1. Syria: Natalia O.'s blog is very good and police brutality should be stopped immediately.
2. Ivory Coast: Karolina's blog is very nice and Ivorians should not be put through the problems of their presidents, who have costs many lives and people to look for refuge in neighboring countries.
3. Indonesia: The story of the man tortured for three days straight really touched me, something has to be done about that kind of brutality. Lizbedy's blog is very well done.
4. Colombia: The threatening to kill innocent people that comply to judicial services has been a constant problem in Colombia for the past years. Job well done by Natalia V.
5. Honduras: The murder of people just because they are different is absolutely unacceptable.
6. Italy: Gustavo does a great job of talking to people through his blog. Racism is no joke, and I have even heard of people in Italy calling black soccer players numerous horrible things.
7. Iraq: I think that it is unacceptable that the government plans and promotes attacks against peaceful protesters, and it should be dealt with fast. Very good info by Frankie.
8. Sudan: Well done, good details by Angelica. How the Darfur government has been allowed to destroy villages is beyond me.
9. Tibet: I really liked Adriana's blog because it is about a place we studied this year in class. China should stop harrasing Tibet and let the Dalai Lama return home.
10. Libya: Airined's blog is very well done and detailed. These were the first brave people that tried to stand up for their rights and question their government.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Resolution Proposal: Somalia
Africa is one of the largest countries in the world. In the Horn of Africa, the country of Somalia is located. A beautiful place, stained by violence and corruption. Somalia is in need of urgent help.
Somalia has lacked a stable government for a long time. For about the last 20 years, political ideas come and go, but none leads the country into prosperity. This leads to the country being out of control, with no justice served at any time. I propose that the United Nations send a representant that can come into the government and help them establish a democracy.
The police and the local militia are out of control. The police are abusive and corrupt. The ongoing fights between militias have cost thousands of innocent lives. People trying to find refuge from the fighting in Kenya are sent back into the dangerous land of Somalia. I propose that the United Nations bring in a peace-keeping unit, and if it is completely necessary, a peace-making unit.
Ultimately, Somalia is in dire need of a stable government that can put the country in the right direction towards progress. This would also control the crazy violence going on, justify the crimes commited, and bring peace to the land once called, "God's Land".
Monday, April 11, 2011
Somalia: Human Rights Issues
Political violence and banditry have been endemic since the 1991 revolt against Siad Barre. Since that time, thousands aof people, mostly people not involved in the fighting, have died in inter-clan fighting. The vast majority of killings during the year resulted from clashes between militias or unlawful militia activities. Several occurred during land disputes, and a small number involved common criminal activity. These murders describe the unlawful deprivation of life, when Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the everyone has the right to live.
Police and militia members killed several persons during the year. For example, on January 17, militiamen killed Mr. Abdullahi Omar Yabarow, a truck driver also known as Hareri Adle, and stole his truck on the road between Mogadishu and Afgoye. On February 26 and 27, 15 civilians were killed and over 50 others injured after fighting broke out between militiamen.
No action was taken against the responsible members of the security forces for abuses committed in 2002 and 2001, including during clashes with militia. Also, there was no action taken against the responsible members of militias in the reported 2001 cases of killing of members and supporters of the Transitional National Government.
Corruption within the various police forces was usually seen. The police forces throughout the country engaged in politics. The TNG has a 3,500-officer police force and a militia of approximately 5,000 persons. Abuses by police and militia members are rarely investigated.
The Transitional Charter provides for freedom of speech and the press. However, the charter was not implemented by year's end, and there were incidents of harassment, arrest, and detention of journalists in all areas of the country, including Puntland and Somaliland. The Puntland Charter provides for freedom of the press "as long as they respect the law", however, this right was not respected in practice. The Somaliland Constitution also provides for freedom of the press. This directly violates freedom of speech and press.
Non-Sunni Muslims often were viewed with suspicion by members of the Sunni majority. There was strong social pressure to respect Islamic traditions. Organized Islamic fundamentalist groups, whose goal was the establishment of an Islamic state, appeared to regroup during the year. They were more actively engaged in the private sector and in political activities throughout the country.
