Somalia online

Monday, 6 August 2012

XOG: Shaxda Shariif Xasan u Dejiyey Ololihiisa Doorashada 20-ka Agoosto

Shariif Xasan (bidix) iyo Sheekh Shariif

Nairobi (RBC) Shariif Xasan Sheekh Aadan oo mar ahaan jiray afhayeenka baarlamaanka KMG Soomaaliya oo haatan ka mid ah musharixiinta ugu cad cad tartanka madaxtinimada dalka ayaa xulufadiisa noocyada badan ku dhisaya hab ku saleysan awood qeybsiga beelaha ee afarta iyo barka (4.5) taasoo uu qorsheynayo inay isaga gayeysiiso kursiga madaxtinimada dalka waqtigan cusub.
Ilo wareedyo aad ugu dhow Shariif Xasan oo ku sugan gudaha dalka iyo dibada ayaa Raxanreeb u sheegay qaabka ay hadda u degsan tahay shaxda Shariif Xasan ugu talagalay inuu ku maareeyo ololihiisa doorashada madaxtinimada ee 20-ka Agoosto, taasoo uu beryahanba taageero kaga raadinayey siyaasiyiinta beelaha Daarood, Hawiye iyo Dir.
Inkastoo aan la ogeyn in la isku afgartay, haddana Shariif Xasan wuxuu madaxweynaha Puntland C/raxmaan Faroole iyo raysul wasaare C/weli Gaas (oo isku beel ah) ka codsaday inay ku taageeraan sidii uu isaga madaxweynaha ku noqon lahaa kadibna beelaha Daarood loo siin lahaa raysul wasaaraha cusub ee dawlada cusub ee dalku yeelanayo Agoosto ka bacdi, taasoo Shariif Xasan uu sheegay inay ka awood badnaan doonto dawladihii hore ee dalka soo maray ee ku-meelgaarka ah.
Dalabkaasi oo kale wuxuu hadda Shariif Xasan la wadaa siyaasiyiin magac ku leh beesha Hawiye oo uu ka dhaadhicinayo inay heli doonaan kursiga afhayeenka baarlamaanka taasi bedelkeedana isaga lagu taageero helista kursiga madaxweynaha.
Soo harmarinta doorashada madaxweynaha
Ilo wareedka u xog waramay Raxanreeb waxay sheegayaan in Shariif Xasan uu ku dadaalayo sidii doorashada madaxweynaha ay u dhici lahayd ka hor 20-ka Agoosto si uu isaga ugu soo baxo kursigaasi, markaas kadibna la qabto doorasho afhayeenka baarlamaanka oo sida ballantu tahay loo sharixi doono siyaasi ka soo jeeda jufooyinka waaweyn ee beesha Hawiye. Rag fara badan oo ka soo jeeda beeshan ayaa Shariif Xasan arintan kala shaqeynaya hadda sida la sheegayna aad ula dhacsan.
Qorshahan ayaa haddii uu meelmaro wuxuu meesha ka saarayaa hamiga madaxweynaha hadda ee Sheekh Shariif oo haddii siyaasi beesha Hawiye loo xusho afhayeenka baarlamaanka waxaa caqabad uu kala kulmayaa in beesha ay madaxweyne qaadato, sida uu qabo xeerka 4.5 ee beelaha wax ku qeybsadaan.
Shariif Xasan wuxuu kaloo siyaasiyiinta beesha Daarood oo Faroole iyo Gaas ugu horeeyaan ku qancinayaa in C/weli Gaas ku soo celinayo raysul wasaaraha cusub ee dalka, ayna sidaas meesha uga baxayaan siyaasiyinta beeshan ee laga yaabo inay hadda la safan yihiin Sheekh Shariif.
Labo wasaaradood oo muhim ah oo ay ka mid tahay wasaaradda arimaha dibadda iyo maaliyada ayaa la sheegayaa inuu Shariif Xasan u ballanqaaday beesha Dir. Wuxuu kaloo ballanqaaday in raysul wasaare ku xigeenka koowaad uu siin doono beesha Dir si ay u taageerto ololahiisa madaxtinimo.
Dadka aadka ugu dhow arimahan, waxay sheegayaan in Shariif Xasan looga bartay ururinta xulufo beeleedyada uuna aad u yaqaano sida dadka loo kasbado wax badana kala socda isbedelada siyaasadeed ee dalka oo uu had iyo jeer ku guuleysto aakhirka, sidaasi darteedna ay dhici karto in qaabka uu QORSHAHA u dejiyey uu ku guuleysto.
Warar ayaa sheegaya in Madaxweynaha Puntland C/raxmaan Faroole oo marar hore ay iska hor yimaadeen Shariif Xasan, hase yeeshee hadda ay aad isugu dhow yihiin uu shaki ka qabo qorshaha Shariif Xasan. Sidaas darteed ayaa C/weli Gaas iyo Faroole wadatashiyo dheer ka yeesheen soo jeedinta Shariif Xasan.
Arin kale oo xusid mudan ayaa ah in wakiilka Xafiiska UNPOS ee Soomaaliya Agustine Mahiga iyo wasaaradda arimaha dibadda Ethiopia ay aad u taageereen qorshaha Shariif Xasan ee madaxtinimada oo wadamada qaar ee beesha caalamka iyo kuwa deriska waxay markan leeyihiin xilka madaxweynaha Soomaaliya halagu tijaabiyo cid aan ahayn beelihii horey u soo qabtay ee “Hawiyaha iyo Daaroodka” taasoo Shariif Xasan laftiisu uu wax badan ku dooday, inkastoo waxbarashadiisa dood laga keenay.
Dhanka kale illaa toban musharax oo ka mid ah kuwa u tartamaya madaxtinimada dalka oo hadda ku sugan Muqdisho ayaa iyaguna wada inay sameystaan isbahaysi ay ku doonayaan inay ku wajahaan cadaadiska laga yaabo inuu kaga yimaado isbahaysiga uu dhisayo Shariif Xasan, waxaana musharixiintan ku jira qaar isku beel ah oo hadda wada sidii ay hal nin ugu tanaasuli lahaayeen si ololahooda uu u noqdo mid awood leh.
Si kastaba cida waxaan oo dhan go’aanka ka gaareysa ugu dambeyna madaxweynahacusub ee dalka dooraneysaa waa “275″ mudane oo cusub kuwaasoo ninkii iyaga kasbada, siduu rabo haku kasbadee uu xilka madaxweynaha ku guuleysan doono.

