SOMALILAND: IN THE MEMORY OF MY DEAR BROTHER MOHAMED AHMED H ARWO

 IN THE MEMORY OF MY DEAR BROTHER MOHAMED AHMED H ARWO

BY NAJAT AHMED H ARWO  

"Who, when afflicted with calamity say: "Truly To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return."" [The Qur'an; Chapter 2 (Al Baqarah - The Cow) : Verse 156]

I cannot go to reflect on our loss without addressing the pain and the sorrow of my beloved father, after all it is that which triggered me to write this memoir.To him Mohammed was everything, not only a son but a friend, a colleague and above all a manager of his affairs. 

My dear father,

As you may know, I am not the writer nor the talker, I am more of the reflector, and therefore I require time to allow myself to respond to my own emotions. It has just been over two weeks since our beloved Mahammed has left this world and I can only manage to gather my thoughts together.
I have read every single word that you have written regarding the death of our beloved Mahammed , and I was overcome with emotions. Your ability to report the exact facts at the most traumatic time is impeccable.

The death of my only brother and your only son has left a whole in my heart, and on most days I feel as if someone has cut off my limp. As he was my everything, my shoulder to lean on, my adviser, my best friend, my guardian, my protector, my role model, my councillor, and my motivator. In all the roles he played as a son, brother, husband, father, nephew, friend, cousin and grandchild he played them ever so perfectly. He filled all our lives with love, kindness and generosity. I was always in awe of his ability to handle life's predicaments with grace, humility and most importantly with enthusiasm, always putting a positive spin on things. Mahammed always ensured to give everyone the time and attention they needed, was never too busy for anyone. In my entire life, I can not think of one memory that sees him in a negative light. Always the peace maker, the joker, the humanitarian, never the fighter.

I feel that there are hardly any words in any language that can truly describe my beloved brothers character. Word used would just seem like an exaggeration or even false!! But the truth is he was simply a rare gift, a blessing that was bestowed upon us by Allah. Mahammed's time on this earth might have been short but was very propitious. He was only 36 yet his accomplishments in life can be comparable to a retired 70 year old man. In his evanescent life he has achieved more than most adults can attain in their lifetime.

My dear brother always joked that it was not only you and mum who raised me, that he was also a big part of my upbringing. It is ever so surreal that I am the teacher in the family yet I always saw him as the original eccentric educator. Mahammed taught me valid lessons everyday in The School of Life. I still can hear his voice saying "Najat when was the last time you spoke to aunt or uncle so and so, go and make that call now". Constantly reminding me that life gets us all busy "But sis, you must always make the effort and give time to those you love the most, especially family, young and old. It only requires you to spend a few extra minutes each day to reconnect and make someone's day, month, year or lifetime. What a little sacrifice for such a pleasurable reward ". Who would have thought such wisdom would come from such a young man!! But he was always wiser than his years, born with such a traditional and loving soul.

Even in his death he is still teaching us lessons on good citizenship, humbleness, sincerity and mostly humanity. The amount of people that turned up to his funeral was so overwhelming. What a sight it was, to see people travel from all corners of the UK and rest of world just to pay him and us respect. The mosque was so full, that people were praying outside, Masha Allah what a beautiful sight it was. He had made an impact to every one that he met, all saying how amazing he was, and all agreeing that he was the ideal son. It was so touching to see how family members stated that "Mahammed was one in a million, unique, loving, giving and generous. No other can replace him nor can he be compared to". He was everyone's best friend, but those friends that he loved, cried as if they lost a brother too. They felt our pain and turned to my dear mother in her darkest hour and uttered weepingly "Mahammed was our brother and therefore you are our mother, whatever you need, call us just like you called for Mahammed. We are all your sons". That alone was a testimony to his character.

Mahammed was so loved, and nobody loved him more than you and mum. To lose a child is painful enough, but to lose such a rare and extraordinary treasure is unbearable. As parents we constantly feel that we could always do more for our children, guilt ridden, never satisfied with our efforts. However my dear father, you should not feel guilty over anything. Your son knew that you truly loved him and that is all that matters. He did not become the honourable gentlemen that he was without your help. If you feel proud of us , then you and mum should feel proud of yourselves first. We are not products of magic, we became the adults we are because of all the good qualities that you both instilled in us. Mohammed had your entrepreneurial skills, your wisdom and knowledge. He had mum's heart, kindness and faith, and both of your senses of humour and strength. Can't you see my dear father?? that without the combination of both yours and mum's character and love, we would have amounted to nothing, living a life with no sense of direction. Mahammed and I always felt blessed to have two amazing parents, and thank Allah everyday for choosing us to be part of your lives. We deeply love you both. Rest at ease my dear father as you have nothing to apologise for.
I know that there is a slight emptiness and loneliness that has take over our hearts, especially for my dear mother. She has lost her soul mate and best friend. It was such a joy to witness their relationship, two peas in a pod, we constantly used to tease them, wherever mum was Mahammed would be there too. He always used to put your needs before his own.