There was a small, low profile Christian community. Christians, as well as other non-Muslims who proclaimed their religion sometimes faced societal harassment. Article 18 states everyone has the right to freedom of thought and religion.
On March 17, 2011, Kenyan authorities forced the Kenya Red Cross to stop providing services at a temporary refugee camp in Mandera, in northeast Kenya, which was housing 13,000 people, many of them Somalis who had recently fled fighting across the border in Bula Hawo. District authorities, who had given the Red Cross permission to establish the camp, abruptly changed course, ordering the Red Cross to stop providing services and close the camp. That evening, according to several organizations working in Mandera, government officials accompanied by armed Kenyan security forces intimidated camp residents, telling them to leave the camp and return to Somalia by noon the next day. This violates the right stated in Article 14, everyone is entitled to asylum in another country from persecution.
Domestic violence against women occurred. There are no laws that specifically address domestic violence. Police and militia members raped women, and rape was commonly practiced in inter-clan conflicts. Laws prohibiting rape exist, but they generally were not enforced. There were no reports that rape cases were prosecuted during the year. There were numerous reports of rapes of Somali women and girls in refugee camps in Kenya during the year.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27751.htm
Human Rights Watch
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Somali History
Located In The Horn Of Africa, adjacent to the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia is steeped in thousands of years of history. The ancient Egyptians spoke of it as "God's Land" (the Land of Punt). Chinese merchants frequented the Somali coast in the tenth and fourteenth centuries and, according to tradition, returned home with giraffes, leopards, and tortoises to add color and variety to the imperial menagerie. Greek merchant ships and medieval Arab dhows plied the Somali coast; for them it formed the eastern fringe of Bilad as Sudan, "the Land of the Blacks." More specifically, medieval Arabs referred to the Somalis, along with related peoples, as the Berberi.
By the eighteenth century, the Somalis essentially had developed their present way of life, which is based on pastoral nomadism and the Islamic faith. During the colonial period (approximately 1891 to 1960), the Somalis were separated into five mini-Somalilands: British Somaliland (north central); French Somaliland (east and southeast); Italian Somaliland (south); Ethiopian Somaliland (the Ogaden); and, what came to be called the Northern Frontier District (NFD) of Kenya.
At the beginning of World War II, Italian holdings in East Africa included southern Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Italy eventually invaded northern Somalia and ejected the British from the Horn of Africa. The Italian victory turned out to be short-lived, however. In March 1941, the British counterattacked and reoccupied northern Somalia, from which they launched their lightning campaign to retake the whole region from Italy and restore Emperor Haile Selassie to his throne. The British then placed southern Somalia and the Ogaden under a military administration.
In 1960, Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland were merged into a single independent state, the Somali Republic. In its first nine years the Somali state, although plagued by territorial disputes with Ethiopia and Kenya, and by difficulties in integrating the dual legacy of Italian and British administrations, remained a model of democratic governance in Africa; governments were regularly voted into and out of office. Taking advantage of the widespread public bitterness and cynicism attendant upon the rigged elections of early 1969, Major General Mahammad Siad Barre seized power on October 21, 1969, in a bloodless coup.
Over the next twenty-one years, Siad Barre established a military dictatorship that divided and oppressed the Somalis. Siad Barre maintained control of the social system by playing off clan against clan until the country became riven with interclan strife and bloodshed. Siad Barre's regime came to a disastrous end in early 1991 with the collapse of the Somali state. In the regime's place emerged armed clan militias fighting one another for political power. Siad Barre fled the capital on January 27, 1991, into the safety of his Mareehaan clan's territory in southern Somalia.
Rebel forces ousted the Barre regime in 1991, but turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy ensued. The Somali National Movement (SNM) gained control of the north, while in the capital of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, the United Somali Congress achieved control. Somalia had been without a stable central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991.