RBC Radio
Xafiiska Wararka Nairobi

Sikhs express shock after shootings at Wisconsin temple

A distraught women is helped to a car outside of the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Sikhs have sometimes been mistaken for Muslims and targeted in attacks post-9/11

Sikhs living in the United States have expressed their shock and fear after a shooting at a temple in Wisconsin on Sunday which left seven people dead.

Some community members could not believe what happened. Others said they had feared such attacks since 9/11.
A gunman entered the Sikh temple on Sunday morning and opened fire, killing six people and injuring a policeman.
A vigil for the victims was held in nearby Milwaukee as police searched the suspect's home.
FBI and bomb squad officers have surrounded the property of the alleged gunman in Cudahy, about 2.5 miles (4km) north of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple and evacuated local residents.
In total, seven people died in the attack in Oak Creek, a suburb of Milwaukee, including the gunman. A police officer and two other men were critically injured.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is himself a Sikh, said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the attack.
"That this senseless act of violence should be targeted at a place of religious worship is particularly painful," Mr Singh said in a statement.
Muslim confusion
Officials have not yet identified the gunman or a possible motive, but Sikh organisations in the US say the community has been vulnerable since the 9/11 attacks.

Sikhism at a glance

Sikhism is a monotheistic faith founded more than 500 years ago in South Asia
Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair; male followers often wear turbans and do not shave their beards
The faith has about 27 million followers worldwide. There are up to 500,000 Sikhs in the US, where they have sometimes been confused with Muslims
In Sept 2001, an Arizona gas station owner, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was shot dead by a man said to be seeking revenge on Muslims for 9/11

"This is something we have been fearing since 9/11, that this kind of incident will take place," said Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Washington-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education.

"It was a matter of time because there's so much ignorance and people confuse us [as] being members of Taliban or belonging to [Osama] bin Laden," he told Associated Press.
"We never thought this could happen to our community," Devendar Nagra, 48, told Associated Press, "we never did anything wrong to anyone."
Sikhism hails from the Indian subcontinent and observant Sikhs wear turbans. Members of the community have been attacked in the past by assailants mistaking them for Muslims.
"That turban has tragically marked us as automatically suspect, perpetually foreign and potentially terrorists," Valarie Kaur, a filmmaker based in the US who has chronicled attacks on Sikhs, told the news agency.
Several hundred people turned up to an impromptu candlelit vigil in Milwaukee on Sunday evening for the victims of the shooting.
There are an estimated 2,500-3,000 Sikh families in and around the city worshipping at two gurdwaras and temples, including the Wisconsin Sikh Temple.

A man wipes away tears outside the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where a shooting took place on 5 August 2012

Distraught family members are still waiting for news in Oak Creek

Lakhwinder Singh, a member of the congregation there, told Reuters that two of the victims were believed to be the president of temple and a priest.
"It will take a long time to heal. We're hurt very badly," he said.
'Terrorist-type incident'
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences with victims of the attack, which comes just over two weeks after a gun massacre left 12 people dead at a Colorado cinema.
"As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family."
The US embassy in India said it was "deeply saddened by the senseless loss of lives and injuries" caused by the shooting.
"Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to the victims and their families," a statement said.
"The United States takes very seriously the responsibility to respect and protect people of all faiths. Religious freedom and religious tolerance are fundamental pillars of US society."
Local politician Mark Honadel called the attack "craziness".
The state representative told CNN: "Unfortunately, when this type of stuff hits your area, you say to yourself, 'why?' But in today's society, I don't think there's any place that's free from idiots."
Police have described it as a "domestic terrorist-type incident". The FBI are taking over the criminal investigation.
There was believed to be only one attacker, with eyewitness reports suggesting it was a white male.

