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.
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