Eventual fighting among rival faction leaders resulted in the killing, dislocation, and starvation of thousands of Somalis, and led the United Nations to intervene militarily in 1992. In 1992, responding to the political chaos and humanitarian disaster in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched peacekeeping operations to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to the Somali people. By March 1993, the potential for mass starvation in Somalia had been overcome, but the security situation remained fragile. On 3 October 1993, US troops received significant causalities (19 dead over 80 others wounded) in a battle with Somali gunmen. When the United States and the UN withdrew their forces from Somalia, in 1994 and 1995 respectively, after suffering significant casualties, order still had not been restored.
Conflict between rival warlords and their factions continued throughout the 1990s. No stable government emerged to take control of the country. The UN assisted Somalia somewhat with food aid, but did not send peacekeeping troops into the country. In the late 1990s, relative calm began to emerge and economic development accelerated somewhat. The country was by no means stable, but it was improving. A transitional government emerged in 2000, but soon lost power. Somaliland and Puntland, two regions in the north, broke away from the country and set up regional, semi-autonomous governments. They were not internationally recognized.
Somalia: Country Studies
Somalia During World War II
Somalia Civil War
By the eighteenth century, the Somalis essentially had developed their present way of life, which is based on pastoral nomadism and the Islamic faith. During the colonial period (approximately 1891 to 1960), the Somalis were separated into five mini-Somalilands: British Somaliland (north central); French Somaliland (east and southeast); Italian Somaliland (south); Ethiopian Somaliland (the Ogaden); and, what came to be called the Northern Frontier District (NFD) of Kenya.
At the beginning of World War II, Italian holdings in East Africa included southern Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Italy eventually invaded northern Somalia and ejected the British from the Horn of Africa. The Italian victory turned out to be short-lived, however. In March 1941, the British counterattacked and reoccupied northern Somalia, from which they launched their lightning campaign to retake the whole region from Italy and restore Emperor Haile Selassie to his throne. The British then placed southern Somalia and the Ogaden under a military administration.
In 1960, Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland were merged into a single independent state, the Somali Republic. In its first nine years the Somali state, although plagued by territorial disputes with Ethiopia and Kenya, and by difficulties in integrating the dual legacy of Italian and British administrations, remained a model of democratic governance in Africa; governments were regularly voted into and out of office. Taking advantage of the widespread public bitterness and cynicism attendant upon the rigged elections of early 1969, Major General Mahammad Siad Barre seized power on October 21, 1969, in a bloodless coup.
Over the next twenty-one years, Siad Barre established a military dictatorship that divided and oppressed the Somalis. Siad Barre maintained control of the social system by playing off clan against clan until the country became riven with interclan strife and bloodshed. Siad Barre's regime came to a disastrous end in early 1991 with the collapse of the Somali state. In the regime's place emerged armed clan militias fighting one another for political power. Siad Barre fled the capital on January 27, 1991, into the safety of his Mareehaan clan's territory in southern Somalia.
Rebel forces ousted the Barre regime in 1991, but turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy ensued. The Somali National Movement (SNM) gained control of the north, while in the capital of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, the United Somali Congress achieved control. Somalia had been without a stable central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991.
Eventual fighting among rival faction leaders resulted in the killing, dislocation, and starvation of thousands of Somalis, and led the United Nations to intervene militarily in 1992. In 1992, responding to the political chaos and humanitarian disaster in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched peacekeeping operations to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to the Somali people. By March 1993, the potential for mass starvation in Somalia had been overcome, but the security situation remained fragile. On 3 October 1993, US troops received significant causalities (19 dead over 80 others wounded) in a battle with Somali gunmen. When the United States and the UN withdrew their forces from Somalia, in 1994 and 1995 respectively, after suffering significant casualties, order still had not been restored.
Conflict between rival warlords and their factions continued throughout the 1990s. No stable government emerged to take control of the country. The UN assisted Somalia somewhat with food aid, but did not send peacekeeping troops into the country. In the late 1990s, relative calm began to emerge and economic development accelerated somewhat. The country was by no means stable, but it was improving. A transitional government emerged in 2000, but soon lost power. Somaliland and Puntland, two regions in the north, broke away from the country and set up regional, semi-autonomous governments. They were not internationally recognized.
