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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Somali Women Flogged for Not Wearing Socks?

More lovely Al-Shabaab nonsense out of Mogadishu:

(CNN) -- Militants who control parts of Somalia's capital city are beating women in broad daylight for violating their radical brand of Islamic law, according to local officials and witnesses in Mogadishu.

"Just today, Al-Shabaab dispatched men with whips to the streets around Bakara market and they are flogging any woman who is found not wearing socks," according to a female maize trader at the Mogadishu market, who spoke Thursday.

She did not want to be named for security reasons.

In the past two days, more than 130 people, including women who were not wearing headscarves and men chewing dried khat leaves, have been detained for violating Al-Shabaab's interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, according to witnesses and officials.

Hooded Al-Shabaab gunmen rounded up 50 women on Wednesday from Mogadishu's Bakara market for not wearing the veil that is required for women under some interpretations of Islamic law, according to the maize trader.

"Most of these women were vegetable traders, so they are poor and can't afford to buy veils for 600,000 shillings [about $23 U.S.]," she said.




Does anyone know how much money $23 US is for a Somali in Mogadishu? You can feed a whole family for a month on less than $100. Do they thing the women can afford these? Being forced to wear socks? Socks aren't really practical or affordable for most of the year in Somalia. Most people can only afford sandals or flip-flops, so not such a good combo with socks.

I am so frustrated just reading this...

Women are the backbone of the Somali economy. If these pathetic so-called fighters would get off their lazy rears and fix their country, maybe their mothers and sisters wouldn't be selling vegetables and khat in the market for a pittance.

Their actions remind me of these words of Jesus:

"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness". 

These guys see no problem with beating and shaming women and public executions, yet I'm sure they are quick to run into the masjid when its time to pray. If fact, they also have flogged people for not praying on time. 

These guys are mostly young men who have seen and been scarred by a lot of bad things in their childhood.They are following misguided leaders and have their priorities really screwed up.

Pray for the peace of Somalia.

14 comments:

Angie Nader said...

first, these wommen should have the right to choose weather or not they want to wear these items.
second..if they do, then the men doing the flogging should pass out these items, so that the women who choose to wear them, will have the item on their possion.
.............
this is so wrong! i cant imagine these men are true muslims trying to uphold any type of honor, because they are abusing and terrorizing these women.

Susanne said...

Thanks for sharing these things. It's good to be kept up-to-date although it's really sad. :(

cairo, lusaka, amsterdam said...

That's so sad :( Thanks for posting this and explaining all those things...interesting read!

Mona Zenhom said...

I agree completely with what Angie wrote. It's a really sick guy who could do this.

Stacy K. said...

@Mona, it also fuels the rhetoric against Muslims if they think others are ok with this travesty.

Kris said...

Very sad...

The reverts secret said...

May duas are with the ummah!!

NeverEver said...

disgusting.

seriously agree with angie. passing out clothing would be a lot more effective than beating them for not having it...

Turandot said...

But... but... Islam is the Religion of Peace! (The R.O.P.) !!!

Ciyaalka Xaafadda said...

Another day in my home country of Somalia where "the religion of peace" runs wild. They constantly remind me as to why I am no longer a Muslim.

SomaliAtheism.blogspot.com

Umm Ayman said...

What is strange to me is that all of these people commenting would believe such nonsense...just because this is reported in the media everyone is ready to attack these people...you people are not somali and know nothing about the somali language and people even if you speak the language or know some cultural things...you have never lived in somali never experienced it's pains and hardships...you've never had family members killed..and you sure as hell don't make a living just so you can support yourself and your family back home. We live in a world today where the truth and the falsehood are switched. truth becomes falsehood and falsehood truth. The media is bias even somali media...we should leave issues that we are ot even knowledgeable about just because we want to make an "omg" or "what is happening with the world" kinds of comments....there is a proxy war being planned by the u.s and other governments for their own interests in somalia's natural wealth and strategic location... Muslims we should stay away from idle talk such as this because you do not know the truth and do not want to be held accountable for talking wrong about your brothers and sisters whereever they are...these actions only harden the heart


p.s trust me when I say you have NO IDEA what is happening in soamlia right now

Stacy K. said...

ugh, thanks Ciyaalka Xaafadda...

I may not be Somali, but I am in contact with Somalis every day. Most of them have family in Somalia that they talk to regularly. I also have a close friend who recently moved back to Hargeisa from the U.S.

Sadly, we are seeing Somalis killing other Somalis in the name of Islam and whether someone is following the Sunnah properly.

Here are a couple of questions for you Cawminsoon.

Is there religious freedom in Somalia?
Can a Somali choose to be something other than Muslim and live freely in Somalia?

No and No

Even Sufis are hardly tolerated anymore, and Somalis were traditionally Sufis for most of their history since the coming of Islam to East Africa.

Ciyaalka Xaafadda and I have a goal in common. We both care deeply about Somali culture and the traditional way of life. This and the whole social structure are currently under attack. I want the beautiful nomadic Somali culture to live on with its poetry and music so that I can take my kids there someday. At this rate its never going to be a reality. . .

Stacy K. said...

Cawminsoon, maxaad ka fekerta gabadh yar 13 jir ah la kufsaday ka dibna dhagax lagu dilay?
Al Shabaab kuligood waa dad been ku rumaysanyihiin.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soeuP43IBfE&feature=related

Ciyaalka Xaafadda said...

Thank you, Stacy.

You're an honorary Somali. You're as Somali as the name Somali and nobody can say otherwise.

We should know better than to try and reason with Wahabbis, whether they be Shabab or the above individual. As far as they're concerned, we're all supposed to be killed - just the way Allah likes it - according to their primitive and bloodthristy maniacal sect.

The spread of Wahabbism has caused utter death and horrible destruction to the Muslim world. Thanks to Saudi oil money, blood if following in the streets. We can only try and educate the people and hope that they won't succeed.

Best regards,

SomaliAtheism.blogspot.com