By Muktar M. Omer
Hating Abdalla, Loving Johnny: Idiosyncrasies of the Westernized Somali
When John Ralston Saul asserted in his book, “Voltaire’s Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West,” that the rule of reason, which rescued the masses from the arbitrariness of royalty and religion, has not been without its arbitrariness and tyranny, he must have foreseen the fanaticism that would define the 21st century Westernized abolitionist Somali sect who worship reason and logic.
I am not referring to all secular Somalis. My problem is with a confrontational sect within the large secular Somali community – a vocal sect which adores Western values, ideas and mannerisms and abhors Somali culture and values as practiced by the majority of Somalis. The thought turmoil within and the psychological capitulation of these Somali renditions of Voltaire’s bastards is the subject matter I want to broach in this piece.
Mind you, the multitude of Somalis, in diaspora or at home, who appreciate many progressive Western social ideas and views but also see a lot of good things in their own culture do not belong to this camp of abolitionists. These multitudes mainly contain reformers who understand the need for social progress but want to stimulate this through the creation of opportunities to the masses – the same opportunities that enabled today’s reformists to embrace useful ideas from different civilizations.
Let me first dispense with the adverse legacy of political Islam in Somalia, lest my criticism is taken as a calumny by a religious zealot. Extremist Islamic ideology has disfigured the social fabric of the Somali society in the last two decades and continues to jeopardize the political existence of the country. Chief among the vices this ideology has brought are intolerance of diversity, oppression of women, erosion of creativity and the pursuit of passion, curtailment of art and entertainment, and radicalization of the Somali youth. In the south and central Somalia where it assumed military and political hegemony, the reprehensible crimes of suicide bombing, public flogging, beheading and maiming of defenseless civilians on flimsy charges, and denial of work and education opportunities to primarily women and girls, remains the order of the day. Thus, to say Somalia needs deliverance from the dark teachings of this fanatical version of Islam is to state the obvious. The need for a change of the social, political and economic status quo in Somalia cannot be gainsaid.
But what equally needs to be confronted is the fanaticism of the Westernized Somali abolitionist sect whose goal increasingly seems less about ensuring social acceptance of their way of life and more about the destruction of others’ way of life. And because the “others” in this case are mainstream Somalis who are predominantly conservative Muslims, the mission to destroy these others’ way of life, turned into, by design or default, a mission to abolish the Islamic religion.
So, what are the defining characteristics and modus operandi of this Westernized Somali cult?
Unthinking belief in the supremacy and righteousness of the languages, values, institutions, and narratives of the Western world
The Westernized abolitionist sect usually does not see anything wrong with the policies and practices of the world that he/she identifies with. If America bombs Iraq, the Westernized Somali is the kind which happily swallows the copout that removing a dictator is always a good thing even if it causes the death of more people than ever killed or would have been killed by the subject dictator. Now, I abhor Saddam and his likes. But I am not oblivious to the excesses and selectivity of Western powers. The Westernized Somali is the type who gleefully accepts that anti-Semitism is wrong but insulting religious icons and symbols is freedom of speech. He/she does not ask simple questions such as: if calling Prophet Mohammed a pedophile is fair game, why is it wrong to call Israeli President Shimon Peres a Jewish Zionist?
According to this sect, licking one’s fingers after eating food is wrong, because the white man said so. If doing so is wrong in Amsterdam or Seattle, it must be wrong in Hargeisa or Garowe, too. There is no need for contextualization of the white mores he/she learned. If kissing in public is right in Germany or Canada, it should not be wrong in Somalia or Kenya. Everything must be judged through a narrow Eurocentric prism.
A member of this cult does not dare to burp on the train in Washington because that would offend the people around him/her. But this same member would not blink to munch on meat in front of fasting Muslims in the month of Ramadan. True, the person may have internalized that burping is wrong and might be obeying this social rule because he/she believes in it. Yes, he/she may not believe in fasting, and, therefore, may think he/she should be “himself/herself” and not practice what he/she doesn’t believe in. But where does “being yourself” end and respecting other’s sensitivities start? Often, it is the case that this member would respect the sensitivities of the outsider – the Hindu, the Buddha, the Japanese; but being a rebel against his/her former self, he/she considers granting the same respect to the religion and society he/she rebelled against as a kind of betrayal to his/her cause.