Saturday, 4 August 2012

Somalia's graveyard of grand and beautiful buildings

By Mary Harper BBC News

In today's Magazine

Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, has regularly been referred to as "the most dangerous capital city on earth", but as a degree of stability returns to the area, places of peace can be found among the physical destruction and human suffering.

The atmosphere changed completely when we entered the cathedral. Things fell quiet. It felt almost peaceful.
The nervous, frantic movement of people, animals and vehicles on the streets outside did not follow us. The hysterical beeping of horns fell away, as did the sound of gunfire.
My five Somali bodyguards - wrapped in long, heavy necklaces of brass bullets - did not spring into position around me. They bent their heads towards the smashed floor of the cathedral and walked alongside me.
It was Ramadan in Mogadishu - the holy Muslim month - and we were inside the remains of what had once been one of the grandest Catholic cathedrals in the whole of Africa, built by Italian colonialists in the 1920s. Its last bishop, Salvatore Colombo, was murdered there in 1989 as he was giving mass.

From Our Own Correspondent

Broadcast on Saturdays at 11:30 BST on BBC Radio 4, and weekdays on BBC World Service

I felt very tiny inside that building. Perhaps because the roof has been completely blown off, the walls of the cathedral seemed to stretch right up to the blue sky above.

Although we were in the carcass of a building, enough remained of the elegant stone arches and the shadows of crosses, for us to know that we were in a sacred place.
As we approached an outline on the floor where the altar used to be, taking care not to step in the human excrement dotted around us, the guards started asking me how the church worked. How Christians worshiped. How exactly did they pray?
As I explained how the priest administered bread and wine, we looked up. High above us, carved in the stone, was Jesus on the cross. Bullet holes scarred the carving, the colours faded and gone.
It was very different from the streets outside where people, optimistic about the new relative stability, are opening shops, their walls freshly painted with bright images of what is on sale inside.

The cathedral's statue of St Francis of Assis had been damaged in the conflict

My guards were especially upset by the statue of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. His head had been blown off and the sheep around him were vague shapes of shattered stone.
Livestock is a mainstay of the Somali economy, and very dear to the hearts of Somalis. The guards were unhappy that representations of animals and their saint had been so horribly damaged.
In one corner was what looked like a pile of discarded cardboard and cloth. Slowly, I made out the figure of a man, so deeply asleep he seemed not to be breathing.
During the rest of my time in Mogadishu, the guards were always hurrying me along. As a foreigner and white woman I stuck out somewhat from the crowds, and they did not want any trouble. I was a potential target, so it was not wise to stay in one place for long.
But things were different in the cathedral. We took our time. All of us seemed hypnotised by the place and found it difficult to leave.

Guards were fascinated by the grand ruins of the cathedral

One guard crouched down, lost in thought. Another stood still, gazing upwards past those majestic stone walls to the sky above.
We thoroughly explored the cathedral, every corner, every side room. We glanced down into underground spaces filled with blue plastic bags, rubble and the odd bullet casing.
Suddenly, there was bit of noise and movement. A sound of giggling. Two boys - completely naked - rushed in and emptied plastic jerrycans of water onto their bodies. Scrubbing themselves as best as they could, without any soap.
They then darted into a dark corner, emerging soon afterwards dressed in clothes so old and ragged they appeared to be rotting on their bodies.
Slowly and silently, an old man appeared.
"I fled here with my relatives two years ago. I came from the port of Merca, which was taken by the Islamists, by Al-Shabaab. "I wouldn't have survived under their rule," he told me. "I have no food. I have no water. The only thing I have is time."
He gestured out through one of the arches. Outside, in the grounds of the cathedral were small, tattered igloo-shaped dwellings. Made from bent sticks, and a patchwork of plastic, cloth and cardboard, lashed together with rope, string and quite a lot of hope.

A displaced settlement shelters in the cathedral grounds

I saw such settlements, of people forced from their homes, on almost every spare patch of ground in Mogadishu. Many Somalis have lived like this for more than two decades.
The cathedral stood in the part of town where the physical devastation was perhaps the most shocking. It is now a graveyard for what had once been the city's most grand and beautiful buildings.
I wonder if, now that things are starting to be fixed up in Mogadishu, it might be an idea to leave that cathedral how it is. As a quiet place. Somewhere for reflection. A reminder of the destruction humans can wreak.