Somalia: Country Studies
Somalia During World War II
Somalia Civil War
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Celebration of Somalian Culture
Somalia culture is a part of Islamic culture. As the Muslims ruled Somalia for a good long period, the culture of Somalia has a strong influence of that of the Muslims. In fact Somalia religion is also Muslim.
Somalia religion is mainly Muslim religion. Due to the Muslim rule in Somalia for a long period of time, the Somalia culture was highly influenced by the Islamic culture. Thus Islam made its way as the religion of Somalis. Islam has got two divisions, or groups, Siya and Sunni. Somalis are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Somali language is born in Arab. It is a part of the Afro-Asian language family. With 10 to 15 million of people who speak in this language, there are about half a million of people, who take it up as the second language in their education.
In the language of Somalia, there are about four scripts, which are known as Wadaad's writing, an Arabic based Abjad script, the Osmanya writing, the Borama script and the Latin based writing. However before the independence of Somalia, only a few authors indulged in writing in the Somali Language. Still the tradition in the Somalia culture follows this language as the most important one. The Europeans like Germans, Italians, British, French and others gave a lot to the language in Somalia.
With the advent of Arabic and English invasion, the music of Somalia has resulted into a fine blend of both the African and the Arabic notes. The musical instruments that are used in the music of Somalia include frame drums from Egypt and the West Indian Lutes. The Islamis influenc ein Somali music is evident from the oud and the Egyptian style orchestra. Somali music also constitute the Arabic microtonal scales and the pentatonics.
Somali meals are meat driven, vegetarianism is relatively rare). Goat, beef, lamb and sometimes chicken is fried in ghee, or grilled or broiled. It is spiced with turmeric, coriander, cumin and curry and eaten with basmati rice for lunch, dinner and sometimes breakfast. Vegetables appear to largely be side dishes, and often are woven into a meat dish, such as combining potatoes, carrots and peas with meat and making a stew. Green peppers, spinach and garlic were also noted as the types of vegetables most commonly eaten. Bananas, dates, apples, oranges, pears and grapes are among some of the more popular fruits (a raw, sliced banana is often eaten with rice). But in Somalia, Somalis had a much larger selection of fruits - like mango and guava - from which they would make fresh juice. Somali stores, therefore, carry among the widest selection of fruit juices, both Kern1s juices as well as imports from India and Canada. And there is also a selection of instant juice: frozen or available as a powder. Other common foods include a type of homemade bread called anjara (it looks like a large, spongy pancake); black tea sweetened with milk and sugar; and sambusas, which are deep-fried triangular-shaped dumplings usually filled with meat or vegetables.
One of Somalia’s principal imports, qat (pronounced chaat or caat), also referred to as khat, quatt, kat, and tchat, is a leafy narcotic that originated in Ethiopia and spread to Eastern and Northern Africa. Chewing qat has become a cultural phenomenon. Users report euphoria, stimulation, clarity of thought, and increased sociability. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), however, reports that users’ concentration, motivation, and judgment are impaired and that the drug can cause anorexia, hypertension, insomnia, and gastric disorders. In the United States, the DEA classifies qat as an illegal drug that has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Thus, persons who use qat may hesitate to admit it.
Somalia, being largely an Islamic country, many cultural norms are derived from the religion. Here are some of them:
Somalia religion is mainly Muslim religion. Due to the Muslim rule in Somalia for a long period of time, the Somalia culture was highly influenced by the Islamic culture. Thus Islam made its way as the religion of Somalis. Islam has got two divisions, or groups, Siya and Sunni. Somalis are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Somali language is born in Arab. It is a part of the Afro-Asian language family. With 10 to 15 million of people who speak in this language, there are about half a million of people, who take it up as the second language in their education.
In the language of Somalia, there are about four scripts, which are known as Wadaad's writing, an Arabic based Abjad script, the Osmanya writing, the Borama script and the Latin based writing. However before the independence of Somalia, only a few authors indulged in writing in the Somali Language. Still the tradition in the Somalia culture follows this language as the most important one. The Europeans like Germans, Italians, British, French and others gave a lot to the language in Somalia.
