In this Ramadan, Muslim nations should do more to help the Somalis

People can be of the same race and religion but intra-racial and intra-religious enmities have seen many countries torn apart. The theory that racial and religious homogeneity work fine for harmony does not hold water in most countries. With the exception of countries like Japan and a few other European countries most homogeneous nations in the world are in turmoil.

They are wrecked by internal political strife that they have no time to develop the nations or deal with any natural disaster that affects them. In the case of Somalia the state of affairs today is just deplorable and pitiable. The country is beleaguered, the people are starving and yet internal political squabbles keep on escalating.

Unprecedented draught

Somali with a population of about 9 million is a 99.9 percent Muslim country. Regrettably, the country has been facing a civil war for over 20 years due to irreconcilable political obscurity among people of the same race and religion. It appears like not much can be done politically at this moment to make these feuding factions to come to terms and overcome the brunt of one of the severest famines the country has faced in the last six decades. The ongoing civil war in the country has practically impoverished the people. Depleted of agricultural produce and with no food reserves the country is facing a severe food crisis. The wretched population of Somalia has no authority to turn to, except the United Nations and the US.

The turmoil and severe famine in Somalia is a grim reminder of economic instability and political chaos a country could face. Shortage of food reserves during critical situations in any country could lead to famine and starvation. Somalia, unfortunately, is now facing a humanitarian catastrophe compounded by political convolution and intra-racial conflicts. 25 percent of the population is imminently facing starvation – according to a UN estimate. Thousands have already perished. Almost 1 million Somalis are now in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. The UN forecasts another grim scenario around this African region. Across this African Horn another 12 million are expected to face the same fate like Somalia due to unprecedented draught. They certainly would need food assistance as widespread starvation is looming in the horizon.

Somalia, like any other countries, does have untapped natural resources but harvesting them has come to naught because of political instability and chaos in the country. Poverty, political feud and lack of foreign assistance have long contributed to a halt in the country’s economic development and this has wreaked mayhem in the country. The displaced people among them have long been on the breadline and now they are confronting with a much more graver problem – famine. Two seasons of drought conditions and a collapse of governance have added salt to the wound. The country has no strategies for food reserves and agriculture produce have kept on dipping for many years. And now the severe draught - one of the worst in the past 60 years - has exacerbated the crisis and many displaced Somalis are dying of starvation.

Turning away help from non-Muslim nations

The divisive political environment with a major religious group refusing aid from Western countries has made the situation worse. Regrettably, even in this dire state there are fixated groups within the country that supposedly turned away aid from “un-Islamic” sources. This should not happen as those dying are the innocent people caught in the political quagmire the country is undergoing. The starving are mostly the victims of political, racial and religious circumstances in the country.

Be it as it may, the world should look at this unfortunate quandary facing Somalia from the humanitarian point of view. In the spirit of Ramadan the neighbouring Muslim countries, other Muslim countries and OIC in particular could do more to help prevent massive starvation in Somalia. Pledges alone would not see the aid going to the victims of this war-torn country. The people need a quick antidote to survive. Depending solely on the UN and US to spearhead aid to the starving Somalis is inadequate. What is more, in most instances aid coming from non-Muslim countries is blocked by some opinionated factions within the country.

At this critical moment the Somalis divisive groups should see the problems faced by the country as a humanitarian problem and not a political one. They should put aside their political differences and work together to receive aid from the outside source – irrespective of which country the aid is coming from - for compassionate reasons. Failing to co-operate, the warring factions would see the people besieged with more adversity.

- Malaysia Chronicle