Clinton in Kenya for talks on elections, Somalia

Posted by Capital FM on August 4, 2012

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 4 – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who arrived in Kenya on Saturday on the latest leg of her Africa tour, will use her visit here to urge local leaders to focus on ensuring a free, fair and peaceful General Election next year.
Clinton, who visited neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan on Friday, headed first into a meeting with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, which will be followed by talks with Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Clinton is expected to discuss Kenya’s internal challenges, as East Africa’s economic powerhouse gears up for a March general election, the first since deadly post-poll violence four years ago.
She will separately meet Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and the Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende.
She will also hold talks with top Independent Electoral Commission officials led by Chairman Isaack Hassan at the InterContinental hotel from 1pm.
‘The Secretary will meet President Kibaki, Prime Minister Odinga, and other government officials to emphasise her support for transparent, credible, non-violent national elections in 2013,’ US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Kenya plunged into violence after the December 2007 election in which Odinga — then opposition chief — accused Kibaki as the incumbent president of having rigged his re-election.
What began as political riots soon turned into ethnic killings targeting members of Kibaki’s tribe, who in turn launched reprisal attacks in the country’s worst violence since independence in 1963.
Kibaki will not contest the next election.
Two presidential hopefuls, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former minister William Ruto, face trial in April in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity over the post-election killings, charges they deny.
They face counts including orchestrating murder, rape and persecution in the aftermath of the poll.
Clinton is later due to meet the outgoing leaders of war-torn Somalia’s transitional government, due to end later this month an eight-year interim period marred by infighting, minimal political progress and rampant corruption.
Ravaged by repeated droughts and over two decades of conflict, Somalia is torn between rival clans, Al-Qaeda linked insurgents and the Western-backed government, propped up by a 17,000-strong African Union force.
Kenya, which invaded Somalia last year before joining the AU force, is a key US ally and closely linked to Washington’s efforts to quash Islamist movements in the volatile Horn of Africa region.
One person was killed in a grenade attack in a Nairobi suburb late Friday, the latest in a string of blasts in Kenya since its troops invaded southern Somalia to crush extremist insurgent bases there last year.

Saudi Arabia: Soldier shot dead in Eastern Province

A soldier has been shot dead and another injured during a clash with protesters in eastern Saudi Arabia, according to state media.

An interior ministry spokesman said that a security patrol was fired at by rioters on a motorbike in Qatif.
A protester was also killed in a firefight following the incident, according to news agency AFP.
The oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained of marginalisation.
Speaking to state media, Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said the shooting took place at 11pm on Friday evening.
"A security patrol was exposed to heavy fire from four armed rioters on a motorbike when pausing at a street intersection in Qatif", he is reported to have said.
He named the dead soldier as Hussein Bawah Ali Zabani and the wounded soldier, who was taken to hospital, as Saad Miteb Mohammed al-Shammari.
AFP quotes Mansour al-Turki as saying a "rioter" had been killed in a firefight following the incident.
Last week, state media said security forces detained a number of protesters in Qatif after tyres were set on fire during an overnight demonstration.
Protests erupted in the region in March 2011 when a popular uprising in neighbouring Bahrain, which has a Shia majority and a Sunni royal family, was crushed with the assistance of Saudi and other Gulf troops.

Wife: Missing swimmer Raymond Roth 'faked death'

Evana Roth speaks at a news conference in Carle Place, New York 3 August 2012

Evana Roth said her stepson Jonathan may have known his father planned to disappear

The wife of a man who disappeared while swimming off the coast of New York has accused him of faking his own death.

Evana Roth said she had been planning her husband's funeral when she found emails from him to his son that suggested the disappearance was an act.
Raymond Roth, 47, went missing from New York's Jones Beach last week, triggering an exhaustive search effort.
He was found alive when stopped for speeding by police in South Carolina on Thursday, but was not arrested.
His current location is unknown, and no arrest warrants or charges have been issued.
The officer who gave Mr Roth a speeding ticket is said to have seen his name in a registry of missing people. Mr Roth told the officer he was bound for New York and he was allowed to continue his journey.
'Be nice'
Mr Roth was reported missing by his 22-year-old-son, Jonathan, after he went swimming and did not come back to shore on 28 July.
But now his wife of 12 years says emails she discovered on her home computer indicated that the two men were collaborating in a bid to stage his disappearance.
At a news conference on Friday, Mrs Roth distributed copies of the messages she found. One email instructed Jonathan to contact his father at a resort in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday evening.

“Start Quote

Evana. What is going on? I just heard you have a press conference later. Be nice. Almost 15 years together”

End Quote Raymond Roth Text message to his wife

It said [all errors original]: "There needs to be a way to find out how things are going. Call me Sunday night at the resort. Go to a pay phone or borrow your friends phone. You must call within 15 minutes of the determined time to call in order to be sure I will be available."

