Dr. Jowhar’s Camelot

By Ali H. Abdulla
March 07, 2011

"Somaali Jamaceed, yaa Dhankiina Joogtee
Gobannimadu yay Jabin, Dalka yaan lakala jarin
Jiilki Darwiishkow"
Saado Cali Warsame – Fannaanad Qaran

Saado is a Somali Nationalist who stood up against the excesses of the Military Regime of Somalia in the 1980’s when it targeted certain Somali clans. Ironically, she is today defending Somali Unity against the very same clans that she supported in their struggle against oppression and marginalization.  Her new song above calls upon her own States, the SSC states of Somalia, to stand up against secession and clan domination. In these words she assumes that all Somalis would support such a noble cause.

Saado would be greatly disappointed were she to read the recent article of Dr. Abdishakur Jowhar, the son of a prominent religious scholar from the great state of Awdal in Northwestern Somalia.

I am inherently suspicious of any Somali who carries a title before his name. This time I will assume that the tile Dr. Jowhar sports is for real unlike the numerous doctors that adorn the Somali landscape these days. My understanding is that he is a psychiatrist although many people confuse psychiatry with psychology and I hope that I have not fallen into that category. Since I could not find any employment history for Dr. Jowhar in the field of either discipline, I am going to hazard a guess and assume that he is a practicing Psychiatrist who can treat mental patients.  This assumption is based on the fact that our doctor has recently relocated from Canada to the great city of Hargeisa, the second capital of the Somali Nation and the current seat of Somaliland secession, and the fact that Hargeisa needs more psychiatrists than psychologists. I hope that Dr. Jowhar is not planning to practice politics instead of healing the sick. 

Dr. Jowhar’s relocation would be a boon for the secessionist enclave which he unwaveringly supports with all his heart. Our learned doctor is a firm believer in the breakup of Somalia into tiny states. His presence there as a qualified psychiatrist, will help a lot of people who are in real need of such a rare discipline in Somalia. Many still suffer from the trauma of the civil war that destroyed Somalia. My recommendation for Dr. Jowhar would be to start healing the current leaders of Somaliland from the hate they have for other Somalis. He should probably start with the current president of Somaliland, Mr. Silanyo, who many believe is suffering from mental disorders that have plagued him since taking office last year. Many in Somaliland jokingly state that Silanyo still thinks that he is in the opposition side of the aisle. Then there is his chief of cabinet, a semi literate man who carries a six inch knife under his shirt which he uses to chase those who anger Silanyo down the long corridors of Silanyo’s Presidential palace.

When I first read Dr. Jowhar’s article, I thought that I may have mistaken the name of the author so I went back and read it again for two more times. I then called an old friend from the great state of Awdal and sought his feedback. My friend seemed to have read the first few paragraphs of the article when I called him and he did not see anything wrong with it. A few hours later, my friend called back after reading the whole article and he was equally flabbergasted. So what is wrong with the article you may ask?

The article is not based on facts but on conjectures. Dr. Jowhar assumes that the SSC leaders are war mongers who are out to destroy Somaliland and establish a tribal homeland. He also assumes that the mainstream Dhulbahante are against the SSC objectives. He also calls for Somaliland to build a strong army that is capable of imposing its will upon unruly tribes such as those in the SSC regions.

Learned men are supposed to be objective and impartial in their analysis of complex issues like the one that Dr. Jowhar is trying to address. The article breaks all these rules. Although the article is very long and contradictory at times, I will try to briefly address each of the issues raised by the author.

SSC- Objectively Defined:

SSC is an acronym for two regions and one district in Northern Somalia. Sanaag is in the east of Somalia and is inhabited by various clans such as the Dhulbahante, Continued