The Captain is Free. What Now?

Captain Phillips is freed. Horeeeey. Victory to navy seals and Barack Obama. But is this over? No. The only solution (there is no silver bullet solution) is to root out the pirates' land bases in Harardheere and Eyl and wherever else in Somalia, to assist the government of Somalia to train their own navy forces. Though this was a tragic incident, it refocuses the attention on Somalia's plight.

Baning Headwear on Drivers License: Safety before Morality

A Minnesota state legislature is considering introducing a bill that would prohibit headwear on state issued IDs on grounds of national security. A Muslim outcry erupted even before the bill got to the floor for a committee hearing simply because it is in opposition to “what God told us to do”, as a young Somali activist, Suban Khalif, puts it.

Ok, I don’t get it. As far as I’m concerned, safety is of a top priority. What is the harm for removing headgear for a quick 30-second photo ID shootout if it enhances our security? I’m not naïve. I understand the moral implications this issue presents for Muslim women, specifically. Muslims can and should adopt progressivism and compromise for the sake of national security, however.

I don’t get this line too: “The Muslim community points out that Jews, Christians and other religions would also be affected if the bill passed”.
Could someone, please, explain to me how this bill would affect Christian and Jews Americans. I cannot think of seeing a mainstream American woman wearing a head veil. Banning

Deficiencies in the Somali Parenting Scheme

Here are a couple of examples of deficiencies in the Somali parenting scheme.

The Somali culture, in general, discourages children to engage their parents in a constructive dialogue, let alone challenge them. It is culturally inappropriate for children to answer or to disagree (respectfully or disrespectfully) with their parents or elders. Children are supposed to listen only. They know nothing. Parents and elders know everything. Whenever a child attempts to voice an opinion, he/she is accused of “talking back”. Talking back is sacrilege. In the process, the child’s opportunity to develop critical consciousness, which requires intercommunication as opposed to receiving communiqués, and a voice is suppressed. I would encourage Somali parents to start conversing with their children. Most importantly, to listen to their voices.

Somali parents routinely swear at their children: balaayo kugu dhacdey, stubid, jinni kula tag, belo kuqaadey, etc. Consequently, children also begin swearing. Somali parents must start curbing their swearing tendencies if they want to raise disciplined children.

Seal (pronounced as siil)

A Somali female friend of mine instructs a business training class for upcoming Somali entrepreneurs. At the end of the four weeklong course, she distributes certificates of accomplishment stamped with a gold seal featuring the business training center’s logo. Seal is pronounced as SIIL, the Somali word for vagina—phonetics at work. Hearing SIIL, some of the Somali men, due to their lower proficiency level in English, thought the instructor is generously awarding them with great sex for their success. Their hearts pounded with excitement. Others noticed that the words are phonetically parallel but distinctive in meaning. The noises that run deep inside their head were saying, “it must mean something else”. When the instructor reiterated, they felt weird and out of the norm to hear the name of the organ that is every man’s fantasy.

Discussing sex and sex life candidly is a taboo within the Somali culture. It is a culture that treats (not always but often) sex as a means of reproduction, not of attaining pleasure and emotional attachment. Or one that puts more emphasis on the former than the latter.