HRW Report Weak Point - Somalis’ Religion Cannot Be an Alibi for Anti-Somalism

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

[ Posted On: 2008-12-11 ]

As I said in several previous articles, the undisputed authority of the HRW Report should be taken into consideration in the African policy making processes of the main international powers involved in the Somalia crisis one way or another.

America, Europe, Russia, China, Italy, England, France, the African Union and the Arab League should shape a new approach to Somalia (piracy being one mere aspect of the problem), and this should be done on the basis of the present HRW Report that describes in a most convincing way the humanitarian disaster that has taken place in the Horn of Africa country.

This does not mean that the HRW Report is a political analysis; it is a Human Rights document that must be taken into consideration in the policy making.

Before becoming a very grave humanitarian crisis, Somalia has been plunged in a political crisis.

And after the humanitarian crisis will be eased and alleviated – which is and by definition must be the wish of every human being on this planet –, the political crisis will still be there, hopefully at a less grave level.

It would be however wrong to make a confusion between humanitarian disaster and political crisis; this is even more difficult because the two dimensions are there, omnipresent throughout Somalia. It takes a very perspicacious approach to identify what pertains to politics and what hinges on Human Rights.

If there is a weak point of the HRW Report on Somalia, it’s this. One has to take always into account the original fact. And the original fact is that the “Shebab and the other insurgent groups” have been undertaking a national liberation struggle against the foreign occupation of Somalia and the local collaborators of the foreign invaders. ‘Civil war’ is only a partly description of the political crisis of Somalia.

When examining historically the two dimensions of the Somali crisis, we realize that the humanitarian concern has only recently taken great importance among the world nations – to their honor and benefit. At the times of WW II, the humanitarian concern was only in embryonic state.

At those days, the political perspicacity was definitely greater. It was well known and understood that when in Nazi-occupied Europe liberation fronts were struggling against the foreign invader, and political division was prevailing among them (conservatives – liberals vis-à-vis socialist – communists), innocent people who did not have the courage to get engaged in the struggle were often victimized or targeted by the opposite camps or the foreign invaders.

Somalia 2006 – 2008 and WW II Nazi Occupied Europe

The Shebab and ARS in Somalia – politically evaluated – correspond to the European communists and socialists fighting against Nazi occupation (to be paralleled with the criminal, racist state of Abyssinia) and – at the same time – against the local ultra right and conservative collaborators (reflected in the TFG structure and ‘president Abdillahi Yusuf).

Under such circumstances, the exit will be political; it is certainly greatly valuable for the HRW to present pertinent recommendations of humanitarian concern to the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and the Shebab, but accurate perception of the Somali crisis in its political dimensions would certainly help HRW better formulate ways of terminate the humanitarian crisis.

The Religion of the Shebab and ARS cannot be an Alibi for Western Anti-Somalism

In this case, every reference to the ARS and the Shebab as ‘Islamist’ is pointless, and plays into the game of those who intend to worsen the humanitarian crisis, namely the terrorist state of Abyssinia, the illegal invaders of Somalia. Worse, it confuses the humanitarian argumentation.

For the goals and the targets the HRW has set for their Report, it is extremely counter-productive to include quotes and compose excerpts like the following:

Excerpt 1
Some of the attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab and other insurgent groups suggest a broad range of the Somali public being perceived as enemies and targets.

Refutation
This happened in WW II Nazi-occupied Greece when the pro-Communist ELAS (National Popular Liberation Army) perceived supporters of right wing organizations and militias as “enemies”. HRW should in this regard highlight the ARS - Shebab role as that of a National Liberation Army.

Excerpt 2
A member of the TFG parliament told Human Rights Watch that he fled Somalia and abandoned his seat in parliament because he had begun receiving frequent death threats by phone.

Refutation
This reveals total oblivion of Modern European History; the editorial board of the HRW should not be oblivious of names like Philippe Petain and Vichy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_P%C3%A9tain).

Of course, it was normal for the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans to threaten and target the members of Petain’s pseudo-parliament. (More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francs-tireurs).

Of course, it is normal for the ARS and the Shabab to threaten and target the members of the TFG collaborators. This must be understood by all people of good intentions.

Excerpt 3
"I felt it right as a Muslim and also as a Somali to speak out against this vice-people who are using religion as a shield to cover their actions".

Refutation
When fighting, a Shebab does use “religion” but his hands and legs. ‘Religion’ cannot become a ubiquitous excuse and alibi of Anti-Somalism. The person who said the aforementioned sentence expressed a highly politicized opinion valuable eventually within the Somali political life but meaningless within a humanitarian report; was it necessary for the HRW to delve into politics and describe them as ‘humanitarian’?

Excerpt 4
"You say you are religious people, but you are killing us. You shouldn't use us as a launching pad".

Refutation
There could not be a French working for the sake of the Vichy government in WW II Nazi-occupied France.

And there cannot be a Somali working for the sake of the TFG government in ‘Ethiopia’-occupied Somalia.

Excerpt 5
They said that if I successfully execute an operation they would give me US$100.

Refutation
This cannot even be discussed in a country corrupted by the warlords, and the bribed and bribing pseudo-president and pseudo-premier. The HRW Report should also include details about apparently illegal money laundering practiced by the TFG and the evil Abyssinian occupation forces.

Note: The destruction of Somalia, if achieved, will spread chaos throughout Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 52, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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