In another email, Mr Roth said he needed money for the trip and asked his son to hand over a copy of his will to relatives.
"Tell uncle Bob I handed you the Lawyer papers - then you just noticed that there was an envelope with Uncle Bob's name on it. (the last Will and Testemnet then hand it to him - all of the paperwork)."
Mrs Roth says she contacted the authorities and some relatives after she discovered the emails, and received a call from her husband soon afterwards.
"I had no knowledge at all that he would do anything of this sort," Mrs Roth said.
Her husband recently lost his job, she said, and had increased the size of his life insurance and put their house up for sale.
Her lawyer said on Friday morning she received a text message from her husband, saying: "Evana. What is going on? I just heard you have a press conference later. Be nice. Almost 15 years together."
Jonathan, who is Mrs Roth's stepson, lives with the couple but has not been seen since Tuesday when he said he was going to stay with an aunt in New Jersey, the New York Times reported.
It is not clear if Mr Roth will face criminal charges as a result of the incident.

Vermont farmer in tractor crushes seven police cars

Sheriff officers walk past crushed cruisers at the Orleans County Sheriff's Department in Newport, Vermont on 2 August 2012

A farmer in the US state of Vermont who was facing a minor drugs charge is now in more serious trouble after driving a tractor over seven police cars.

'Monster jam rally'

Orleans County Sheriff Kirk Martin said they were initially unable to give chase as their cars had been wrecked.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Rene Morris, who saw the crash, told a local news station: "I felt like I was in a monster jam rally or something.
"I just couldn't believe it, just backing up going over it, turns around makes his way to the other vehicles smashes those up."
Mr Pion was detained last month accused of resisting arrest and marijuana possession, said police.
He was in custody on Thursday evening, facing a number of additional charges.

A farmer in the US state of Vermont who was facing a minor drugs charge is now in more serious trouble after driving a tractor over seven police cars.

Roger Pion crushed the county sheriff's cruisers on Thursday before making his getaway on the farm vehicle.
The 34-year-old was stopped by police in Newport city, northern Vermont, not far from the crime scene.
Sheriff's deputies were unaware of the destruction in their department car park until a resident called 911.
'Monster jam rally'
Orleans County Sheriff Kirk Martin said they were initially unable to give chase as their cars had been wrecked.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Rene Morris, who saw the crash, told a local news station: "I felt like I was in a monster jam rally or something.
"I just couldn't believe it, just backing up going over it, turns around makes his way to the other vehicles smashes those up."
Mr Pion was detained last month accused of resisting arrest and marijuana possession, said police.
He was in custody on Thursday evening, facing a number of additional charges.

Saudi woman athlete makes headlines

By Shaimaa Khalil BBC News

Wojdan Shaherkani fights Melissa Mojica during their judo match at the London Olympics (3 August 2012)

Wojdan Shaherkani competed in the +78kg category of the judo competition

Wojdan Shaherkani has been making headlines.

She became the subject of worldwide media attention when it was announced that she would be one of the first two Saudi female athletes to compete at the Olympics.
But this was soon overshadowed by a row over her hijab - a head covering that many Muslim women wear - that meant she was at risk of not taking part at all.
The International Judo Federation initially said Shaherkani would not be allowed to wear a headscarf during the competition due to safety concerns.
A spokesman said that in Judo athletes used strangleholds and chokeholds and that wearing a hijab could be dangerous.
But that was a deal-breaker for the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.

“Start Quote

She's 16 years old... I don't know how she's handling all of this”

End Quote Noor al-Sajan Saudi law student

The Saudi authorities had agreed to send women to the games on condition that they agreed to wear Islamic clothing, including headscarves.

The team had threatened to withdraw Shaherkani from the competition before an agreement was finally reached with the IJF that the 16-year-old would fight wearing a special headscarf in order to comply with both safety issues and the Saudi dress code.
"Working with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a proposal was approved by all parties. The solution agreed guarantees a good balance between safety and cultural considerations," the IJF said in a statement.
Shaherkani competed on Friday in the +78kg category. She was easily defeated by a Puerto Rican fighter in a judo bout that lasted only 82 seconds.
'Western influence'
As the debate raged over whether Shaherkani should be allowed to take part, her father, Ali, insisted: "I would never put my religion or my daughter's hijab on the line, even if it meant missing out on the Olympics."

Wojdan Shaherkani at the London Olympics (3 August 2012)

The IJF, IOC and Saudi Olympic committee agreed on a special headscarf for Shaherkani

Noor al-Sajan, a 19-year-old law student living in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, said Mr Shaherkani's remarks did not stop him and his daughter being the subjects of fierce criticism at home.
"There are some who have been very resentful of the fact that she is competing and have been taking it out on her family," she said.
"They've been saying: 'Oh, he is taking his daughter to the Olympics. He's not man enough.'
"Some have also been attacking their racial background, saying: 'They are not from Saudi, they don't represent us.'
"She's 16 years old. I don't know how she's handling all of this. I think it's really hard."
Abdullah Qassem, a Saudi businessman living in Jeddah, said he personally had no problem with Saudi women participating in sports, but he feared that they could be influenced by Western culture.
"The fear is that the women would go [to the Olympics] and expose their bodies," he explained.
"Yes, this time the Saudi women are covering [their bodies], but who's to say that they won't copy the European women and start dressing like them?"
'Prostitutes of the Olympics'
Even the appearance of Shaherkani and the second Saudi female athlete in London, Sarah Attar, along with their male counterparts in the opening ceremony last Friday earned them an Arabic hashtag on the social networking website, Twitter, which translates as "prostitutes of the Olympics".
It was not long before the hashtag was trending on Twitter, but Noor al-Sajan said it was being used to the athletes' benefit.

Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shaherkani at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics

The Saudi athletes' appearance at the opening ceremony was criticised

"Activists have turned the hashtag around. They decided to use it to write positive things about the athletes since the hashtag was already viral," she said.
Ironically it worked, and hundreds of tweets were written in support of Shaherkani and Attar.
"Give Saudi women both the Olympic torch and the keys to the car," said one tweet, referring to the ban on women driving in the Gulf kingdom.
Another tweet said: "Even though Saudi allowed women to be in their Olympics team - the degrading of women lives on with this hashtag."
Despite the controversy Ms Sajan remains optimistic. Saudi Arabia, after all, is a country where women are still fighting for their right to drive and go anywhere without being chaperoned.
"I think it's a great milestone for Saudi women. The Olympics is one the biggest international sports events," she added.
"If the community here sees that it's OK for women to play sports, maybe that would make it easier for women to play professionally here."

Syria crisis: UN Assembly condemns Security Council

A man weeps at a mass burial in Jdeidet Artouz, near Damascus, 1 August

This man was mourning relatives said killed by government forces near Damascus

Syria conflict

The UN General Assembly has voted by a big majority to condemn its own Security Council for failing to end the unrest in Syria as fighting rages.

It passed a non-binding resolution, which also condemns the Syrian government's use of heavy weapons, by 133 votes to 12 with 31 abstentions.
The move came after the resignation of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan and the failure of his six-point peace plan.
Government forces backed by tanks have launched a new assault in Damascus.
Shelling also continued on Friday in Syria's largest city, Aleppo.
Activists say more than 20,000 people - mostly civilians - have died in 17 months of unrest.
'Proxy war'
The General Assembly resolution expresses "grave concern" at the escalation of violence in Syria and deplores "the failure of the Security Council to agree on measures to ensure the compliance of Syrian authorities with its decisions".

Analysis

Barbara Plett BBC UN correspondent

The resolution condemning the Syrian government and calling for a political transition is not legally binding, but its Arab and Western sponsors see the overwhelming "Yes" vote as proof that they have world opinion behind them, despite the deadlock in the Security Council, which they harshly criticised.
Even so, the massive majority came at a price: the text had to be watered down in an attempt to win over many states, dropping explicit calls for Bashar al-Assad to step down and for member states to support Arab League sanctions.
And even though the opposition was small, it again included China and Russia. Moscow opposed the resolution as unbalanced, making clear that it believes the UN is taking one side in a civil war. So the General Assembly intervention will do nothing to bridge the fundamental divides in the Security Council, and may widen them.

"The first step in the cessation of violence has to be made by the Syrian authorities," the resolution said.

Saudi Arabia, the driving force behind the resolution, had urged the Assembly to maintain its moral and humanitarian values by approving the motion.
Syria's envoy, Bashar Jaafari, reacted to the vote by saying his government still supported Mr Annan's six-point plan.
Accusing Saudi Arabia and Qatar of having undermined the plan before coming out in support of it, he said: "You cannot be a fireman and an arsonist at the same time."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the conflict in Syria had become a "proxy war" and called on powers to overcome their rivalries in an effort to end the violence.
"The acts of brutality that are being reported may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes," he said.
Russia and China have blocked three attempts in the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Damascus.
In Moscow on Friday, a delegation of Syrian ministers held talks on exporting crude oil to Russia in exchange for refined oil products, and also asked for a hard currency loan for their country. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.
'Build-up'
Meanwhile, fighting raged in the Tadamon district of Damascus for a second day.
Eyewitnesses and activists say government forces used dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles to attack what is seen as the rebels' last stronghold in the capital.

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Thwaiba Kanafani of the Free Syrian Army tells the BBC's Richard Galpin tells the training is ''very important'' for those with no army background

At least 15 people were reported killed when mortars hit the nearby Palestinian refugee camp at Yarmouk late on Thursday.
Hamas, the Palestinian group in power in the Gaza Strip, described the attack as a heinous crime - the Syrian government and rebels blamed one another.
Fighting has also continued in Aleppo, where government forces have been trying to reclaim areas seized by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the past two weeks.
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the Security Council that UN observers in Aleppo were seeing "a considerable build-up of military means, where we have reason to believe that the main battle is about to start".
One FSA fighter, Thoebah Knafane, told BBC News that winning Aleppo would "open the whole northern part of Syria" for the opposition.
Fighters, she said, were being trained in both Syria and Turkey and she personally had been instructed in using an M16 assault rifle and a pistol.

