The euphoria in America, especially in black America, after Obama’s win to become the 44th president of the USA presidency, is understandable and justified. Black America, thanks to their fore-fathers and leaders such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, fought slavery and segregation for decades to establish a relative place of equity in the American society. Even today, racism and discrimination exit, but the new generations in US, of all races of today, are determined to change the course of history. This amazing optimism could only happen in America, NOT in Africa; where thousands of children are dying and have no access to simple appropriate life saving services; and where violence has become the only life experiences for young children.

Even Obama, just incase Africa forgot, was deserted and neglected by his African father at infancy. Just like many African children who are being denied the chance to realize their potential by their own people and nations, it was no accident that Obama was yet another African Child left in the United States and forgotten by Africa. Where millions of Obama boys and girls are suffering at the watch of African leaders, it is disturbing to see Africans claiming on Obama’s personal success story and acting now as if they nurtured and cared for him when he needed them. Maybe Africans should face their failure and instead apologize to their children, including Obama himself, for neglecting them.

With all his high IQ, eloquence, and God given ingrained leadership quality, Obama might not have been that different than his younger brother who is growing up poor and uneducated in Kenya today. Without the hop and the dream, direction and the opportunity given to him by his own mother and grand parents (all white), Obama could have been yet another neglected African child. But given the same opportunity to compete, the same quality of education that Obama had access to, a nurturing society driven by aspiration and hope where Obama was raised and shaped up to become the man he is, many Obama boys and Obama girls in Africa could have done wonderful things in any civilized world.

While their own nation is weakened or destroyed by poverty and violence, corruption and nepotism; exploited and abused by criminals, Somalis have nothing to celebrate for. Vicious tribal wars, most of them by choice; and the inactions of the mindless so called leaders, led to the present situation where killing, rape and the jungle law of stone-killing of young innocent girls__ a regrettably unislamic and shameful actions__ are the guiding Islamic principles of the day in many parts of Somalia today. Such crimes, one would have thought, should shame all Somalis everywhere, but for today’s Somalis it is just the norm--living with shame.

Without aspiration or guaranteed peaceful environment where children could survive and grow beyond infancy, and without fundamental guiding principles in successful career development for the Somali boys and girls growing up today in the country, it is hard for Somali children back home to even dream of excellence; -for a child to be aware of one’s potential or the mere realization of performance perseverance at the highest level of one’s ability, in all areas necessary, to achieve one’s dream, regardless of circumstance. In the absence of this fundamental guidance and nurturing, what you have is today’s so called Al-Shabaab, who is terrorizing the nation, including the current shameful sea piracy. The Al-Shabaab of today in Somalia idealize and look up to, of all people, Al-Qaeda and radical Islamists in the world. Ironically, Ayman al-Zawahri, the number two man in Al-Qaeda hierarchy, the man many Al-Shabaab young men idealize, called Barack Obama “a slave and Niger” or “Al-Abeid Al-Aswad”. I wonder what he thinks about these young Somali boys who are worshiping him today.

Al-Shabaab even carry names such as Al-Mansuri, Al-Jabari, Al-Zahrawi and similar names that one would have never heard of a Somali mother or father giving to their sons. This is what more than two decades without a nation gives a birth to. Idealizing radical Islamists becomes their followed ideology for these young men- lacking the effort or the intellect to understand what practicing radical Islam means. Carrying out agenda for the heinous practice of mass murder, public humiliation and hanging of innocent young people is nothing ancestral or characteristic of the Somali people. Unfortunately, however, radical Islam was presented to these young men; misleadingly I may add, as an abstract concept that could earn them an opportunity to fame and public status—an aspiration that appeals to their innate appetite essential, they thought, for regaining their neglected potential and lust for success.

Using guns in order to kill or feel powerful is nothing new to these young, as they have grown up with it anyway, but this new experience of Al-Shabaab phenomena is presented to them as a tablet of faith (Godly) that justifies their actions as righteous behavior that could help them envision their own career path and lifestyle that their nation has long denied them. These new aspirations did not originate from nurturance, expectations, encouragement or structured educational systems that could have prepared them for their role as today’s leaders. It is nevertheless an offspring of the antithesis of nurtured aspirations, where low expectations and absence of nurturing society dominates and shapes up child’s life. Where children are denied the chance to cherish and look up to their ancestral culture, faith and role models-- things that are paramount to their survival, achievements, and success in life--the outcome is most likely a negative consequence. And this called Al-Shabaab in today’s Somalia.

Abdul Ghelleh in his recent article, November 17, 2008, on Wardheernews, summed up the Al-Shabaab phenomena as following:
“I watched Al Shabaab on television yesterday when they were marching on the port town of Marca. At first glance, I did not recognize their faces as Somali people - honestly I did not because the voice coverage was muted on my television set. In fact I thought they were the first new peace-keeping contingent from Bangladesh. But I wandered as soldiers would they wear their traditional civilian clothes. They wore Salwar Khamis and a traditional Palestinian head scarf. Looking at that screen yesterday I did not feel home. Somali people in the Diaspora usually enjoy television pictures from home if they live in far away places like the United Kingdom. When I looked closely at those pictures yesterday, I could not believe my ayes. Richard Dowden, a veteran news journalist who is now the president of the Royal Africa Society summed up in one of his last articles to the Guardian: ‘The Somali Taliban was born soon after the overthrow of the secular dictator.’ When I turned up the voice on the television, the Al Jazeera (English) reporter confirmed that they were Somalis sporting alien traditional outfit. At that moment I felt instant depression for the first time in my life”.
Equally disturbing, Somalis are satisfied with the current pathetic state of affair in their country. While some promote and harvest an unwavering support to radical elements (the Islamists), others wasted too much time justifying the presence of Ethiopian and other African troops. Neither group has a successful strategy to save the “Nation---if still such a thing exists”---- from this terror. With this embracing, clan-driven-culture of empty deal making between the so called Al-Shabaab groups, a hell bent wolves disguising as faithful Islamists, and the visionless Ethiopian-chessboard called TFG, the Somalis certainly got their wish but do not have any reason to celebrate for Obama’s successful career in the US, a dream preceded by determination of change and vision of fulfillment.

As Abdul Ghelleh put it, Somali children are crying a cry of hunger and desperation: “I am Somali and I am in hell on earth”. Leave me alone.

Africa failed her own Obama boys and girls and buried her future. Africa should apologize to its children.

Ohee Africa Hurudooye,
Halyeeyadaadii Hurudooye
Haad Baa Cunaayee Hurudooy

Dr. Ali Bahar

aib_1@yahoo.com
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