khariji sharif makes mass takfeer of shabab al-mujahideen.

[ModerateMuslim]

Al Shabaab have betrayed Islam: Somali president

By Els De Temmerman

PRESIDENT Sharif Ahmed, a former geography teacher, does not seem overwhelmed by the almost insurmountable task of pacifying Somalia. The soft-spoken moderate leader of the Islamic Courts, who was elected by an enlarged parliament in January, speaks in clear and decisive terms about the Islamist insurgents whom he says have been brainwashed by global jihadists, and his dream of restoring law and order in a country that has been without a functional government for almost two decades.

How would you analyse the current situation?
There has been war in Somalia for a long time. The peace talks in Djibouti led to this progress (an all-inclusive government) and gave Somalia an opportunity to recover. Unfortunately, the opposition to the peace process does not have a political agenda. They just want to control Somalia and hand it over to global terrorists. Whenever we call them for peace talks, they don뭪 want to listen.

Are you trying to engage the opposition?
There are some members of the opposition whom we managed to get on board. They are now part of the government. They were calling for the introduction of Sharia and the government has accepted to implement Sharia law.

They claim they are fighting for Islam. But they are wrong. Islam does not allow the things they are doing; the killings, the chaos. In the history of Islam, when the Prophet Mohamed formed the first government, it was inclusive. Today, they say they are the only Muslims. The others are not Muslims. They infiltrated the Union of Islamic Courts, which I led. Now people think they are members of the Islamic Courts. They are using our name and the goodwill towards the Islamic Courts.

When the Islamic Courts were in power in 2006, Somalia was peaceful. One could travel around the country undisturbed. You are back in power now but the security seems worse than ever. What happened between then and now?
The difference is that while we were out, elements and top leaders of al-Qaeda came here. Previously, we had some elements of al-Qaeda but they were not active. While we were away, they took advantage of the situation and brainwashed a lot of young people. Al-Qaeda brought in its own people (foreign fighters). Their only agenda is to kill. Now they pose a threat not only to Somalia but to the region as a whole and the neighbouring countries.

When you are a member of al Shabaab, it is difficult to get out; they kill you. You need to look for an opportunity to get out of their ranks. Back in 2006, our goal was to stabilise the country, not to hurt or kill anyone. That is still our position.

How many foreign fighters are there and who are they?
There is no exact number for the foreign fighters, but they are many. Some of them are from Europe, America, Asia and Africa. There are also Somali nationals who went to other countries, changed their nationality and came back.
Q: Would you estimate them to be in their hundreds or thousands?
A: There are over 2,000.

Q: Who is their commander?
A: The commander of the Somali terrorist fighters is called Ahmed Abdi Godane, a Somali who was trained in Afghanistan. The Somali who changed their nationality and came back are commanded by a Pakistani General called Hajir. As for al-Qaeda, Abu Yahya al-Libi (a Libyan who fought in Afghanistan in the early 1990s) was assigned to control what is going on in Somalia. Osama Bin Laden himself talked about that.
What is the role of Eritrea?
Eritrea sends money. It is a transit point for the foreign fighters to come here. Eritrean officers are in Somalia (to train al Shabaab).

Are any other countries supporting al-Shabaab?
Yes, there are other countries behind Eritrea, but we are not naming them now.

What does it take to have a safe Somalia?
To stabilise Somalia, you need to build capacity, train the Somali security forces and complete the number of AMISOM peacekeepers to the amount that was pledged. We also need to maintain the peace talks by continuing to call those who are not yet on board to come and join us. In addition, we need to bring relief to the needy, help the injured and rehabilitate the militias. Reconstruction is another factor.

What is your strategy to counter al-Shabaab뭩 propaganda?
Because they are telling lies, their propaganda has now become counter-productive. It has back-fired. They say they are Muslims but their actions tell the opposite. They are preaching what they are not practising. As for the government, there is a task force to counter the propaganda. But the government is only six months old. We have a lot of things to do. And the financial means to improve our public relations may not be there.

There are supposed to be 8,000 peacekeepers but there are only about 4,000, notably from Uganda and Burundi. Why has the world failed to send troops?
As far as the number of AMISOM soldiers is concerned, they are few because of economic factors. The African Union has pledged to complete the numbers. It is just a matter of time.

How would you rate the performance of the peacekeepers, particularly the Ugandans?
AMISOM soldiers operate within a mandate which they know. They consult and coordinate with the government on whatever action they plan. Their discipline is good. They perform their duties actively.
They have the support of the government and the Somali people. We thank the Ugandan government and the Ugandan people for sending troops. They are our brothers and sisters and they have shown concern for the Somali people. We commend the wonderful job they are doing to save Somalia. This is the beginning of the reality that Africa will be able to solve its own problems.

What is the way forward?
Somalia is at a cross-roads. It is moving from chaos to a government and statehood. The clan-system has been there for a long time. People are now tired of inter-clan fighting. The number of MPs is very large. That is to appease the clans, so that each clan is represented. The council of ministers is all-inclusive. The Somali people are not waiting for al Shabaab. They are waiting for a government. Al Shabaab is using terror and intimidation. We, on the other hand, enjoy good relations with the clan leaders. I meet them regularly one by one.

This government has the support of the people and the international community. The US, the EU and the Arab League support us. We hope their assistance will double. The current war is no longer an internal conflict. It is a global issue, a problem of international terrorism. The government is ready to defend its people in terms of mobilising them, telling them the right thing and establishing a security force.

[ModerateMuslim]

so not only has the munafiq abandoned the book & the sunnah, taken mushriks as protectors & masters, rebelled against those ruling most of southern somalia with tawheed but he is now also making mass and unjust takfeer against muslims. what else can he do to show his enmity and hatred for allah swt, his prophets and the believers? even the worst of the worst - the murji-khawarij and their scholars - are free from this munafiq scumbag. may allah swt never guide this munafiq back to islam again. ameen.