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SOMALIA: MOGADISHU ISLAMIC COURTS PUNISH THE DEFENSELESS October 19, 2005
<|aminamir_islamic_courts.jpg|credit: aminamir.com|left|>Tribal Islamic Mogadishu courts often exercise their powers on those who cannot defend themselves. Their latest victims in this Holly month of Ramadan are makeshift cinemas, sports bars and video production companies. Sports fans can no longer watch European soccer games in some parts of the city since their hangout bars are closed by the courts.
Militia men Islamic courts in battlewagons raided a video production company and trashed very expensive video editing equipment, computers, TVs and other equipment on Monday only because this company translates and adds Somali subtitles to foreign movies. Bystanders saw broken electronic devices being thrown out of second floor windows of studio during the raid. The owner and his employees were taken away and stash of cash in US dollars and Somali shilling was looted from the place.
Somalia’s most popular artist, Amin Amir shows what Islamic courts in Mogadishu are doing to the defenseless businesses in this cartoon. The caption on the pickup battlewagon reads “Islamic Courts†in Somali.
What surprised ordinary Mogadishu residents is the fact that there are numerous extortion road blocks and armed bandits roam in the city in broad daylight. Instead of facing real criminals like armed extortionists, Islamic courts harass and close movie theaters and sports cafés because they think watching Indian movies or European soccer tournaments is sin in Islamic sharia (law), especially during Ramadan.
Mr. Sharif Ali who visited Mogadishu prisons told SomaliNet that all courts are trying to minimize conflicts between armed tribes by not interfering with crimes committed by members of armed tribes. As a result, unarmed tribes like Banadiri and Maymay often receive harsh punches from these self-proclaimed Islamic courts. However, courts sympathizers say that’s not the case and believe courts are doing whatever they can in order to keep their jurisdictions safe.