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The result of the vote was announced by UN General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser

The FSA has issued a statement denying responsibility for the public killing of alleged government loyalists in Aleppo on Tuesday and condemning the shootings, video of which was posted online.
Separately, Russia's defence ministry has denied that a group of naval landing ships it is sending to the Mediterranean on exercises plans to call at its base in the Syrian port of Tartus.
In another development, Alistair Burt, UK Foreign Office minister for the Middle East, confirmed to the BBC that the UK would be providing further communications equipment to the opposition in Syria in the next month.
US media say US President Barack Obama has signed a covert order authorising support for Syrian rebels

Aala Sheekh oo Shakhsiyaad Cusub Ku Soo Biireen, Xulufada Gaas oo Boosas Muhim ah Lumiyey Iyo Kala Iibsiga Kuraasta Baarlamaanka (Warbixin)

Muqdisho (RBC) Meel adag ayuu soo gaaray dagaalka qabow ee ka dhex socda madaxda musharixiinta ah ee DKMG Soomaaliya ee ku loolamaya kursiga madaxweynaha, waxaana dhanka kale isbedelaya xaaladaha siyaasadeed saacadba saacada ka dambeysa.
Madaxweyne Shariif oo ugu cad cad musharixiinta kale ee dawlada dhexdeeda ayaa hadda waxay isku soo dhowaadeen saaxiibkiis Shariif Xasan iyadoo sida muuqatana ololahooda ka dhigay mid hal dhinac u socda, taasoo ka dhigan in labada nin ay hal RUUX u rabaan kursiga madaxweynaha ee loo ordayo.
Aala Sheekh VS xulufada Gaas
Dagaalka ugu adag wuxuu beryahan dhexmarayaa kooxda Aala Sheekh oo ah xulufo kal iyo niyadba ku taageersan madaxweyne Shariif, ayna ka mid yihiin wadaadii hore iyo xubnihii isbahaysiga dib u xoreynta ee Asmara iyo xulufada raysul wasaare C/weli Gaas. Labada dhinac wuxuu mid waliba bannaanka keenay awoodiisa inkastoo kooxda Aala Sheekh ay kasbatay xubno cusub si ay ugu adeegsato ololaheeda kursiga madaxtinimada.
Xubnaha cusub ee ku soo bioiray kooxda Aala Sheekh ayaa la siiyey kuraas baarlamaanka si ay Agoosto marka doorashada ay dhacayso codka u siiyaan madaxweyne Shariif [aabaha Aala Sheekh]. Waxaana xusid mudan in halkii kursi ee mudane baarlamaan lakala siisanayo lacag u dhexeya $15,000 doolar illaa $20,000 doolar taasoo la siinayo odayaasha beelaha.
Xubnaha illaa hadda ku soo biiray Aala Sheekh waxaa ka mid ah;