With the advent of Arabic and English invasion, the music of Somalia has resulted into a fine blend of both the African and the Arabic notes. The musical instruments that are used in the music of Somalia include frame drums from Egypt and the West Indian Lutes. The Islamis influenc ein Somali music is evident from the oud and the Egyptian style orchestra. Somali music also constitute the Arabic microtonal scales and the pentatonics.
Somali meals are meat driven, vegetarianism is relatively rare). Goat, beef, lamb and sometimes chicken is fried in ghee, or grilled or broiled. It is spiced with turmeric, coriander, cumin and curry and eaten with basmati rice for lunch, dinner and sometimes breakfast. Vegetables appear to largely be side dishes, and often are woven into a meat dish, such as combining potatoes, carrots and peas with meat and making a stew. Green peppers, spinach and garlic were also noted as the types of vegetables most commonly eaten. Bananas, dates, apples, oranges, pears and grapes are among some of the more popular fruits (a raw, sliced banana is often eaten with rice). But in Somalia, Somalis had a much larger selection of fruits - like mango and guava - from which they would make fresh juice. Somali stores, therefore, carry among the widest selection of fruit juices, both Kern1s juices as well as imports from India and Canada. And there is also a selection of instant juice: frozen or available as a powder. Other common foods include a type of homemade bread called anjara (it looks like a large, spongy pancake); black tea sweetened with milk and sugar; and sambusas, which are deep-fried triangular-shaped dumplings usually filled with meat or vegetables.
Like all Muslims, Somalis fast from eating or drinking from dawn to dusk during the ninth month of the Muslim calendar known as Ramadan. Anyone in good health over the age of 15 is required to fast. While fasting is obligatory during Ramadan, fasting is also practiced among Somalis at any time of the year they want more spiritual purification. Many Somalis fast for one day or more at least every month.
One of Somalia’s principal imports, qat (pronounced chaat or caat), also referred to as khat, quatt, kat, and tchat, is a leafy narcotic that originated in Ethiopia and spread to Eastern and Northern Africa. Chewing qat has become a cultural phenomenon. Users report euphoria, stimulation, clarity of thought, and increased sociability. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), however, reports that users’ concentration, motivation, and judgment are impaired and that the drug can cause anorexia, hypertension, insomnia, and gastric disorders. In the United States, the DEA classifies qat as an illegal drug that has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Thus, persons who use qat may hesitate to admit it.
Somalia, being largely an Islamic country, many cultural norms are derived from the religion. Here are some of them:
- Men and women generally do not touch members of the opposite sex in public.
- Traditionally, men work outside the home and women stay home to raise the children.
- Women are expected to cover their bodies, including their hair.
- According to Islamic tradition, the right hand is considered the correct and appropriate hand to use for daily tasks.
- Eye or physical contact between men and women is avoided in public.
- Some commonly practiced Islamic beliefs include: prayer five times a day, eating pork and drinking alcohol is prohibited.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Somalia Info
Location: Eastern Africa, east of Ethiopia
Geography: Mostly flat plateau rising to hills in north.
Climate: Torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods between monsoons.
Population: 9,925,640
Current Government Type: no permanent national government; parliamentary federal government
Political State: Overall, politically unstable.
Education Rates: Total school life expectancy - 3 years
Literacy Rates: Total population - 37.8%
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Birth Rates: 42.71 births/1,000 population
Death Rates: 14.87 deaths/1,000 population
Life Expectancy: Total population - 50.4 years, Men - 48.49 years, Women - 52.37 years
Ethnic Groups: Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15%
Legal System: No national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic sharia, and Somali customary law.
Suffrage: 18 years of age
Unemployment Rate: 59% (2009)
Population Below Poverty Line: 43%
Industries: Sugar refining, textiles, and wireless communication.
Communications: The public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private companies offer limited local fixed-line service and private wireless companies offer service in most major cities while charging the lowest international rates on the continent.
Military Service: Somali Army, service for people aged 16-49
Transnational Issues: Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists.
CIA World Factbook
Somalia Online
Poverty in Somalia
Somalia - A Country in Turmoil
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