They Deserve to Be Remembered
By Mohamed Bakayr
March 2003

Had they not resisted the alien ideology that Siyad Barre regime imported, Somalia's history would have taken a different course. Who were they? They were ten men who had firmly stood against all sorts of haughtiness and mightiness. They perished for noble principles; thus, history has preserved the mention of their precious souls. They proved their bravery and dignity at a time when everyone else feared for his life. Indeed, Somalis, especially those who like to preserve their religion, remain grateful for those courageous men forever.

What these men said to the tyrant regime at the time costed them their lives. They refuted the lethal concepts that Barre regime had imported and wanted to plant on the soil of the Muslim nation. The regime came up with the concept of equating inheritance shares of women with that of men, condemning and abrogating the Koranic verse that gave women a less share than men. Truly, the regime targeted Somali homes and households, claiming that it was striving to emancipate women from the traditional bondage.

Consequently, the regime introduced a charter that gave men and women equal shares of what their parents left behind, and no one was allowed to question the legitimacy of that charter. But, lo and behold, some men dared to oppose that unjust charter, promising that they would fight against it till the last drop of their blood!

Upon hearing this, the haughty and mighty regime marveled at the foolishness of those lunatic priests, as the regime called them. Now, the government was determined to enforcing that charter, whereas the courageous men were determined to resisting it. And if they had not resisted the alien ideology that the regime imported, Somalia's history and identity would have taken a different direction. They did not only defy the regime's policy and refuted its figurative statements, buty they also shed blood for nullifying that charter.

Although the religious men lacked all kinds of communication mediums, such as radios and newspapers, they succeeded to convey their message to a multitude number of Somalis; over the course of their lectures, they advised all Somalis to defend their religion and stand firmly against what the government was propagating-the above stated charter. The regime was plotting, and the religious men were preaching to the public.

Eventually, the regime could not tolerate any longer; therefore, it reached a conclusion that aimed at the immediate extermination of the rebellious men. On January 23, 1975, the ten men, handcuffed and blindfolded, were herded to the butchering scene of "Iskuul Bolisiyo" where they got executed some minutes later. No funerals were held for them, and their families were deprived of seeing the graves of their loved ones.

Sadly, nobody put up a fight for the sake of the unfairly executed men; nobody condemned or denounced the regime that exterminated them; and no one sounded a tin for their defense. But, as everybody knows, all those militiamen who teamed up and had eventually brought down the former nation state fought fierce battles against the regime because some of theirs were humiliated or perhaps executed. No wonder because the fight of all those militiamen were based on tribal principles, not national or religious ones. Truly, all the hanged men comprised almost all Somali tribes, but their tribes did not avail them, simply because they were Wadaado!

In conclusion, those brave men died for noble principles, and their names will be remembered forever.

Go to Home 

______________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2009 BakayrBlog.com