why al shabaab is not a guardian of my national identity.

A couple of days ago, I came across an opinion piece posted on Al Jazeera English titled 'Al-Shabab: Guardians of Somali identity?'. I read the piece hoping that its writer, Abdullahi Boru Halakhe, who is a Horn of Africa security analyst, would elaborate on the claim in the title and present a well rounded argument as to why or why not al shabaab are the guardians of my national identity. He did not. What he presented instead is something that can only be described as a misguided love letter to the terrorist organization. He praises them for things they don't deserve praise for and confuses Somalinimo (Somaliness) with the fear that comes with living under their rule.

What angered me the most about the whole article was this excerpt:

'They are unrepentant nationalists, and in the absence of a state, rhetorically and sometimes symbolically, al-Shabab acts as the vanguard and the only reliable guardian of Somali nationalism and identity.'

To claim that al shabaab are unrepentant nationalists is irresponsible reporting. Firstly, al shabaab wasn't an organization that was born on Somali soil and to claim that its members are nationalist when all their tactics and implementation are adopted from their older brothers in Pakistan is ridiculous. Secondly, an unrepentant nationalist would never use fear and assault on his own people under any circumstances. All that al shabaab is good for is instilling horror into people and stripping Somalia off of everything that the Somali identity is compromised of. Thirdly, a nationalist would want to see his country prosper and all that al shabaab does is get in the way this.

The second part of the statement is more mind boggling. Halakhe claims that they act as the '..vanguard and the only reliable guardian of Somali nationalism and identity'. al shabaab wouldn't know what the Somali identity is even if it was slapped in the face with it because the Somali identity is something al shabaab has been working hard to eradicate. To say that al shabaab is the only reliable guardian of my identity is migraine inducing. As a Somali, I identify myself with my rich culture. The culture that is compromised of peace, beautiful poetry and music, the importance of Somalinimo and the sexiest guntiino's in Eastern Africa. Do those things sound like aspects of Somalia al shabaab is guarding for us?

Its clear that this writer was ill-advised and probably swayed by a powerful actor to write this piece posted on Al Jazeera English' website. It is hard to believe that a Horn of Africa specialist would be so unknowledgeable on a topic so important. In the future, I would advise Halakhe and all other 'analysts' or 'journalists' who will attempt to write about Somalia to check their facts multiple times. In the long run, as a professional working in East Africa, your loyalty should lie in the good of a nation, not the people who strive to ruin it.