Somali cultural identity versus Arabization agenda of the Islamists!
By: Jealani. H. Omar

The main stream of the Somalis in the Horn of Africa belong to common language and culture, which form the central part of their identity, And together with the other peoples of the Horn, specifically the Afars, Oromos, Sahos and Bejas have similar linguistic and traditional background, and generally accepted to had been the stem of Southern Cushitic peoples. The material cultural being of these group of peoples are more or less related and consistent. And as Basil Davidson had put it “is a bodying forth of broad and vivid process of human development in the African Continent”.

Moreover, mutual influences and interactions with other cultural entities and civilizations in the Horn, and outside Africa was at all times important dynamics of great consequence contributing in the formation of these croups of nations into what they are today.

Islam was an imperative spiritual divine factor as well as a unifier element. Historians agree that Islamic influence was felt very soon after the Hejira of 16^th century. Furthermore, historical records mentioned (Ibn Hawqal) that as back as in 9^th century Muslims and Christians lived peacefully together in Zeila Islamic emirate.

Ever since, the peoples of the Horn had been living together in peace and harmony with the exception of certain periods of conflicts and interstate wars instigated by the ruling dictators and despots, quite the opposite moderation and tolerance have been basic  characteristics of these people. For instance, women in the Somali society had never known veil until Wahabism ideology became rampant in the region, as Somali women had their own native dress unrestrained and worked side by side with men in all walks of life.

Over the years two main cultural torrents, Islamic rite of Sufisim and pastoral traditions harmonically co-existed and made-up the web of the Somali society’s cultural identity. An important affluent of these Pastoral-Nomadic traditions is the Somali customary laws as basic source of negotiation, mediation and adjudication which together with Islamic Share’a laws has been part and parcel of the society’s inspiring values that form the Somali identity as an African.

Thanks to the outcome of centuries old consistent intermingle of Islam and local traditions the practices of religion characterized by permissiveness and tolerance. Consequently the Somalis had always been liberal minded people. However, one of the main historical paradox which embodied in the same reality was the extent of contradiction and coexistence of local traditions and Islam in one side and on the other the European Colonial culture which stood for the European modernization but sought after imperialist hegemony interests on political, economic and cultural terms.

In the British and Italian Colonial times, Somali Language and Culture were kept in the Colonial captivity where European languages and culture were introduced and remained as the language and culture for the educated elite only, not for the greater part of the population whose destiny had been acute poverty and backwardness. Colonial authorities had never tried to develop the Somali language, which could have opened the way to cultural progress. And therefore has remained as an oral language without writing script for almost a century of the European colonial times.

The post independence Somalia had soon became a fertile ground   for cultural expansion of the Organization of the Arab League, in other words the country was turned out to be an immediate target of an Arabazation agenda. An Arab league plan for changing African contours in the Somali culture was put in place by all its member states. In this course they have invested a lot of funds and efforts for impeding any initiative that could lead to introduction of the Latin script in to the Somali language. Instead of the Somali native language they sought Arabic to substitute English and Italian languages previously in use in the two Somali territories under European colonialism. As a result the process of integration of the two Somali entities was further delayed even after independence (during the nine years of civilian regimes), as efforts engaged in reviving and promoting Somali language had been frustrated by counter campaigns of Arabazation.

One step forward two steps backward

Although repressive and inhuman in nature the leaders of the military regime had until late 1970s remained nationalists in relation to cultural identity of the Somali people. However, this was in conflict with the grave mistakes they had had committed through the following years as a resulted of which was total fiscal and spiritual destruction of the Somali nation as a whole. Ironically however, what they had achieved earlier in the field of Somali language and culture in particular was incredibly remarkable. The introduction of Latin script in writing Somaliland language against strong opposition of the Arab nations was a brave step that enhanced and revolutionized the process of modernization of the Somali society in terms of culture and education.

This creative and courageous decision had a positive impact on other nations, beyond the Somali territory the Oromos and Afrar peoples have made the same choice by adopting Latin script to writing their languages, possibly for practical reasons as an easy   access to modern sciences and technology.

The Barre’s regime had resisted the foreign cultural penetration through his nationalist educational policy, which reached its pick with the adoption of progressive nationwide anti-illiteracy campaigns in the late 1970s. Regrettably however the same regime had abandoned these policies and finally gave up to Arabazation pressures. This was in line with internal and external considerations. One major reason for that was Siyaad Barre’s twofold objectives; to get Arab financial support to first, silencing the rising internal opposition, and secondly, for his military build-up to invade Ethiopia both objectives had  popular support within the ruling elite. As it was expected this had led the Somali regime to join the Organization of the Arab League as a full member in 1975. This move was considered by wide spectrum of Somali public opinion as an opportunistic policy of selling out Somali African identity, and the highest point of an opportunistic policy expressed itself in the war of aggression against Ethiopia in 1977-78, as this was happing in a time when a popular revolution against centuries old feudal theocratic regime in Ethiopia was in place, and legitimate aspirations of the peoples of Ethiopia for a new modern system was on the rise.

