The Famine In Somalia Is Not Just Economic

The UN has declared that two regions in southern Somalia are hit by famine, in the midst of the worst drought that hit the country in more than 50 years. Speaking in Nairobi, the spokesman of the UN, Mark Bowden said the famine occurred in the area of Bakool and South Shabelle. The UN reported that 3.7 millions people, half of which are the people of Somalia, - a country with a population of 9.3 millions with Muslim majority - are in need of international aids.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicated that, in the past month, nearly 40,000 victims of drought and famine fled to Mogadishu to seek help. The UN's refugee agency reported a growing number of refugees and on average 1,000 people arrive in the city every day.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was not able to reach 60 percent of the people in need of food, because the Mujahideen of Al-Shabaab prevent the agency from distributing aid to a large area in southern Somalia.

Islamic groups in Somalia has acknowledged the presence of drought but has denied Western claims that they committed atrocities. The Mujahideen of Somalia, Al-Shabaab accused the UN on Thursday (21/7/2011) of exaggerating the severity of the drought that is currently gripping the country's south and politicizing the humanitarian crisis.

A big part of the African country's south are controlled by the Mujahideen of Al-Shabaab who for four years have been blamed of exacerbating the effects of drought . “We say the UN's declaration is 100 percent wrong and it is a baseless propaganda. Yes, there is drought but the condition is not as bad as they say,” said the spokesman of Al-Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage in a press conference.

In early July, the Mujahideen imposed a ban on food aid which they say can create dependency. “They have other objectives and it does not surprise us if they are politicizing the situation,” said Seikh Ali .

Not Just Economic

The starvation caused by the drought is a natural occurrence in Africa. Interference of foreign parties has intensified the problem in that Horn of Africa. According to the UNICEF, the Somalian crisis this time is due to a combination of conflict and crop failure and the worst drought in the last 60 years.

The regions of the Horn of Africa has long suffered and in situations of prolonged conflicts. In 1884, Europe agreed to do the occupation, colonization, invasion and annexation of Africa. The British, French and Italians claimed the territories in the State now known as Somalia. For 40 years, the British controlled the northern Somalia for its access to the Red Sea. Italy had invaded southern Somalia. While France controlled the neighbor, Djibouti.

After having been overridden by conflicts, actually since 2006 it begins to enjoy stability. At that time, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) took over Mogadishu and several areas in the south of the country. The UIC succeeded in defeating the tribal warlords who for many years have been doing mischief. After so many years without law, the UIC managed to implement some of the Islamic Shari'ah law in that country which began to bring peace.

However this is not favored by the United States of America. This country then used Ethiopia, to brutally attack Somalia to eliminate the Supreme Islamic Courts Council (SICC). As a consequence, more than 1 million people evacuated to stay away from areas of conflict. The American war by using its right hand state - Ethiopia - against the UIC has worsened the African crisis.

The West seemed reluctant to give serious aid to Somalia. Unlike other countries whose natural wealth are lucrative such as Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Afghanistan, etc. The West has spent trillions of dollars to wage a war and killed thousands of civilians. In Somalia, the West tends to ignore, although compared to the cost of war, this famine could be eradicated with a cost that is much less. It is not the first time the world is seeing pictures of emaciated babies in Africa! In the years 1991-1992 , hundreds of thousands of Somalis also experienced starvation.

Responses from the wealthy Muslim governments are not much better. Muslim rulers who are puppets of the West are not so concerned, preferring to spend the wealth they have plundered on non-essential things. Qatar spends $ 430 millions to buy those American works of art within six years. Qatar also gives unlimited credits to American banks during the global financial crisis!

When children perish from malnutrition, Muslim rulers are too busy buying bankrupt American banks, buying beautiful villas or European football clubs. Sheikh Mansour buys Manchester City for £500m, Sulaiman Al Fahim acquires Portsmout for £60 million, Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah from the Saudi intends to by Liverpool for a price in the range of £200 to 350 million!

The famine in East Africa is a problem for the entire Islamic Ummah in the world. The solution to this problem lies with the governments. A reunification of the Muslim countries under an Islamic Khilafah and Shari'ah will put an end to foreign interferences once and for all. The Khilafah will also utilize all resources for solving the basic needs of the society.

(Farid Wadjdi)

How Did Khalifah Umar bin Khattab Overcome The Catastrophic Famine?

The Islamic Ummah had experienced a catastrophic famine in the year 18 H during the time of Khalifah Umar bin Khattab. At that time the lives of some Bedouin people were threatened due to starvation and disease outbreaks. People from different Arab regions gathered in Madinah (capital of the Khilafah) to get food rations.

When food reserves in Madinah decreased, Umar bin Khattab RA wrote a letter to the governors in Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Iraq asking them to send food aid. The governors immediately sent caravans loaded with foods and other needs. Umar RA dispatched his officials to the routes in Iraq, Palestine and Syria to take the foods. After that, those foods were immediately sent to the interior regions. This act saved millions of people from starvation.

Khalifah Umar bin Khattab personally supervised the feeding of more than one hundred thousand refugees in Madinah. In 19 H, the conditions began to improve. The Khalifah was seriously overseeing the rehabilitation of the relocated population.

What was done by Khalifah Umar bin Khattab can actually be carried out by Muslims today if only the Islamic Ummah is having the Khilafah to unite Muslims. The Khalifah will immediately send a letter the other regions of Islamic countries that are rich to help the people of Somalia. With the more advanced transportation and communications today, this hunger problem will soon be overcome. So the issue is not an economic problem, but the political issues. The Ummah today no longer have the Khilafah.