Somalia
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Official name: Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic |
DEMOGRAPHY
ECONOMY |
LIFE & LIBERTY |
Contents |
[edit] Geography
[edit] Location
- Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa in East Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya on its southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen on its north, the Indian Ocean at its east and Ethiopia to the west. Somalia is located on the east coast of Africa on and north of the equator between the Gulf of Aden on the north and Indian Ocean on the east. Together with Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti it is often referred to as the Horn of Africa.
[edit] Region
[edit] Climate
[edit] Natural Resources
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Peoples
[edit] Provinces
- Puntland, whose leaders in 1998 declared it to be an autonomous state, which is not recognized by any nation or international organization.
- Somaliland is a de facto independent republic located in the Horn of Africa. However, it was not recognized by any other country or international organization.
[edit] Life
- Traditionally 90% of the Somali population lived a nomadic pastoralist life (this has fallen to about 60% at present). Groups of men travelled through the desert with their camels and livestock. While traveling, they had to endure the hot sun, walk for months across vast distances and protect their animals from wild beasts. Somali men often possess great courage and boldness. Being a warrior has traditionally been one of their greatest ideals. It is in this setting that the Somali oral culture developed. Somali men are known for being poets and storytellers and they love to debate. These cultural aspects continue to be highly valued even in the growing urban centers.
- Hard realities for Muslim men and families
- Somalia has suffered from a complicated civil war for over 20 years. Traditionally, Somali men were the providers of their families basic needs. However, when the war erupted there were several hundred thousand deaths. Thousands more were maimed or exiled. Over the past decade, more than half a million people fled the war - many of them men. This has devastated the family structure and left many families fatherless. The involvement in fighting, the trauma and the life in refugee camps have destroyed the vitality, vision and hope of Somali men.
- Some men have found a way to escape from the harsh realities of Somali life. Khat (Catha Edulis) is an evergreen shrub that grows in the highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen. Chewing the leaves of khat has a stimulating, narcotic effect, and like most drugs, khat is addictive and must be consumed daily. The majority of Somali men are addicted to khat, which has a huge influence on their life in Somali society. Men buy their khat at the market and then in the afternoon and evening, they meet with friends, drink tea and chew khat. Kept awake by the drug, men often come home late. Many children grow up seeing little of their fathers. The women are left responsible for the household chores, raising the children and providing for the family. Khat chewers suffer from various health problems, yet those who really suffer the most are their families. Men often spend most of their money on khat, yet their families go hungry.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Government
- Political instability, if not anarchy, most areas are in the hands of warlords. Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people. Pray for an end to this insanity and for a stable solution to emerge.
- It was once influential in the lucrative spice trade. There was great wealth there, but now it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its government collapsed in 1991, and in its vacuum civil war and anarchy have reigned.
- Warlords have terrorized the country, fragmenting it and even conscripting young boys to carry out murders, extortions, and carnage. An entire generation of youth has had very little education and no chance to acquire skills for making a living. Even humanitarian workers face multiple obstacles and extortion by warlords to get supplies to starving and thirsty people. Piracy rules the surrounding seas, and ships have been warned to steer clear of Somalia's coast.
- A provisional government is struggling to gain control, but it is being overshadowed both by the militias and by those who are fighting to make Somalia an Islamic state.
- The country’s beleaguered prime minister, Ali Mohammed Gedi, resigned 29 October, 2007 after weeks of mounting tensions inside the transitional government and a power struggle with the president.
- Gedi’s departure could open the door for a political breakthrough among Somalia’s warring clans, but some experts said it might also lead to an unravelling of the fragile U.N.-recognized government. During his three-year tenure, Gedi survived numerous assassination attempts and a no-confidence vote by parliament, where critics have vowed in recent weeks to unseat him.
- “With respect to the situation the country is undergoing, the humanitarian catastrophe facing us and the long-standing deadlock among us, I welcome the resignation,” President Abdullahi Yusuf told lawmakers.
[edit] Religion
- Somalia is comprised of 99.9% Muslims and only 0.1% of the population are Christians. The country has an entirely Muslim population and in some areas Shari’a law is implemented. Existing churches are permitted by the government so long as do not evangelize Muslims. All Muslim children, by law have to attend Islam classes in school.
[edit] Islam
- “To be Somali is to be Muslim” Among Somalis it is a commonly held idea that, “All Somalis are Muslim and if there are any Somalis who say otherwise they are only being paid to do so.” Even Somalis who are not particularly devout in their practice of religion will claim allegiance to Islam. Although there is a growing number of Somali young people being trained in Islamic theology, the main barrier to believing the Good News among the Somalis is not so much a theological barrier as it is the societal view that, “To be a Somali is to be a Muslim”. Many people in Muslim majority countries have similar ideas and attitudes.
- Questioning: On the other hand, all of the infighting and killing going on across clan lines among the Somalis in recent years has led to some questioning Islam. Some ask, “Why has Islam not kept us from killing each other?”. Other Somalis who have lived in Muslim societies, such as Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States, have experienced a certain amount of discrimination causing them to become more open to the Gospel. At the same time Somalis who were fairly nominal in their practice of Islam in Somalia (where they were “all Muslim”) often take more seriously their Islamic identity and practice when they come to the West. They do this as a means of coping with the feared loss of identity and contamination by the evil aspects of Western society.
[edit] Buddhism
[edit] Christianity
- Although the majority of the population are Muslim, the greed and fighting between Islamic groups has contributed to the civil war. Some people are turning to more radical Islamic groups, but many are totally disillusioned with Islam. Pray that they would find Jesus and find a real, dynamic and consistent faith.
- Pray for the protection and safety of those delivering vital food aid and medical care.
- The Somali church has been driven totally underground; some leaders have been named on a hit list for execution. Pray that God would protect them and that they would remain strong in their faith.
[edit] History
[edit] Churches
[edit] Church and State Relations
[edit] Persecution
- On May 11, 2007, an Islamist Web sites attributed the kidnapping of two aid workers in Puntland to the aid workers having allegedly used the provision of assistance as a pretext for proselytizing. Similar claims were made against Ethiopians who the Islamists have stated were attempting to Christianize the country as part of their military occupation. On September 17, 2006, Leonella Sgorbati, an Italian nun, was killed at a hospital in Mogadishu by gunmen, hours after a leading Muslim cleric, Sheikh Abukar Hassan, condemned Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks on Islam and violence. Hassan declared, “Whoever offends our Prophet Muhammad should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim.”
[edit] Mission
[edit] Broadcasting
- Pray that God will break the Somalis of their pride and usher in a time of spiritual refreshing that will lead them to Christ. Pray that Somalis will come to recognize their need for Jesus and turn to Him for healing and forgiveness. Pray that SIM International's weekly short-wave radio program, "Voice of New Life," will lead many Somalis to Jesus.
[edit] Councils and Networks
[edit] Persecution
- Plagued by political instability, if not anarchy, there is no constitutional or legal protection of religious freedom in Somalia. Islam is the official religion, and social pressure is strong to respect Islamic tradition, especially in some rural areas. At least six Christians were killed for their faith in 2006. Most had Islamic backgrounds and were killed after this was revealed. An Italian nun was killed, possibly because of the Pope's comments about Islam. Some children of Somali Christian refugees who fled to Kenya have allegedly been kidnapped by Muslim relatives and taken back to Islamic institutions in Somalia for rehabilitation.
[edit] Future Trends
[edit] For More Reading
