Islamic Somalia
| 13:24 UK time, Friday, 16 June 2006
A lot of concern on US blogs about the takeover of Somalia's capital Mogadishu and other key towns by the Islamic Courts Union.
See, for example, "" and " and several blogs Eugene Robinson's Washington Post article that "Somalia is coming under the sway of an Islamic militia that may harbor al-Qaeda militants".
In this week's World Update and this weekend on Reporting Religion, we're checking on the reasons many Somalis seem to be welcoming what Western bloggers are treating as another Taleban.
After a decade-and-a-half of lawlessness, the Islamic courts movement grew out of grassroots demand for some kind of law to help settle local disputes.
In a country where clan and family are so important, and have by necessity been more important than nationality in a state with no government, clan-based tribunals were set up using the only source of law available - the commonly held religion.
Somalia is , of course, where scripture has been promoted as the source of law.
Over time, as the only legally based authority, the Islamic courts gained in reputation and influence. The continued anarchy and violence of the warlords seemed to be getting the country nowhere.
There have been perhaps well-intentioned efforts to buy off the warlords and give the democratic process a chance. Some of those efforts have been than others, apparently.
But endless clan disputes disrupted those efforts.
In the end, it may have been inevitable that given a choice between clan-based politics that was perpetuating violence and faith-based politics that seemed to be unifying militias, more and more people would turn to the faith option.
That represents a challenge for the West as well as Somalis.
Is political Islam, blamed for murderous divisiveness in some places, going to be a positive in one of the world's most broken states?
Comments
I just wanted to thank you for this unbiased article. moreover, i hope to know why the west(govs not people) look down on the other nations and treat them like if they are children or can't control themselves. If the majority of people want ISLAMIC law so why not?. let them try and if the western way is better they will choose it. the democracy is not a rigid form and not a western product it is rather global values and principles.
thanks again..
I am a US-based Kenyan and having followed closely the developments in Somalia, it would be devasting to see the peace efforts derailed by personal-serving war-lords who would entertain a taliban-style government.
The ramifications that would spill-over to Kenya both in terms of security issues/advices, actual events that may affect the Kenyan economy are just unacceptable in my view. So it would be in the interest of the Kenyan government along with the US, Britain and the rest of the world to see that Somalia remains on the peace-process track and get the country back on its feet...sooner rather than later.
The Somali people have suffered too long and have been spread out in the diaspora....we need to see a change....
CLK
USA