As history had attested the major part of what has happened was plaid by the Arab Petro-Dollar weight which had been one of the direct root causes behind the Ethio-Somali war of 1977/8, the ultimate goal of which was to serve for the Arabazation agenda in Somalia. In line with this aim the immediate result of the war was the alliance established with conservative Arab regimes. This alliance had opened all doors for the penetration of Wahabi school of thought for the minds and hearts of many Somali young generations, a process which flourished with the absence of democratic culture and thriving of dictatorial regimes in the region. This was occurred in a period of time when the young generations needed to alternative new ideals to substitute what they saw as bankrupt models of governance of western democracy under corrupt rulers and military dictators, and thus needed a new ideology and new hope which was said to be residing in an undefined and vague universal Islamic state. The means of achieving this goal was said to be through Jihadism.       

For the Wahabists the Arabazation and Islamazation agendas had been one and the same objectives as both processes had simultaneously been putting in motion for more than three decades and were actively carried out with the political and financial backing of the Arab states. As a result lots of young Somalis had gone under explicit cultural indoctrination in the Islamic Universities in Saudi Arabia, and the African International University of the Sudan, which is a typical fundamentalist institution services to politicize Islam for the sake of Arabazation of the Africans through Turabi school of thought.

These politicized young graduates were Coming back home with new brand of Islam, preaching Jihadism, one of the main objectives of this movement was to uprooting both Islamic rituals of Sufism and Somali traditional values systems, as well as Western secularism in our society.

Through politically motivated plans the fundamentalists have been taking over Mosques formerly run by the traditional Sufi Ulama using money as the main means to changing mosques from worship places to political platforms, building new chain of Koranic Schools run by fundamentalists throughout the Somali inhabited regions, as a result of which new Islamic education system based on Arabization was established at the expense of the Secular education system and Sufi Islamic teachings. The media language of these institutions was changed from Somali to Arabic, and names of schools and other education centers included Mosques have been changed from Somali national historic personalities to Arabs mostly unknown to ordinary Somalis.

The outcome of the quantitative growth of Wahabist movement in the so called Somali Peninsula in all walks of life was through huge capital accumulation secured for the fundamentalists, whose ultimate goals were to reach political power through military means. As a result throughout the 16 years a new social class of Wahabist Fundamentalists was thriving and taking the lead in the business, education and communication in particular in the vast region of the Somali speaking areas in the Horn.

Out of this process the Union of the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu have emerged to act for Al-itahad Al-Islamic party and associates, the most extremist wing of the fundamentalists, whose massive military build up was realized over the years through which they had been preparing well trained Somalis and foreign cadres. And thus the emergence of the Union of Islamic Courts was a result of a long and comprehensive conspiratorial plan aimed at, not only, to take over power but to changing the very essence and tenets of the Somali African identity and creation of a typical 16^th  century Arabic Emirate in the Horn of Africa.

On the basis of this background the historical significance and enormity of the military victory realized by the allied forces of Ethiopia and TFG over UIC can be comprehended and grasped, as a celebrated conquest and momentous triumph, not only for the Somalis or Ethiopians, but also for the entire region and Africa at large. It is a victory over the dark force whose aims and objectives goes beyond politics and religion and extends to the changing cultural identity of an African nation through Arabazation agenda representing the expansionist ambitions of the Arab nationalism at the expense of the African Nationalism.

And finally, this is not a call to igniting animosity between people and nations of Africa and the Arab world who have commonalities but also difference. It is rather a call to reassessment and reconsideration of the negative aspects of their relations, mainly grievances of Africa emanating from unfairness of Arabs. The primary intention of this article is to explore opportunities for reconciliation of the two cultures.                          

Arab and African cultural zones necessarily need each other as they are fairly complementary to each others. But the question is when and on what basis they could meet?, in this connection, one would like to notice the fact that not all aspects of Arab and Islamic cultures are conservative or reactionary, the fact is that both cultures contain progressive rich dimensions of its own. And the transition to modernization building is covering most of the Arab nations. Both peoples of Africa and Arabs traverse in similar stages of development, and therefore have common denominator which should be respected and the differences should amicably be resolved. On this basis the Arabazation agenda in Southern Sudan, Darfuor, Somalia and Somaliland should be stopped. And new approaches for cooperation should be sorted out. Let both sides move forward together as equals and with openness. This is the only way to amicable resolution of the outstanding issues.