Jewish Blogging - From Mogadishu, Somalia
I was introduced to a blogger today who might have forever gone unnoticed in the Jewish blogosphere. A blogger who, honestly, may have lived and died, without so much as a blurb in the news media.
Avraham lives in Mogadishu, Somalia. A 19 year old young man who lives with his mother, he paints out a picture of what his daily life is like as a “Yahud” in Mogadishu where, in his words, 99% of the people are Muslim.
He speaks nostalgically of back when “the government used to have control” of the Islamic courts, and daydreams sometimes about returning to Yemen — where there are at least “more Jewish people”. But he knows, he could never leave his mother (presumably, alone) in Mogadishu.
A blog from a point of view I have never heard before, which really puts words like “exile” and even the entire holiday of Purim into a new perspective for me. I only hope Avraham can keep blogging.
Meet Avraham and his mother. Visit AvrahamShanshi.blogspot.com.
Fascinating blog from Mogadishu. This is what “citizen jounralism” is meant to be. It puts the slick professional sites to shame.
FYI: I think Avraham was actually writing with nostalgia for when the Union of Islamic Courts was in control of Mogadishu in the fall — at least they kept the peace between the warlords that ruled the city since Siad Baare’s downfall. If he’s 19 years old, he can’t possibly remember a functioning government in Somalia.
—RZ · March 11th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Heart-wrenching to read and at the same time full of hope. One hope I can’t get out of my head is for them to make it to E”Y.
—DeisCane · March 12th, 2007 at 8:32 am
I’m going out of my mind reading that blog, it makes me want to cry — hysterically.
It’s so sad. To him, it’s just “daily living”.
—Y-Love · March 12th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
It is heartbreaking to read it. I’m going to stay in touch with this young brave boy.
Blanca
—Blanca · March 12th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Good afternoon folks
This is a sad blog I tell ya. I am glad people all around the world are recording the atrocities happening in Somalia - only time will tell how Somalia will recover from these tragic times.
Say….I don’t mean to be rude but some issues need to be addressed about this blogger. [Someone already touched on the first issue]
First Issue: How come he remembers or quotes soo much about the collapse of the somali government from the tender age of 4 years old (He says he is 19; the civil war in Somalia begun in 1992; subtract that from his age - he must have been born in 1988/89, am I right?)
Second Issue: Why hasn’t he not mentioned anything about the diaspora of the christian minorities in Somalia? It seems to me he covered almost everyone else.
Third Issue: Someone needs to ask him if he remembers FIFA World Cup 1990? If he does, he must be hiding his real age and/or intentions.
—Jaamac · March 12th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
@Jaamac
1. How do you know what YOUR society was like at the time YOU were born? Someone told you about it, or you read it in a book?
2. Because he’s jewish and covers the jewish history and the current situation.
3. See no. 1.
—Natalie · March 13th, 2007 at 6:43 am
To Jamaac.
He is Jewish and he is writing about how his life as Jewish person living in a Islamic country !
Come on, didn’t your parents tell how your society looked like when you were little ? Mine did
And i even know how life in the 1800 century was like!!!
—blanca · March 13th, 2007 at 8:16 am
I too was skeptical at first, but he sounds really knowledgeable about the situation.
If he is not actually Somali, he has certainly lived in Somalia for a long time.
And as far as Jaamac’s questions his mom probably told him and he learned from readings books.
This is how I know about stuff that happened when i was born.
—Nony · March 13th, 2007 at 11:00 am
The skepticism I’m seeing here SERIOUSLY disturbs me, this is potentially a young man’s only voice, — this is NOT the time for suspicion. If anything, we should be sending airline tickets and hoping he responds!
—Y-Love · March 13th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Already anti-semitic actions on his blog!! So sad to see,
My hearth goes with Abraham.
—Lillian · March 14th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Dear all:
My initial post was not meant to question Avraham’s blog. I just doubted Y-Love’s reading of it. (With respect, of course.) When Avraham wrote:
” i can say for 90% that we had it better when the city was in control of maxkamida islamka (islamic courts). at least we had peace. and poeple could move freely, and live in peace, or buy food in peace.”
I think he is referring to a time when the city was in the control of the Union of Islamic Courts — an Islamist militia that came to power in Mogadishu last year. for the 15-odd years before this, the city was controlled by clashing warlords, The Islamic Courts, as a political faction, did not exist before 1992 and the city’s individual religious courts didn’t constitute a major political or societal threat during the Siad Baare years.
