Somalia: Warlordism becomes sheikhism: Editorial

Since 1991 when warlords overthrew General Mohamed Siad Barre Somalia has been under the control of powerful warlords with strong armed militias.

When they ousted Mohamed Siad Barre they then turned on each other themselves. They killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians.

But the warlords were ousted from the capital by the Islamic Courts Union with the help of the Somali society who were sick and tired of the warlords then.

The Islamic Courts Union ruled much of south and central Somalia before they were routed by the Ethiopian troops who claimed they were propping up Somalia’s weak government led by at that time warlord Col. Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed in mid 2006.

The Islamists said they were fighting to liberate the country from the Ethiopian troops but even after the withdrawal of the Ethiopian soldiers they are still fighting to shed the blood of more civilians.

Now, there are no strong warlords in Somalia, particularly in the capital, Mogadishu. You see every man in the Islamists is calling himself the word “Sheikh” which is a religious title and the person can only get it if he studies the Islamic religion deeply,

Most of the Islamist, Insurgent leaders have luxurious, expensive cars while the civilians are starving to death in parts of the country. A pregnant woman died for hunger in Lower Shabelle region recently.

Some people argue that there are no differences between the former warlords and the current Sheikhs-those lead the insurgents -not the normal religious Sheikhs.

A clan elder in the capital, who refused to be named, says that “the warlords used to kill people and Islamists are worse that the warlords because they kill every person that opposes their ideology and that is un-Islamic step.

Warlordism has changed into Sheikhism these days and those who are calling themselves the word Sheikh are not actually Sheikhs because the Islamic religion does not allow to kill a Muslim person deliberately with out a reason.

In the areas that Islamist militants control, wearing a red a turban and growing a long beard is a fashion because if you do not do that, you are seen as some one who is not practicing the Islamic religion.

By: Farah Ahmed Mohamed

amsomalia@mareeg.com