ARE SOMALIS ARABS ?!
MAYMUNA KOSHEN
I've been thinking to myself and wondering if we are are arabs ? Myself
being a somali who grew up in an arab country , I find that our traditions are
somewhat different from those of the arabs. I've asked so many somalis and
they all seem to have a different opinion. So could somebody PLEASE answer my
question, I really need to know!
Muna
Warac Aar
:
: I've been thinking to myself and wondering if we are are arabs ? Myself
DEAR MUNA
Su'aashaadu su 'aal qiimo leh weeye.Laakiin si aan
jawwaabteeda u soo gaabiyo,Soomaalidu,waa isku dhex jirtaa.Qaarkood
waa carab,qaarna maaha.Markaa waa runtaayoo,dadka qaar waxay cuqdaad
ka qaadeen carab matihin.soomaalida fikradaheedu sababtaas ayay u
kala duwan yihiin markay timaado,su'aasha ah.soomaalidu ma carabaa.
Lakiin ka kugu leh somalidu carab maaha ,waa mid aan isaga
laftirkiisu ahayn.
waad mahadsantahay
WARAC AAR
Mohamed Ismail Mohamed
:
: I've been thinking to myself and wondering if we are are arabs ? Myself
Baaye Maymuna:
Are the Somalis Arabs? No.
Many Somalis from different clans tend to believe that we share broad
heritage with the blessed Arabs. Despite the fact that we share some
historical heritage with the Arabs, a claim of ancestral heritage does
not add up. By professing that we are not a pure race we did victimize
ourselves to others who want to claim a share of us.
Besides some language difference with the Oramos, Afars, and many other
smaller tribes in the Horn of Africa, we belong to the same race us them.
Further, we belong we the same race as the peoples' who inhabit vast lands
including all of Ethiopia, all of Ereteria, majority of Sudan, parts of
Rwanda and Burundi, part of Egypt, part of Chad, all the way across North
Central Africa to North West Africa. Also the indiginious people of many
Pacific Islands including New Guinea can not be distinguished from the Somalis.
We also know that many people from the Subcontinent are not much
distinguishable from us.
Now comes the real question of who decides who we are. I have personal
experience regarding this question. Not long ago I participated in this
campus a discussion about the identity crises some African Americans are
facing in learning and rediscovering their heritage. Some African Americans
openly claimed that I am not an African. Since I was a ware of the theory
that surrounds who are the Somalis, I let them tell me who I am. Their
answer was a one that many Somalis have not yet contemplated, and was new to
me. They told me that Somalis are an extraction of the Bantu inhabitants of
African and the Italian colonizers. In other words mulatto bastards. No
surprise that we know that the Italians were in Somali inhabited lands for
less than 80 years and relatively a very small portion of the Somali
inhabited lands.
My objective of presenting this experience is to show that others decide for
us who we are. Why the Europeans are Europeans, Indians are Indians, Arabs
are Arabs, Chinese are Chinese, Bantus are Bantus, and no body asks them
beyond that where they are from.
Maymuna, we are Somalis who are of the same race as the peoples' that I
mentioned above. You face someone asking you who you are beyond being a
Somali, I would suggest that you ask back what makes that person believe
that he/she is a building and you are a fitting or a fixture.
Mohamed Ismail
Abdullah A Ali
In 1989 I visited town in the south-eastern India. I have seen a shop in the
center of the town. There was something intresting to me there, which was; the
board in the front read "SOMALA SHOP". In other words it was the name of the
shop. I stood there for a while to make sure I am not mistaken in spelling.
I was right. Then I entered the shop to make some enquiry.
There was very friendly oldman sitting in the middle of the shop. I have asked
him about the name of the shop, what it means? how it come up..etc. He asked
me to sit for a coffee perhaps noticing the curiosity on my face.
You will be surprised to hear what the oldman told me, at least I was.
Here it comes;
He said about thousand years ago there was warrior kingdom called SOMALA,
which ruled this area. He himself believed to be descendent of this kingdom ,
which is why he choose to name his shop accordingly. I asked him what happened
to this kingdom. He said they were in power for long time, won many wars and
made many enemies. Finnaly they have lost a big war. THey were exposed to
cruel revenge, something close to genocide. They could not stand it, and
finnaly they migrated to unknown destination. I asked how many of them remained
in India?...He could not give any figure, but he admitted "not many".
I was impressed by the story of this oldman... Before I left his shop I asked
him his name?...his answer was even more intresting..."My name is ROOBLE"!!
I asked him what it means and how he got it?...he said I was born in a rainy
day!.
After this I have tried to talk about this to many fellow Somalis. Unfortunatel
y no body could buy it, and I was not in a possition to make a further
research on the matter. I am not yet.
Now I ask the Hon. members of the SCS cave to say their view on this. if they
have nay Should I better put it in question form...ARE SOMALIS INDIANS?
* There are hundreds of language terms we share with them.
* About 30 habbits we share.
I think Somalis are as much Indians as they are Arabs...(This is my view
ofcourse). What do you think?.
AA HAYBE
Yussuf S. Ali
Haybe:
This story is absolutely very interesting. Can you tell us what town is this
shop located? I am wondering if we can do any more research on it. I have
lots of friends at work who are from India. I will definitely ask them if
they ever have heard or read about Somal(s).
Yussuf
Abdullah A Ali
: Can you tell us what town is this
: shop located? I am wondering if we can do any more research on it. I have
: lots of friends at work who are from India.
Yusuf
The name of the city is Trivandrum, which is the capital city of Kerala state
in the South-East India. The language spoken in this area is Malayalam.
look at these words they use;
Gaari samays garo
Raashin
roob
Faras
laad
Kuuli
Some habbits we share;
Dabshid
Gardaadis
Braking egg on the feet of the wedding couple in their wedding night
Putting the pride's feet in water on the wedding night.
Don't get disappointed if many of the young generation Indians in your work-
place say they don't know much about Somala. I say this because I myself
have been doing lot of asking on the matter now and then.
AA HAYBE