The news of my dearest abboowe, Mohamoud Hersi Abdulle’s (better known as Indhocase), murder was so shocking to me it has shaken me to the core! It has now been a week since he left us and my heart is still in pain and the tears, expressing the profound loss I feel, would not stop.

I do know geeridu waa xaq and kullu nafsu daaiqatul mowd. However, the senselessness of the violence that took the life of my closest and dearest friend (along with others) is extremely difficult to accept.

My son, Adam, gave words to my disbelief and shock better when, after I shared the news, he kept saying “what, what, what…” When I explained how he died (of course I simplified it!), his response was: “why, why, why…”

Now, why would anyone want to harm one of the gentlest souls I had the honor of  knowing? Of course, as I hope you know, the “why” is very complex because the conditions that created and normalized this violence are multilayered. But we are not here to discuss that…

Indhocase (or Indho as I called him) was a compassionate and kind man with a generous spirit. He was also brilliant and wise at the same time (a rare and formidable combination). He was a trained teacher and a social worker. He mentored young men and women and counseled youth and families. He took care of our communities  in ways we cannot even begin to understand or appreciate and in such a way that made each and every one feel s/he was a close family. I know he honored and respected everyone who sought his support and counsel. He took each of his many responsibilities very seriously and with great humility. In each encounter he left people feeling respected, valued, nurtured, and loved (even when he disagreed with them; another rare quality he had).

On a more personal level, Indho was a very close friend, actually a brother. I consider him one of my life’s blessings and, Alhamdulillah, a special gift Allah has given me. I had known him since high school and started appreciating his personal and leadership qualities during our undergraduate studies at the Lafole College of Education of the Somali National University.

We were part of small group of students who studied together, read together, shared meals  together, and did research work together at Lafole. We shared ideas about our individual and collective futures. Unfortunately, these dreams were interrupted as a result of the civil war. Luckily, we were able to build new dreams in Canada and for Somalia. Indho was able to reach many of the goals and plans he had for himself, his family, and his community in the short time he spent in this world.

I would like to share one story that I hope will speak to the qualities I mentioned above. He was Guddoomiyaha Guddiga Ardada at Lafole College of Education. One of his many responsibilities was the proper allocation of beds and rooms to new student population who were joining the college. One of his decisions left his tol the feeling that he did not do right by them. They felt that he had given a coveted room and a bed to a woman of another reer when he should have given it to a student of their tol.

Knowing that Indho and I were very close, they came to me very angry and requested that I talk some sense into him. I told them to wait until I get the other side of the story. I discussed the matter with Indho and told him how angry his tol were. I explained that they felt his decision was wrong and how they felt betrayed. He explained his decision making process to me and mentioned that what he did was unbiased and fair. After listening to him carefully, I came to the conclusion that he did the right thing. I trusted his judgment and I knew he was being fair so I was ready to go back to his tol and tell them so.

This could have been the end of the story but it was not! He added, at the end of our conversation, something that was to stick in my mind for a long time.  He told me, “by the way abbaayo, I’d rather that my tol is angry with me than risk that the other reer feel that I was biased and unfair.” His statement made me realize what an amazing man he was and that he was an exceptional leader who was not afraid of making difficult decisions; even if it meant his tol were furious with him. Although I always respected him, he gained million points in my mind and touched my heart very deeply at that moment!  He will continue to be very inspiring to me until he passed on.

This story and countless other memories I have of him tell us not only the kind of leader he was but that he will, inshAllah, be among the ones who dwell in Jannah.  Now, let’s imagine for a moment if our leaders thought this way! Imagine how transformative it would be to have leaders like Indho, who are accountable, just, and put the public interest before their own. Imagine how this would inspire public confidence…

While words could never express the collective pain and sorrow we may feel at the loss of one of our heroes, I would like to end this short tribute by asking a very important question: how do we honor Indho’s legacy? I think, one of the ways we could continue the work his death has interrupted is through youth mentoring and leadership development. As I hope you will agree with me, leadership is developed and nurtured within our homes, our neighborhoods, and in our communities. By the way we interact with, teach, and engage our children and youth, we all could be actively making spaces that allow them to live up to the Allah given potential within them and give them opportunities to become the leaders they are meant to be…

Indho’s heart was with our youth. He understood that supporting our youth in a society dadnimadooda dilaysa is critically linked to our overall development as a community. He took the task of ensuring that our youth knew their history, culture, and their ancestors’ contributions to world history and civilizations very seriously. We could, individually and collectively, be “teachers of history” and convey the message to our youth that they are all unique and, inshAllah, will make great contributions in the world. This simple message could (and will) be a powerful antidote to the ma’faas (micro-aggressions) our children and youth are exposed to everyday.

I read somewhere that “some people make the world more special just by being in it”. Indho did that and of course much more. May Allah reward him for all the wonderful gifts he brought into our lives, our community, and our world. May Allah take him to the highest of Jannah. Ameen.

Written by: Dr. Hamdi Mohamed
Xamdi.sheikh.maxamed@gmail.com