Somalia's Islamists Al-Shabaab Ban Science And English In Schools

If I didn't read something bizarre coming out of Somalia or Saudi Arabia every week I'd be very disappointed. Though my heart goes out to the people who are being subjected to such gross violations of human rights, there are times when you have to just laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Of course, it's easy for me to sit here, in the comfort of my chair, in a country that cherishes freedom, to sit and scoff. Although I'd love to be able to fight for their freedoms, I have to settle for my words and my prayers as weapons, knowing that good will eventually prevail over the darkness that suffocates the people in places like Somalia.

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Al-Shabaab, the evil, militant Islamists are sucking the life out of the Somali people with all their ludicrous, ultra-strict religious rules and regulations. If they're not telling people how to dress (no bras for women) or wear their hair (beards for all men), they're telling them what radio stations to listen to and banning movies, dances at weddings among other things. The latest idiocy is they've now banned English and Science in classrooms in the southern town of Afmado. The reasoning behind this latest ban is not so much rooted in religious ideology, but the fact that the schools refused to let students join al-Shabaab as fighters. So basically they're being punished.

Residents of the town near the border with Kenya said three schools had been given one month to comply with the order by Shabaab rebels and switch the curriculum to accommodate Arabic and Islamic studies.

"They asked us to contribute students to their militia so that they can fight for them, but we rejected their proposal," said one teacher who wanted to remain anonymous.

Elders said the Shabaab militia shut down Waamo, Dhoobaale and Osman Mohamud schools briefly on Sunday, before slapping the ban on English, which they called a "spy language."

A spy language? How ludicrous is that?

"The Islamic administration closed education centers and ordered them to stop teaching English which they said is a western language," Ali Mowlid Mohamud, clan elder in Afmadow, told Reuters by phone.

"They told schools, 'We know everyone who is going to be a spy for western governments learns this language.'"

Schools reopened on Tuesday after elders and schools accepted Shabaab's decree.

The order also forced 23 instructors that did not have an Arabic education background, out of their jobs.

Safiya Ali, a mother at one of the affected schools, said she sent her children to the Koranic schools earlier in their life so they would later pursue some western education to enable them to join higher education institutions elsewhere.

"We had already taught our children Islamic principles and religion. I don't know how the new curriculum will fit the education needs of our children," she told Reuters.

I can only assume that the majority of Al-Shabaab are ignorant, uneducated louts, because their reasoning is tremendously flawed. Why should African school teachers have an Arabic education background? It would be like asking teachers in Egypt to have an African education background. I wish the Somali people would rise up against these extremists, but it doesn't look like that will happen. So one can only hope and pray, that some day they will just disappear off the face of this earth, along with all other ultra-religious, extremist fanatics. Or perhaps we could designate one country and ship them all over there, though they'd probably all kill each other. Or perhaps they will just some day, miraculously, come to their senses. One can hope.