of hope. A Somali man claiming to be 112 years old wed a 17-year old girl in Guriceel, a small town in Galguduud region. Ahmed Mohamed Dhore, the groom, though elderly, does not appear like an octogenarian. The good news is that he is already the father of 114 children and grandchildren. The bad news is that he is not likely to withstand the physical rigors and demands of marriage. This will be the first time, since the beginning of Somalia’s bloody civil war, a Somali man might be accused of possessing a DEAD weapon!

Security Lapses in Washington and Mogadishu: A Tale of Two Capitals

Charles Dickens, the author of the literary classic, A Tale of two Cities, based his historical novel in both Paris -facing the turmoil and upheavals of the French revolution- and in the serene and tranquil London. Dickens begun his novel with this intriguing and capturing paragraph; “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

In our modest case here, we have the tale of two capitals. One –Washington D.C- represents the most powerful nation in the world, and the other –Mogadishu, Somalia- perhaps the most failed state in the planet.

I will not indulge in comparing these two cities in a rather comprehensive manner because that will be an exercise of futility. I am only interested in one aspect that caught my attention. In a span of ten days, these two odd capitals had one thing in common; each experienced an egregious security breach. One security breach created a buzz and a great deal of mockery whereas the other resulted in bloody carnage.

A couple named Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashed President Obama’s first State Dinner honoring the visiting Prime Minister of India. This married couple had no invitation to attend the dinner in the White House; ostensibly the most secure residence in the world. They were properly introduced, shook hands with both Obama and his honorable guest, hugged and took pictures with Vice president Joe Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and other dignitaries.

Fortunately, to the relief of the U.S Secret Service, no one got hurt. No shoes were thrown. The dinner guests, about 300, had a sumptuous meal and afterwards returned safely back to their homes. The White House Social Office and the Secret Service were obviously embarrassed but, alas, no one has lost his/her job because of this glaring security breach. Then again, no one was ever fired due to the debacle that led to the 9/11 tragedy! There will be, of course, official reviews and Congressional investigations. Some Republican and Democratic elected officials were boisterous and demanded for answers.

How could a security breach like this happen in the country that had experienced the 9/11 tragedy?

Representative Peter King, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, was appalled. According to the New York Times, he lashed at the United States Secret Service after its spokesman claimed that Obama was never in danger. “The fact that they [the Salahis] went through the magnometer is incidental. They could have had anthrax on them. They could have grabbed a knife from the dining room table,” King scoffed.

But the Salahis were less sinister. Michaele Salahi was hoping to land a part in an upcoming reality show called “The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C”. They were interested in making news to promote their profiles and brag about their bold and daring adventure. They were there to show off, kiss and tell. Now that they are likely to face indictments, the world will see how charming they are in court.

Then, there is the case of the security breach in Mogadishu on December 3rd, when a deranged al-Shabaab suicide bomber from Denmark, dressed in a woman’s attire, killed himself and 26 other people. Most of the people who died were medical student graduates, but there were also three government ministers (and later another) who also perished.

The concept of suicide bombing is something alien to Somalia. Somalis have a long history of internecine feuds among themselves, but this phenomenon of suicide killing has brought a new dimension to the current conflict. The terrorist bomber had no regard to the lives of the young graduates who had shown perseverance and determination in attending college in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. These graduates were in school long before Sheikh Sharif and his TFG ministers were installed. They were hoping that their education would be the key to a better future. They were neither politicians nor soldiers, and yet they paid with their lives. The terrorist, an abject coward so cavalier about human life, was a paragon of a dysfunctional personality who left a path of destruction.

Meanwhile, al-Shabaab terrorists have shown the world what have been their hallmark; shallowness, cruelty, and utter disregard of the welfare and well-being of Somali youngsters. These thugs and Khmer Rouge look-alikes want to destroy and not build Somalia. Radicalism and militancy in the name of religion has never succeeded in Somalia and, inevitably, al-Shabaab will be doomed.

The TFG has also shown its own inadequacy. The suicide bombing at Hotel Shaamow was an example of the state of affairs in Somalia where violence seems as natural as gravity. The government failed to protect its own four ministers who, in all fairness, were capable individuals. I was never confident that the TFG, pockmarked with a long list of failures and limited control of Mogadishu, will be in a position to protect Mogadishu residents, in general, and the young graduates, in particular.

The White House fiasco was perhaps an incident that provided comic relief because the security breach there showed limitations in the concept of ‘absolute security’. It was tantalizingly surreal because ineptness does not discriminate based on sex, color, religion, or national origin.

The Mogadishu incident, meanwhile, was the essence of tragedy. It was an apocalypse now. It was the tragedy of the loss of young people who were destined to be the future leaders of their country. It was the tragedy of a government that could not even protect the less-than one hundred people who were sequestered in a small section of a hotel to attend the graduation. It was the tragedy of a disturbed, cold-blooded loser who was given the platform to wreck havoc.

One security breach can be mocked while the other brings a mood of sadness. In retrospect, I hope this suicide bombing will unite many Somalis in opposition to these two-legged beasts called al-Shabaab.