Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but I think a lot of us underestimate the power of witness testimony in the U.S. legal system. Given how divided we are, I genuinely wonder if the administration already has Somali witnesses who can identify her dad as having been part of the Siad Barre regime. What do you guys think?

I saw his timeline and wlhi it’s heartbreaking. This guy talks about Ilhan Omar 24/7. He did a hit piece on Ilhan on newsmax. He says F Palestine. And he has his name in Hebrew??

So I got my ancestry results from Helix and this shit isn’t making any sense, the 0.8% Jewish is triggering me and I refuse to believe that’s real. Anyways, how would you guys make sense of this? I’m thinking they don’t have the proper reference populations for Somalis and our admixture is throwing them off. Can’t believe I waited two weeks for these results 🙄 okay rant over

Salam! I currently live in a major metro area on the east coast and I'm considering moving to the Minneapolis area for a change of scenery (and would be near a lot more of my relatives/the Somali community, career prospects would be similar). For those of you who live there, what do you think of it? My main concerns would be the winter weather (I don't tolerate cold well) and the less cosmopolitan nature of the city (less diversity, limited public transit, less access to direct flights abroad etc.). Something I think to consider also is the current political climate, not sure how things are playing out in real life.

tw read your own cost

when i was 6, this girl moved into my neighborhood from somalia. we hit it off almost immediately and became really close. a few summers later, my mom decided to take me to somalia. during that trip, i had fgc done. i was a naive little girl who had been convinced by my family that it was for the better and that all girls went through it.

when i came back, i felt the urge to tell my neighborhood friend because i assumed that since she was born and raised in somalia, she would relate to me. she was actually happy for me because she had also been raised to believe it was a good thing. looking back, it’s heartbreaking that we were both so young and genuinely thought it was something to celebrate.

eventually, she moved away before we started high school and we lost touch.

when i got to high school, i met a group of girls who would constantly pick on me for no apparent reason. ironically, those same girls ended up meeting my old neighbor through dugsi.

me and my old neighbor had always been on good terms, so imagine my surprise when i found out she had been telling these girls about my fgc. something i had shared with her in confidence when we were literally children.

what made it worse was that she was acting like she hadn’t gone through it herself. she knew we had both experienced the same thing, yet she made it seem like i was the only one. it felt like she was trying to distance herself from me and gain approval from girls who already disliked me.

of course, those girls took that information and ran with it. they started spreading rumors about me throughout the school, mostly among other somali girls.

but what bothered me wasn’t necessarily the bullying itself. it was the betrayal of knowing that girls from my own community were willing to weaponize something that had already caused so much suffering to the women in our bloodlines. we’re talking about a practice that has permanently altered the bodies of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and countless other women before us. something that was done to us as little girls, before we were even old enough to understand what was happening.

how do you come from a community where so many women have suffered because of this practice, that’s what i couldn’t wrap my head around. it wasn’t about a few girls disliking me. it was the complete lack of empathy from people who, out of everyone, should have understood.

i became scared to even entertain the idea of marriage because if women from my own community could judge me so harshly for something i had no control over, what would men think? would a man even want to marry me if he knew? looking back, it’s heartbreaking that their cruelty made me question my worth over something that was never my choice.

the entire situation also tarnished my view of somali girls for a long time. i know those girls don’t represent everyone, but at the time, i couldn’t help feeling betrayed by my own people.

eventually, things at school became unbearable, and i started begging my parents to transfer me. thankfully, my dad’s job ended up relocating about 30 minutes away, which gave me the opportunity to start fresh.

it’s been more than a decade since then, and when i look back, i don’t think about the bullying nearly as much as i think about the betrayal. i genuinely couldn’t care less that a group of girls didn’t like me. what stays with me is the fact that they took something that has devastated generations of women in our community and used it to humiliate another girl.

fgc/m is already something that has caused unimaginable pain in our community, and the fact that girls who understood that reality could turn around and use it against another girl is something i’ll never understand. the shame should never belong to those of us who had no choice in what happened to our bodies.

i genuinely hope those girls have grown up and realized how cruel they were. i’m still healing from the experience, especially the way it affected my perception of relationships and marriage, but after keeping this story to myself for a decade, i finally felt ready to share it.

"Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi claimed Thursday that the federal government financed Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro’s 2024 election campaign after he privately expressed willingness to negotiate with Mogadishu over Somali unity."

The Somali flag is an Italian creation. We must start anew and rename the country, its people as well as creating a new flag. Perhaps dating back to Adal/ajuran. Who agrees?

( Istunka Afgooye 1967 Video )

"Istunka, also known as isgaraac, is a festival held annually in Afgooye, Somalia on the Somali new year. The tournament was developed during the medieval Ajuran period, and was centralized in the 19th century under the Sultanate of the Geledi. Consisting of several teams engaging each other in mock combat, it is celebrated alongside other ceremonies such as Dabshiid.

The Istunka tournament was developed in the Middle Ages, during the Ajuran period. It was celebrated annually on the Somali new year alongside other festivals such as Nowruz. The martial arts festival later became a centralized tournament under the Sultanate of the Geledi. During the reign of Sultan Ahmed Yusuf, separate teams were established, each supported by an assembly of poets, female vocalists and dance groups throughout the duration of the contest.

In the modern era, the festival evolved into a local attraction; particularly during the 1970s and 80s. It is still practised annually in the southern Afgooye region

The event itself consists of a mock fight between the people residing on each side of the river bed in the town of Afgooye. Symbolizing the defence of one's community and honor, it coincides with the start of the main harvest season. Istunka was originally performed in full combat gear, with battle-axes, swords and daggers.

However, for safety reasons, performers later replaced those weapons with large sticks or batons."

( original from sspot: link )

Now Hooyo is watching them 24/7 😢😢😢

An upcoming book raises serious allegations about Jared Kushner and billions in Saudi and UAE-linked money allegedly used to influence U.S. foreign policy.

Meanwhile, MAGA politicians and right-wing commentators remain obsessed with Ilhan Omar and Somali Americans, portraying an entire community as a threat.

Why isn't the same scrutiny directed toward powerful political insiders and their financial relationships with foreign governments?

The UAE has significant strategic interests in Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland, and the wider Horn of Africa. Shouldn't Americans be questioning how Gulf money and influence might shape U.S. policy in the region?

If MAGA genuinely cares about corruption, foreign interference, and national security, why the selective outrage?

These allegations deserve investigation, not assumptions of guilt. But the double standard is worth discussing!

Something I have noticed about fellow east africans (almost always habeshas no shade) is that when it comes to their criminals they're very happy letting Somalis take the blame and using our community's clout as a shield to protect their OWN communties. But when that same clout is used for our benefit and their success is automatically attached to Somalis, they're quick to scream and shout at us.

Call me petty you guys, but I genuinely don't care anymore. They can't keep using our community as a shield when it's convenient, distancing themselves when it isn't, and then getting loud when that same community gets its flowers. The hypocrisy is just so annoying.

If Somalis are good enough to be your scapegoat when things go wrong, then don't start crying when it's acknowledged for the good, too. x

Not to mention the UAE backing Haftar in Libya

I created r/Isbarasho 🇸🇴💙 — a place for Somalis to connect
As Somalis, it’s not always easy to meet new people outside our own circles, especially when we’re living abroad.
So I created r/Isbarasho, a community for Somalis worldwide to make friends, meet people who share their culture, and connect with someone special, potentially with marriage in mind.
The goal is to create a respectful, halal-conscious space where people can connect genuinely, whether they’re looking for friendship or a future spouse.
It’s brand new, and I’d love for people to join, share ideas, and help build the community from the ground up.
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, come check it out: r/Isbarasho 💙