By Abdulkadir J. Dualeh
The blue flag was emblematic of sucessful liberation from our colonial masters. The piece of nylon fabric colored with a blue dye was associated with liberty and the inalienable right of humans to self-determination.
The rapture felt by the folk who raised it up, for the first time, in June 26, 1960, were expressed in poems and songs that stimulate deep mystical cords in our shared memory.
Now it has become an idol to be worshiped by folk who mix association with cause, form with function, symbol with substance, a blue dyed fabric with its meaning. These folk stand in front of this blue idol, close their eyes, put their hands on their hearts and bow their heads to a piece of fabric that is deprived of its meaning and debased by evil men. In other words, they kept the ritual and missed the point behind the ritual.
This type of behavior is common among the ignorant in every country throughout the world. We all know that in every society, there are a bunch of shallow folk who ostentiously wear flags as shirts. These idol worshipers accuse others of lacking patriotism by mere assertion and no proof.
In the mid seventies our soldiers carried this flag into battle and died gloriously knowing the cause for which they scarified. It is a pity, that this collective consciousness is lost.
An overwhelming majority of Somalis in the north and south now feel an unutterable loathing at the sight of this flag. They associate it with betrayal, deception, death and devastation.
Fortunately, the idol worshipers are on the run chased from the south by men with white turbans. They were chased from Somaliland 15 years ago by mujaahidiin who carried a red, white and green flag with Allah la ilaah ila laah emblazoned on it.
We are now engaged in new struggle for liberty. The two primary protagonists of this neo-liberation are Somaliland and the ICU. These forces represent a bulwark against despotism and tyranny. They are passionate folk dedicated to freedom from outside influence.
In the south, a coalition of businessmen, patriots and pious folk has found common cause and joined forces in the struggle to reclaim the dignity of their people. This coalition is brought together by a need for security. Their success is due to their ability to compromise with like-minded partnered who share a common cause.
For 15 years, Somaliland has single-handedly held the fort against the monstrous re-imposition of statuesque tyranny. They have frustrated the efforts of fifth columnists representing foreign interests. These successes were possible because Somaliland practiced a republican form of government that derives its legitimacy from the consensus of its citizens. Demagogues were marginalized and expunged because of the openness of the society. So long as Somaliland government remains devoted to this republican form of government, and therefore maintains the unity of its people, it will remain a citadel of liberty, and no power, foreign or domestic, can drink a cup of water from its wells.
Our blessed prophet (ASW) has flown to the heavens on the back of the mystical Bureqa to visit the Arsh of our Allah. His divinely revealed teachings are indelibly etched in our wooden scrolls. These teaching serve as an unshakable foundation for our ethics, morals and governments. We have no oath registered in heaven to oppose forces with Islamic label. We shall await deeds to fit the label.
Abdulkadir J. Dualeh
E-mail: [email protected]
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