By Alisha Ryu - VOA Voice of America
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Baidoa, Somalia --When Islamic militias in Somalia seized the capital Mogadishu last month, many Somalis welcomed the Islamist's victory as the first step to possibly ending nearly 16 years of lawlessness. But as the leadership in Mogadishu presses forward with plans of establishing a fundamentalist theocracy, there are signs that conquering the country will be more difficult than capturing the capital.
Like millions of soccer fans all over the world, Fowzi Abdinur Mohammed cannot get enough of World Cup action.
On this day, he is once again glued to the television set.
Mohammed says he feels lucky to be living in Baidoa, where everyone is still free to watch and do whatever they wish.
The capital Mogadishu and several other towns along the way to the border with Ethiopia are said to be under the control of hard-line Islamists, who have imposed strict Islamic laws called Sharia. People living under Sharia are discouraged, if not banned, from participating in activities deemed "Western" because they are considered un-Islamic.
One such area is the Galgadud region in central Somalia. News reports say at least two people were killed late Tuesday when Islamic gunmen opened fire on scores of young demonstrators protesting a ban on viewing the World Cup.
"The difference between here and Mogadishu is quite big because the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, they do not give the people free life and democracy - the right to choose," he said.
The vast majority of Somalis are Muslim and many consider themselves devout. But for centuries, Somalia's Islamic roots have been largely based on Sufism, a strain of Islam that stresses spiritualism and is more tolerant of other religions and lifestyles.
A member of a Sufi Muslim clerics' association in Baidoa, Sheikh Abdullahi Ali Adan, tells VOA that the radical Islamists in Mogadishu are not true representatives of Islam and few Somalis accept them as such.
The cleric says Islam is a religion of peace, equality, and fraternity, but the men who seized Mogadishu have twisted the meanings of the teachings in the Holy Koran to justify their desire to take power through violence and force.
In Baidoa's bustling open-air market, nearly everyone VOA spoke to expressed similar disapproval for the leadership in Mogadishu.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Islamist Militia versus Sufi clerics in Somalia
By Alisha Ryu - VOA Voice of America
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Baidoa, Somalia --When Islamic militias in Somalia seized the capital Mogadishu last month, many Somalis welcomed the Islamist's victory as the first step to possibly ending nearly 16 years of lawlessness. But as the leadership in Mogadishu presses forward with plans of establishing a fundamentalist theocracy, there are signs that conquering the country will be more difficult than capturing the capital.
Like millions of soccer fans all over the world, Fowzi Abdinur Mohammed cannot get enough of World Cup action.
On this day, he is once again glued to the television set.
Mohammed says he feels lucky to be living in Baidoa, where everyone is still free to watch and do whatever they wish.
The capital Mogadishu and several other towns along the way to the border with Ethiopia are said to be under the control of hard-line Islamists, who have imposed strict Islamic laws called Sharia. People living under Sharia are discouraged, if not banned, from participating in activities deemed "Western" because they are considered un-Islamic.
One such area is the Galgadud region in central Somalia. News reports say at least two people were killed late Tuesday when Islamic gunmen opened fire on scores of young demonstrators protesting a ban on viewing the World Cup.
"The difference between here and Mogadishu is quite big because the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, they do not give the people free life and democracy - the right to choose," he said.
The vast majority of Somalis are Muslim and many consider themselves devout. But for centuries, Somalia's Islamic roots have been largely based on Sufism, a strain of Islam that stresses spiritualism and is more tolerant of other religions and lifestyles.
A member of a Sufi Muslim clerics' association in Baidoa, Sheikh Abdullahi Ali Adan, tells VOA that the radical Islamists in Mogadishu are not true representatives of Islam and few Somalis accept them as such.
The cleric says Islam is a religion of peace, equality, and fraternity, but the men who seized Mogadishu have twisted the meanings of the teachings in the Holy Koran to justify their desire to take power through violence and force.
In Baidoa's bustling open-air market, nearly everyone VOA spoke to expressed similar disapproval for the leadership in Mogadishu.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Baidoa, Somalia --When Islamic militias in Somalia seized the capital Mogadishu last month, many Somalis welcomed the Islamist's victory as the first step to possibly ending nearly 16 years of lawlessness. But as the leadership in Mogadishu presses forward with plans of establishing a fundamentalist theocracy, there are signs that conquering the country will be more difficult than capturing the capital.
Like millions of soccer fans all over the world, Fowzi Abdinur Mohammed cannot get enough of World Cup action.
On this day, he is once again glued to the television set.
Mohammed says he feels lucky to be living in Baidoa, where everyone is still free to watch and do whatever they wish.
The capital Mogadishu and several other towns along the way to the border with Ethiopia are said to be under the control of hard-line Islamists, who have imposed strict Islamic laws called Sharia. People living under Sharia are discouraged, if not banned, from participating in activities deemed "Western" because they are considered un-Islamic.
One such area is the Galgadud region in central Somalia. News reports say at least two people were killed late Tuesday when Islamic gunmen opened fire on scores of young demonstrators protesting a ban on viewing the World Cup.
"The difference between here and Mogadishu is quite big because the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, they do not give the people free life and democracy - the right to choose," he said.
The vast majority of Somalis are Muslim and many consider themselves devout. But for centuries, Somalia's Islamic roots have been largely based on Sufism, a strain of Islam that stresses spiritualism and is more tolerant of other religions and lifestyles.
A member of a Sufi Muslim clerics' association in Baidoa, Sheikh Abdullahi Ali Adan, tells VOA that the radical Islamists in Mogadishu are not true representatives of Islam and few Somalis accept them as such.
The cleric says Islam is a religion of peace, equality, and fraternity, but the men who seized Mogadishu have twisted the meanings of the teachings in the Holy Koran to justify their desire to take power through violence and force.
In Baidoa's bustling open-air market, nearly everyone VOA spoke to expressed similar disapproval for the leadership in Mogadishu.
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