—RZ · March 14th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
muslim somalis find this post, say bizarre things
—Mobius · March 15th, 2007 at 4:30 am
I doubt Ibraahin is a Jewish boy living in Mogadishu. To beging with he claims to be a Somali clan called Shanshi who are 100% muslim and don’t have Jewish origins. Some of the most respected Sheikhs of the past 200 years in Mogadishu are from this clan.
—Hassan · April 4th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
thank you avraham may the almighty hashem bless you and your mother and our motherland ofcourse amen/amiin
—dalal · May 12th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
waryaa hassan i myself from mogadishu, there were yemeni yahuudi(jews) who were living mogadishu especially hamarweyne and shingaani, if you know what iam talking about.
yemeni yahuudi communitys in mogadishu were living there in hundred of years,but most of them immigranted to isreal 1960s and 70s, but i myself doub it if mr ibraahim yahuud from mogadishu is realy living there. if hes, i whish him best and happy life.and no matter if hes yahuud or muslim kristaan , only think is matter is hes soomaali.
—ahmed · May 12th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I did not believe this Ibrahim is Jew there where no Jew in Somalia now or before Yibir are original Israelites but they now 100% Muslim I am not young man I traveled extensively in Somali in 1970’s, 1980’s and early 1990. Sanshi are probably from Oman or Portugal not Israelites,
—Ahmed · January 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 am
I feel so sorry for you i think thats discrimination and you should be allowed to practice your religion in the open. you should stand up for yourself.
My advice is to leave somalia and go to israel canada or america where there will be more jews to communicate with. im from somalia and those guys fight over tribes and if they find out about you something bad will happen and trust me im not anti- semitest ( spelling might be wrong). You should go to Israel with your mother i wish you the best of luck.
—Islamia · May 5th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Am Somalian living sometime in Mogadishu, I had a jewish
friend who was hiding yemani origin , I don’t now you can
find jewish people living in Mogdishu
—A. Samatar · June 8th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Hi, Jan17/10,
I am Somali too and Mormon but I live in USA. I was realy
supprised the ignoraces and anti-semitisim that many people have
about this young boy.
(1)- Don’t you know that there is many clans are has Israelit
orgine. Somalia is at sharp horn of Africa so it always a
Door of immgrants from Middle East and South Asia such as
India to came. Now, look at this small clans who now became
branches of big tribe who there share with land; for example
A branch of Mursada-Hawiye tribe is called IRAFEAl, and legend
tells that they one day came from sea. An other one is IMRAAN
which became part of ISAK, and other one is HATIM YAHUUDI in
Marka area, an other one BEYDISLE at Ethiopian boarder,who
they orginal name was Betisrael. an other one is BAADI-AD
which in Somali language is The lost white man or stray white
man. More than all those above,there is a Somali tribe who
always believed that there are Jewish, there name is YIBIR
they were segreted and isolated for they believes. in Somali
traditions: whenever you have a baby boy born to you, you
should pay some amount of money or livestock to Yibir male
when he come to your home. he have to certify his idintity
that he is realy Yibir by playing circus like game with stick
staff. and Somali believe strongly that Yibirs has extera
natural power to curse if they are not payed, what is called
SAMANYO. Which in Ethiopian language means: in Amharic it
means Guard and in other semitic Ethiopian language Tigree it
means taxes. Somalis also believe that the Yibirs has right
to take that money because their king was killed by muslim
pioneers who took over Somalia as muslim country. there is
a mountain in North Somalia where all Somalis believe the
Jewish the king of Yibirows, the Kabbalist and Muslim sheikhs
meet and he was murdered. so from that day there are paying
his blood money. Now first time in history Yibrow has one
representative in Somali parlamen. The other fomous Somali
legend is that nobody have seen furnals of Yibrow or dead
Yibir. and they used to say. when Yibirows die, they are taken
sprit called HANFALEY to sky. unfartunately, this old legend
caused killing of many Yibrows, because Islamic miltias shot
them to provo that this is not true. so they shot them to show
people. the only truth about this legend was that Yibirows
used to hide their furnals because they have their own secret
retuals.
I personal and some of my friends made a research on those
Jewish tribes lost in Horn of Africa. we spent lot of time
to help them. and we have lot more evidences than we said
here. anybody who is interested, we will communicate about
it. We do so, in our belief that our God recommended us to
Help his people. we have special duty for Israel and Jewish
people to stand with them solidarity in every where they are
and any time.
Shalom
shalu betu yerushalem.
—Diriye · January 18th, 2010 at 4:00 am