By Ali H Abdulla

“When I describe what happened to me on Aug. 23, 2008, I say that I was taken. On an empty stretch of road outside of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, out of the back seat of a four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi by a dozen or so men whose faces were swaddled in checkered scarves. Each one of them carried an AK-47.”

This is how Amanda Lindhout begins to tell her ordeal to the world. An ordeal that she endured with her Australian colleague and three other Somali companions for 460 days: an ordeal perpetrated on them  by Somali thugs who lost their humanity in a country that lost its way.

When I read her story in the New York times, I seethed with rage and truly felt the pain and agony Amanda endured at the hands of individuals claiming to be practicing Muslims. Those individuals gave Somalia and Somalis a bad name. Although they claimed to be Jihadists, their action had nothing to do with Jihad; their actions had nothing to do with Islam; their actions had nothing to do with Muslims.  The young boys used to kidnap, torture and rape  Amanda  were manipulated by none other than those who destroyed Somalia and continue to work against the emergence of a credible government that can restore law and order. Sometimes they use the clan card and warlordism; other times they use the religion card and extremism. I cannot even rule out that these criminals are themselves working for entities that used and still use Somalia as a portrait  that depicts Islam as a violent religion practiced by violent and savage people.

What irked me the most was the sexual abuse Amanda suffered at the hands of her captors who claimed to be Muslims and even performed the most difficult of the 5 daily Muslim prayers: the Fajr or dawn prayer. What brand of Islam encourages kidnapping and rape?

The Prophet of Islam mentioned in an authentic Hadith that a “Dayuth” will never enter Paradise. Dayuth is an Arabic word that describes a person who tolerates the abuse of his household. Such abuse can be sexual or physical. When Amanda stepped into Somalia, she automatically became a member of the household of every Somali with the slightest dignity. Islam welcomes and protects guests and the real Somali culture conforms to the that norm. Therefore, any Somali who knew of the abuse and rape of Amanda is a Dayuth who will rot in hell with all certainty.

When Amada attempted to escape with the help of her Australian colleague, they both dashed into a Mosque filled with worshippers getting ready for the Fajr prayer.  They both shouted that they were Muslims who needed help to escape from the kidnappers chasing them. None of the worshippers lifted a finger to come to their aid except for an old lady who saw Amanda through a window and risked her life by entering the mosque and embracing Amanda in order to protect her from the kidnappers who entered the mosque with their AK-47s. But she was no match for the thugs who did not even respect the Mosque.  The action of the thugs rekindles the ugly images of young girls being raped in mosques in Barawa and other Somali cities when the government collapsed and the “Moryan thugs” took over in Mogadishu.

Amanda was dragged from the mosque and even lost her trousers in the process. Again, None of the worshippers lifted a finger.  If only they knew that their prayers that day were not to God but to Lucifer. This only proves that most Somalis kneel five times a day without knowing the significance of these daily rituals.  They are probably not aware of the declaration of the prophet of Islam that the prayers of those who commit evil are null and void. Failing to defend a helpless person in need is the worst sin that one can commit.

The government of Mr. Hassan sheikh is responsible for tracking and bringing to justice the thugs who kidnaped, tortured and raped Amanda. It should also apologize to Amanda in the name of all Somalis, and pay back the one million dollar ransom paid by her family and friends to secure her freedom.  Although there are thousands of Somali women who were subjected to the same cruelty and rape, Amanda ‘s case is unique since she was a foreign guest who was abused in a place of worship in front of dozens of Somali men claiming to be practicing Muslims. Shame on them all. And shame on all of us if we fail to let this pass quietly.

I would like to reassure Amanda that what she endured is not typical of the Somali people and culture. It was bad luck for her to fall into a den of vultures who continue to pray on  helpless Somali women in refugee camps. The thousands of Somali refugees scattered all around the world escaped from such a hellish environment. We can only hope that the vultures who prayed on her will face justice one day and that she can visit Somalia again and get to know its tolerant and welcoming people.

Ali H Abdulla
Email:aliegeh@gmail.com