What an inspiration my brother was. Let us keep his dreams alive and remember his positive view of the world, his laughter and smile, his advice and wisdom. Let us all aim to be better human beings, better communicators and make our presence in this world actually count. Allah has only blessed me with one brother, but he simply was the best. I am so proud to be your sister my dear Mahammed, I truly wished that you knew how many people loved you, and how you impacted their lives. Some people even admitted that they loved you more than their own children lol. I promise I will look after your heart, your life, your wife Fathiya Noor, and your beloved son Ahmed-Ameer. I will do my utmost to raise my children, especially my son Maahir to have your exceptional and commendable qualities. If he turns out to be just 10% of the man that you became then I will be satisfied.

May Allah the almighty grant you paradise, the highest level of all, Janatal Fardoos. Ameen.


Najat Ahmed Hassan Arwo.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Rome's Ponte Milvio bridge: 'Padlocks of love' removed

Rome's Ponte Milvio bridge: 'Padlocks of love' removed

Broken hearts: The lovers padlocks are being removed to protect the bridge

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Thousands of "love padlocks" on a Roman bridge are being removed with bolt-cutters in order to protect the ancient structure.

Couples have been decorating the Ponte Milvio bridge on the river Tiber with locks for several years.

They are meant to symbolise the locking of hearts, inspired by a story described in a novel.

The city council said rust from the locks, which hang off chains, is harming the fabric of the bridge.

The custom is inspired by a book by novelist Federico Moccia in which a couple place a bicycle lock around a lamppost and throw the key into the Tiber.

The gesture was meant to symbolise the couple eternally locking their hearts together.

It took off and clusters of padlocks can be found near other landmarks in other Italian cities.

It is not the first time city authorities have stepped-in to break the locks apart.

Last year the council started a round of padlock cutting after complaints from residents that it equated to vandalism.

In 2007 the then mayor of Rome introduced a 50 euro (£40) a fine on couples found attaching padlocks to the bridge.

The BBC's Rome correspondent, Alan Johnston, says many people in Rome like the custom, and the writer behind the trend has said the locks ought to be left alone.

Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassen Statue in Jigjiga: When a Harlot Eulogizes

Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassen Statue in Jigjiga: When a Harlot Eulogizes 

a Holy Man

By Mukhtar M. Omer

Minotaur Politics

The exigency of belonging to this and that camp at the same time fathers grotesque ideas and actions. When puppet politicians try to espouse noble principles, they become a modern Minotaur: half bull, half man - that unsettling imaginary creature in Greek Mythology. Minotaur politics has been in display in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia for some time, but reached comical peaks this week when the President of the Region announced that a Statue will be erected in the middle of Jigjiga for Somali nationalist Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassan. Sayid Mohamed deserves statues in all Somali lands, for he fought for the dignity and integrity of the Somali race against marauding British colonizers. There can be little dispute about the aptness of a Statue in Jigjiga for Sayid Mohamed.



But when Sayid Mohamed, a valiant fighter against occupation and slavery is honoured by a quisling coward, when those who kill their own people on behalf of their Tigrayan masters erect monuments for heroes who defended their land, the irony is not only stark but excruciatingly traumatic. When the incomparable Somali poet Ahmed Ismael Diriye (Qassim) intoned “Allow yaa Darwiishkii farriin debecsan gaadhsiiya”, the message that collaborators of colonialists are holding vigil for the immortal nationalist is not what he wanted the Sayid to hear. That would have given the Sayid a second death inside his grave. It is an insult - not only to the Sayid but to the entire Somali nationalists and freedom fighters –dead and alive, that a thuggish criminal in the payroll of Ethiopian oppressors is eulogizing their national hero.

It is also an insult to our intelligence. After all the mayhem and oppression Abdi Iley and his ilk caused us, you and me must feel repaid through ornate empty recognition of past heroes, through loud protestations of recalled Somalinimo (most of the time Ogaadeenimo), said against persisting persecution against the same race by these puppets of its historical enemy. And the notion of honoring a “dead anti-colonialist” is meant to expunge culpability for contemporary sins against living freedom-fighters. We are expected to love yesterday’s liberation icons, while at the same time cursing today’s freedom-fighters. We are compelled to remember our elders who were killed by the British hundred years ago, so that we forget the one’s Iley and his Tigre masters are killing today. We should cry for the dead, we should forget the pain of the living! That is the taunt.