Disdain for the “Arabization” of the Somali culture
The Westernized abolitionist Somali describes himself/herself as liberal and in rare instances as an atheist. In either case, from the outset his/her disdain for anything Arab is palpable. He/she condemns the “Arabization” of the Somali culture. If few pictures of school girls without headscarves or nubile girls with skirts in the 60’s and 70’s Mogadishu can give credence to the decline of the rights of the Somali women, these will be tendered as an alibi. If personal experiences of a relaxed family dress code or festivities can deliver the message better, they will be narrated in abundance. These will be compared to the “tents” today’s Somali women wear as cloth and the Arab bashing will get a notch louder. And because this cult has no problem with the Christian Arab, their animosity towards the Muslim Arab gives away the subterfuge that their outrage “isn’t against Islam”.
To be nostalgic about the more tolerant, more accommodative Somali culture of yore is a normal and pleasing reflex. That is not the problem with the Westernized Somali. The problem is that he/she hates the Arab influence, but everything that has seeped into the Somali culture from a white culture is nice, to him/her. The Westernized Somali hates Abdalla but loves Johnny. He/she hates the quintessential Faarax or Xaliimo, too. It is this double standard and self-repudiation that riles me against this sect. He/she sees no problem with a Somali man with glittering earring or with a Somali woman in bikini in the middle of Somalia. “It is their right as long as they like it,” these Westernized Somalis reason. You may wonder why that same right can’t be extended to the woman in veil or the man in Pakistani dress! It can’t, according to the Westernized Somali. “Their choice is not an informed choice because they are not aware of the global trends or the ‘modern’ way of dressing,” the inexcusable chauvinist assumptions kick in.
You must understand, dear admirer of Somali culture, that you are not dealing with cultural revivalists who want to see the return of the traditional white Maxamuudi with its extended Daraya-muus. You are dealing with modernists who cloth themselves in nationalist robes for an agenda that is entirely not yours. And modernist does not have pejorative connotations here; it is invoked just that you know you the traditionalist, and him/her the modernist, have different goals about this shared nostalgia for the old days.
Wrong prioritization of Somali problems
Gay rights, feminism, atheism, and draconian laws that prohibit hedonistic excesses are the problems of the Westernized Somali. The national debate should center on these “burning issues.” “We need to have a debate” is their motto. They don’t ask “for whose benefit”?
Surely, these issues will become national problems when the Somali society starts to talk about them as problems, not because John or Jean-Claude wants them to be talked about! For now, they remain first-world problems. And that is the harsh truth that must be told no matter how many tenuous Westernized cords will snap. The question here is not whether discussion about these issues is important or not; the question is whether they are priority or not and where they should be raised. And because they are not priority to most Somalis, the time and publication space given to these issues in a media intended for Somali consumers is a wasted resource.
Intemperate hate for and hostility towards those who do not conform to their “enlightened” ways
This abolitionist sect is angry, confrontational, insensitive, judgmental and self-righteous; basically the mirror image of the religious fanatics they despise. They are afflicted with messianic complex and think that they have a duty to confront what they perceive to be wrong with the same conviction and zealotry religious fanatics deal with “heretics.” They want society to embrace their eccentricities with the blink of an eye or pay for its reluctance to accept them. When their wish is not granted, they pelt the conventional society with condemnations and insults. They become the flag bearers of fringe radical groups including out and out racists. They – the same people who boastfully claim to be the acme of tolerance and civility – soon become synonymous with intolerance and dogmatism. The bruised society swiftly hoists them with their own petard of hate and starts to shun them. They then requite in kind by denigrating all the cherished beliefs of the “guilty” society. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the product of this cycle and is an emblem of everything that is wrong with atheist activism, mainly its confrontational wing.
Advise for the Westernized Somali sect
If going to Europe, America and Oceania has engendered adaptation to the prevailing cultures there, why is it not right to adapt to the cultures of the majority of the people you join in Somalia once you chose to return? Why not undergo a process of reverse social integration when you return to Somalia rather than engage in futile activism to make Somalis white people with thin upper lips? And to integrate socially does not entail to change how you live your life privately. It is about becoming emotionally more intelligent and thus more sensitive to the prevailing social order.
You may think the cultures you adapted to in foreign lands are more advanced and better than the ones you returned to in your original land. You may think the Somali culture is not amenable to the dictates of modern life. You may feel a duty to lift the society from the “darkness” they wallow in. But how does rejecting and demeaning everything the same society you want to change cherishes help your cause?
If you think the mainstream Somali society is backward, you have the choice of joining “open-minded” global citizens, including like-minded Somalis. Dine with them. Dance with them. Drink with them. But let those who choose a different way of life live their lives. Spare them your bile. They may not all be idiots, after all. In return, they should also leave you alone. To each his own way! That is the cornerstone of a civilized society, not mindless crusade to impose one’s religiosity or un-religiosity on others. And if for the time being, you remain a minority in your community, accept it with the same zeal you embrace democracy. Dominant ideas of the time rule every society. It can’t be different for Somalis.