Mustaf Dhuxulow

1- Mustaf Dhuxulow: Waa wasiir hore iyo mudane hore oo ku jiray baarlamaanka Soomaaliya kana yimid Isbahaysigii Asmara. Kadib loolan adag oo uu gacan ka geystay madaxweyne Shariif wuxuu Mudane Dhuxulow booska kaga guuleystay C/qaadir Xuseen Jaahweyn (wasiirka warfaafinta ee hadda) oo ay isku beel yihiin.
Jaahweyn waxaa uu ka tirsan yahay xulufada raysul wasaare Gaas, waxaana xusid mudan in dagaal adag uu horey u dhexmaray isaga iyo madaxweyne Shariif [Akhri khilaafkii Jaahweyn iyo Shariif], markaas haddii uu baarlamaanka cusub galo way iska cadahay in codkiisa uusan ku tashan doonin Sheekh Shariif taasi darteed ayaa keentay in madaxweyne Shariif uu Ugaaska beesha Murusade ka iibsado booska Jaahweyn laguna bedelo Mustaf Dhuxulow.
2- Suldaan Mustafe Xaaji: Waa soddoga madaxweyne Shariif oo wuxuu dhalay Faadumo Mustafe (xaaska labaad ee Sheekh Shariif). Suldaan Mustafe waxaa la siiyey kursiga kaliya ee baarlamaanka ay ka heshay beesha 12-ka Koofi ee Banaadiriga. Kursiga xildhibaanimo ee beeshan waxaa horey ugu fadhin jiray Garweyne Kuulow Aweys oo hadda laga qaaday.
Garweyne Kuulow wuxuu dhowaan Raxanreeb u sheegay in qeybtii beeshiisa ee baarlamaanka cusub uu go’aan ka gaaray madaxweyne Shariif isagoo sheegay inuu soddigiis ku bedelay si uu codka Agoosto u siiyo isaga. Akhri wareysiga Garweyne
3- Eng Axmed Abuubakar: Waa mulkiilaha telefishanka UNIVERSAL, kana soo jeeda beelaha Banaadiriga. Eng Axmed iyo telefishankiisaba waxay beryahan olole fiican u sameynayeen siyaasadda Madaxweynaha iyadoo telefishanka laga joojiyey musharixiinta kale ee tartanka ku jira. Iyadoo laga faa’ideysanayo fursadaas ayaa madaxweyne Shariif Eng Axmed ku daray baarlamaanka cusub, sida Raxanreeb ay ka heshay xubin ka tirsan guddiga farsamada ee xulista baarlamaanka oo magaca Eng Axmed loo gudbiyey, nagana codsaday inaan magaciisa la shaacin.
Eng Axmed Abuubakar horey uguma jirin siyaasadda, kamana mid ahayn xulufada Aala Sheekh, laakiin taageerada isaga iyo telefishankiisa u sameeyeen madaxweynaha ayaa keentay in booska baarlamaanka lagu abaalmariyo, isaguna taasi bedelkeeda codkiisa waxaa leh Sheekh Shariif.
4- Ina Axmed Cumar Jees: Waa siyaasi da’ yar. Si codka looga helo, ayaa madaxweynuhu u iibiyey kursiga baarlamaanka. Waxaase xusid mudan in ugaaska beesha Maxamed Subeyr oo uu ka soo jeedo intuu lacagtii qaatay haddana booskii diiday inuu siiyo Axmed Maxamed Cumar Jees illaa hadase dooda way socotaa, oo AMA LACAGTA AMA KURSIGA ayey mareysaa.
5- C/qaadir Xaaji Cali Luga Dheere: Wuxuu horey u soo noqday wasiir ku xigeenka wasaarada dekedaha iyo gaadiidka. Waxa uu ka soo jeedaa beesha Looboge ee Sheekhaal, waxaa la xaqiijiyey in kursigiisa uu helay kadib markii uu taageero ka helay madaxweynaha, sida Raxanreeb ayu u sheegeen xubno beesha ka mid ah iyo guddiga farsamada ee xulsta baarlamaanka intaba.

Cabdirashiid Xiddig

6- C/rashiid Xiddig: Waxa uu horey u ahaan jiray wasiir ku xigeenka gaashaandhiga xukuumadii Farmaajo iyo mudane baarlamaan, wuxuuna kasoo jeeda beesha Muqaabul ee Ogaadeen. Booskiisa isaga ayaa iibsaday oo cidna lacagta kama bixin laakiin wuxuu xiriir fiican la leeyahay Sheekh Shariif sidaa darteedna codka waxaa uu siinayaa Shariifka, sida Raxanreeb ay u sheegeen ilo wareedyo ku dhow beesha iyo guddiga farsamada ee baarlamaanka.
Waxaa kaloo taageerada ololaha madaxweynaha kaalin mug leh ka qaadaneysa hay’adda CRD “Xarunta Cilmibaarista iyo Horumarinta” oo uu madax ka yahay Jibriil Ibraahim Cabdulle oo madaxweynaha saaxiib yihiin isku beelna ka soo jeedaan. CRD waxay bixineysaa maalgelinta shirarka ololaha madaxweyne Shariif iyo kharaasdka saxaafadda la siinayo, sidaasi waxaa Raxanreeb u sheegay shaqaale ka tirsan CRD.
Iibsiga baarlamaanka
Illaa hadda waxaa xog na soo gaareysa ay sheegeysaa in 160 xildhibaan oo ka mid ah 275 mudane ee baarlamaanka cusub la soo xulay kuwaasoo dhanka labada Shariif u codeyn doona. Tirada ka harsan baarlamaanka ayaa iyaguna maalmaha soo socda la filayaa in loo gudbiyo guddiga farsamada ee xulista baarlamaanka oo ah guddi ay magacaabeen lixda saxiixayaasha qariirada ‘roadmap’.
Arimahan waxaa ka walaacsan deeqbixiyaasha iyo Qaramada Midoobay oo sheegaya in shuruudo adag ay hor yaalaan doorashada soo socota, waxaana walaacaasi ugu weyn kii uu Wakiilka Qaramada Midoobay Augustine Mahiga shalay sida bareerka ah uga sheegay xafladii xiritaanka shirkii ansixinta dastuurka. Akhri walaaca Danjire Mahiga
Musharixiinta kale ee dooneysa inay u tartamaan kursiga madaxtinimada ayaa sidoo kale marar badan ka dhawaajiyey hab dhaqanka lagu soo xulayo mudanayaasha cusub ee baarlamaanka kuwaasoo sheegay in haddii aanay beesha caalamka soo faragelin sida wax ku socdaan ay khasaare ku dambeyn doonaan dadaaladii loo soo galay hirgalinta geedi socodka nabadda dalka.