'Pirate or Al-Shabaab' is the black mark beside my name....

Now I've got another black mark beside my name, these days they call me ‘the pirate’ or the Al-Shabaab whenever I meet with my friends.

I was hurt many times by supposedly best friends; I don’t know why my Kenyan colleagues enjoy insulting me. They don’t know that they make me hate the world.

I distance myself from those types of friends these days, not because I’m afraid but because they will make me guilty of crimes that I have not committed. I still give my friends the polite smile that they deserve and which emanates from my worried face. I must forgive and keep smiling.

Even my local barber shop attendant calls me pirate or Al-Shabaab these days. Not mentioning the streets when every staring human being looks me through their gloomy eyes, as if I have a long nose or as If I am walking on my head down.

A woman we boarded the same Matatu in Mombasa, insulted me the worst of all. I had just taken ablution to pray at a town Mosque, but as I entered the vehicle, this woman cautioned her friend to be wary of this Al-shabaab passenger. I gave her the usual polite smile, when I had the opportunity to curse her for ever for insulting me at a time when I am going to pray.

I know why they call by these names; it is simply because I am Somali and to them every Somali is a pirate or an Al-shaabab. It is like in the West where every Muslim is a terrorist.

I am a Kenyan, born and brought up in Kenya, but it seemingly sounds that I am not a Kenyan like them, perhaps that is why my friends call me ‘pirates or Al-shabaab.

It was better the days when I made the name ‘Waryaa’ but now naming me ‘pirate or Al-Shabaab’ sounds like a completely different brand.

In Kenya today, I am completely a label of the pirates and the Al-Shabaab in Somalia. I've always been that way ever since these names started cropping up a few years ago.

When a ship is hijacked by Somali pirates, that day the number of times I respond is so enormous, numerous times, they call me by those names oblivious of how many times my heart misses a beat. These names make me feel guilty of been a Somali, even when my community means a lot to me.

I ask you, do I look like an Al-shabaab or a pirate. Kenyans why do you call me, it pisses me off. I feel like insulting you really bad but all I do is hold it in. I am cool with everyone except the people which call me that. What can I do about the people who call me that?

Okay, I know I should just ignore and all that, but seriously I have had enough of that and that’s. You don’t say anything and they take advantage of your silence....

Even when the black sheep is innocent, no one will ever accept.

The Eastleigh grenade attack will obviously have a repercussion, a great one indeed, Somalis have to bear the brunt of the attack.

Somalis in Eastleigh have in the past suffered from constant police harassment and abuse. Every refugee living in this Nairobi neighbourhood has a story about being hassled by the police and threatened with arrest and detention.

Possibly by now the finger is pointing towards the Somalis community in Eastliegh. As has been the case, the community in Eastleigh should brace for a major police crackdown whether or not they are innocent.

Of course the Sobbing Somali is very much concerned over the death and injuries of the innocent police officers. I condemn any such barbaric act in the strongest terms.

and for now the black sheep cannot turn its tail.

The Monkey business of protecting Somalia waters

Somali pirates now hold 22 vessels and 521 hostages. The latest victim is a Malaysian-flagged container ship plus its 23 crew.

All these abductions go on despite the presence of a heavy EU Naval force in the Indian Ocean. The Naval force often say they work their fingers to the bone and despite their bold intervention, anti-piracy efforts remain doldrums.

The billion dollar question is what are these guys up to in the international waters, what are the ten warships lead by the French flagship doing in the dangerous waters? Are they on an adventure sailing.

Discussing the Monkey business inside the French flagship De Grasse/ Photo :Abduallhi Jamaa









Why is the world allowing the continued waste of the hard-earned money that is going down the drain with little value for the antipiracy campaign?

The force is simply fiddling while Somalia burns every passing moment. I think there is some Monkey business going on.

Surviving on the edge

As world leaders start discussions in Mexico on the global challenge of climate change today, I volunteered my precious time to shed light on the plight of herders living along the Kenya/Somali border. listen to this touching photo story.