The story of Abdi Iley as the sculptor of Sayid’s monument is a crazy tale of a man so providentially exempted from scrutiny, a desperate man whose “admiration” for old heroes owed more to a mendacious political gimmick than to a real sense of veneration for Sayid Mohamed. It is the era of cross-fertilizing causes to make them politically marketable.

Hating the “Blue”, Borrowing the Sayid

Let us disregard my outrage and see if President Abdi Iley’s decision makes sense from an objective syllogism point of view. Few years ago, Abdi Iley actively campaigned against the “white star in the blue layout” in the flag of the Somali Regional State. He eventually removed the star and the blue colour from the flag and replaced it with a yellow. The message was not implied but rather loudly articulated. The move was marketed at the time as a move away from the “Somalia” connection and a step into “Ethiopian” identity. Logically, if you do not like the “blue and the star”, you do not like Somalia. If you do not like Somalia, you cannot like its heroes!

There is also another dimension. Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassan is not an Ethiopian, has never been, and has never expressed any wish to be one in all his poems. The Sayid said his country is Somalia, and Somalia says the Sayid is its son. So, if President Iley, through his rethoric and actions, has been jettisoning any “Somalia” connection, to jelly with “Ethiopian” distinctiveness, why borrow the Sayid from Somalia? Why vandalize the honour of the nationalist hero by trying to fit his frame into a political system and national identity he would never have fitted into? Is it because he cannot speak from the grave and denounce this defilement? Is it because Somalia is too weak, too fragile to demand sole ownership of its hero?

Trimming a national hero into a clan celebrity

Or is it an attempt to reduce a Somali national hero into a clan celebrity by emphasizing his Ogaden lineage? This sadly seems to be the intent and effect of the erection of the Statue for Sayid Mohamed. Add all the excessive Dhaanto chants on the “Ethiopian Somali TV”, the fervent promotion of the heavily accented “Nogobi” lingo - “way dhalaali”, “ma I maqli”, “Kobtan-tada” (an accent nastily upgraded to symbolize power, privilege and hegemony), and it is easy to see that the attempt is to portray the Ogaden clan, who is marked for extinction by the Tigrayan rulers, as the primary beneficiary of Ethiopian benevolence. It gets nearly oxymoronic when one thinks of the “Ogaden clan” as the dying and ruling class at the same time! It is a cheap tactic, one that should not be allowed to flourish.

When praise becomes insult

If President Abdi Iley cares about his people, erecting false Statues, from which he will benefit financially by taking kick-backs from contractors who win the tender, is not the way to demonstrate it. It is by stopping his marauding Liyu police from killing civilians, by investigating the massacres of Guna-gado, Gashamo, and Birkot. It is a pointless appeal, for he is not in charge to protect his people but to do the bidding for the oppressors. He can only kill his people; he has no mandate to spare them. The Ogaden clan – like the rest of the Somali clans in the region, need freedom, equality and voice more than Dhaanto chants, fake Statues and false hegemonic posturing which alienates fellow Somalis in the region and serves the divide-and-rule tactics of the occupiers.

President Abdi Iley’s populist Sayid Statue is therefore useless because it is akin to a harlot’s praise of the local Imam. The Imam can only reap embarrassment and affront from the good words of the prostitute; he can never enjoy her acclaim. The right course of action for the relatives of the Imam would only to be to go and give the wicked woman a severe beating so that she no longer speaks of their holy man in good way. The onus is on Somali nationalists to decry Iley’s abuse of Sayid Mohamed. President Iley has no moral authority to speak about Sayid Mohamed and Somalinimo, when he works day and night to bury the ideals of liberation and pan-Somalism the Sayid fought and died for.

How to tell a Pig

Like the Minotaur of the ancient Greeks, Iley gives the impression of a half-nationalist-half-traitor; half-killer-half-saver; half-Somalian-half-Ethiopian; half-Ogaden-half-sub-Ogaden. This image is unreal like the Minotaur. In reality, he is nothing but the reincarnation of Moses Tshombe of the Congo; the same Moses Tshombe who cut the body of Patrice Lumumba into pieces to please Belgian occupiers.

Iley is not made of halfs. He is a full traitor. Iley constructing a statue for Sayid Mohamed is like a living Tshombe building a museum for Lumumba. And Iley does not have to say he is not a traitor for us to know what he is. After all, they say a pig never advertises its pig-ness, it merely wallows in mud. A pig does not become a peacock and shun filth because it is brought to a swimming pool for a vacation. It is easy to tell political pigs even when they are saying pretty things!

On a concluding note, Iley’s move to increase tax on ‘Qat’ to make it less affordable, is a good move and commendable. The cynic in me tells me that the “revenue” imperative overrode “the health” considerations of the directive, but to the extent it cuts addiction rates in the region, it is a positive step forward.

Mukhtar M. Omer
WardheerNews contributor
Email: muktaromer@ymail.com

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