SomaliNet Forums

"Why does tribalism even exist?"

The same reason there is a gender difference, there is also difference between nations and tribes. All created by Allah for us to know and benefit each other instead of using our differences to shed unnecessary blood.

Clanism or or Tribilism is bad if you hate another group community just based on clan ,, but the Clan can help each other there are many People that help each other through the Clan System , For instance a person from a particular Clan is sick or needs Money Tolka will raise money i have seen it , it cannot be bad , Lady nas for instance she got a whole new laptopr from Tolkeeda, so it can help in a positive way,, its just how you put in practice.

Clanism or or Tribilism is bad if you hate another group community just based on clan ,, but the Clan can help each other there are many People that help each other through the Clan System , For instance a person from a particular Clan is sick or needs Money Tolka will raise money i have seen it , it cannot be bad , Lady nas for instance she got a whole new laptopr from Tolkeeda, so it can help in a positive way,, its just how you put in practice.

Like I said, it would work in small places, like villages. But definitely not urban cities. Also, there is many Somali diaspora people who love tribalism, even if it does not benefit them. I do believe that tribalism was good thing in past, now it's not good thing anymore, and all it breeds is war. Look at Al-Shaabab (In 2006 or something where they took over whole of southern Somalia), there was little or no tribalism fighting in Al-Shaabab. Al-Shaabab even united people in name of religion (But they used religion in wrong way but that's another topic), and this is exactly what we want, Islamic republic of Somalia. Islamic republic of Somalia is good thing as long as it doesn't force the religion on people, does not follow the extermist ideologies of Islam and still respects people who chose not to follow the religion of Allah.

Clanism or or Tribilism is bad if you hate another group community just based on clan ,, but the Clan can help each other there are many People that help each other through the Clan System , For instance a person from a particular Clan is sick or needs Money Tolka will raise money i have seen it , it cannot be bad , Lady nas for instance she got a whole new laptopr from Tolkeeda, so it can help in a positive way,, its just how you put in practice.

Like I said, it would work in small places, like villages. But definitely not urban cities. Also, there is many Somali diaspora people who love tribalism, even if it does not benefit them. I do believe that tribalism was good thing in past, now it's not good thing anymore, and all it breeds is war. Look at Al-Shaabab (In 2006 or something where they took over whole of southern Somalia), there was little or no tribalism fighting in Al-Shaabab. Al-Shaabab even united people in name of religion (But they used religion in wrong way but that's another topic), and this is exactly what we want, Islamic republic of Somalia. Islamic republic of Somalia is good thing as long as it doesn't force the religion on people, does not follow the extermist ideologies of Islam and still respects people who chose not to follow the religion of Allah.

Tribalism was never a good thing. Never. Just like Racism. Having different races, tribes, genders etc, is normal and what Allah has blessed us with. But using it to produce hate, discrimination or flame wars then this is what is categorically called Injustice. (Putting something where it does not belong is injustice). Just as Allah has made us into different races and tribes, in that same way we should appreciate ,accept and learn from one another. There is an ayah that says '' And We have made you into Nations and Tribes so that you may know one another[/b]'' , not hate, not kill, not back-bite, not to look down on etc. Know and learn from one another....fulli stop.

I agree though that, in Somalia, for the first time in its history, has Tribal affiliations taken a back seat since the appearance of ''Islamic'' groups such as UIC and Al-Shabaab. Hopefully, this will translate and and change the future and social-construct of Somalis into giving more importance to another one's values rather than their lineage.

Somalis need something that can unite them beyond tribal and nationalistic lines. Nationalism itself is a concept alien to Islam as it unite people on the bases of of families and tribal relations far away from ideological unity. And that's where Islam comes in, to save the sorry plight of a nation torn apart by perceived nobility just as it was during the age of Jahilliyah. Tribal pride that serves nothing more than hate towards a fellow muslim brother should be given up, as they are more contemptible in the eyes of Allah, than a pig. There is no greater uniter than Islam itself and al-shabab or other muslim militant that we see as going the wrong way shouldnt be a reason to denounce what Allah has prescribed for us.

Somalis need something that can unite them beyond tribal and nationalistic lines. Nationalism itself is a concept alien to Islam as it unite people on the bases of of families and tribal relations far away from ideological unity. And that's where Islam comes in, to save the sorry plight of a nation torn apart by perceived nobility just as it was during the age of Jahilliyah. Tribal pride that serves nothing more than hate towards a fellow muslim brother should be given up, as they are more contemptible in the eyes of Allah, than a pig. There is no greater uniter than Islam itself and al-shabab or other muslim militant that we see as going the wrong way shouldnt be a reason to denounce what Allah has prescribed for us.

Saxarlow,
You make very good points. Tribalism is racism; period. Only insecure somalis seek security in tribalism. It might have worked in camel country but in this age, tribalism is a hinder to our development. As regards the Sura of the quran, this is the most abused surah. Allah's tribes were not the sick 4,5 formulae; Somali tribes are no exact; the tribe islam talks about is Somali.

It is funny that if we ask many of the tribalists on this website what their particular tribe have done for them the answer is nothing except tarnish their names, suffering etc.

Emprorer will be the first to admit that his tribal rants and his love for this god is a social construction.

This god of somalis should be faught.

The Al-sheydhaans and the IUC are not free from tribalism.