DALKEENA NIMCAA FADHFADHIDA Nasteexo ku socota shacabka Somaliland iyo digniin ku socota shar wade baashe muhumed

DALKEENA NIMCAA FADHFADHIDA Nasteexo ku socota shacabka Somaliland iyo digniin ku socota shar wade baashe muhumed

Bisha barakaysan ee Ramadaanta waxa EEBE inoo sheegay in la xidho Iblayska oo ah kan ugu da’da wayn shadaadiinta oo la  da’ ah ama ka waynba Aabaheen Nabi Aadan (NNKHA), laakiin shadaadiinta yar yar lama xidhxidho, shadaadiintaasi yar yar ee aan la xidhxidhn ayuu ka mid yahay ninka magaciisa ku sheegay Baashe Muhumed ee umada muslinka ah ee reer Somaliland oo bishaasi gabogabada ah ee barakaysan xuska ILAAHAY u saro joogay gaar ahaan xalay oo 27kii Ramadaan ahayd, hurdo aan dhabanka dhulka dhigin unu soo jeeday xuska ILAAHAY ee tukanayay TARAAWIIXDA iyo TAHAJUDKA  ee gacmaha hoos haystay EEBAHOOD oo dambi dhaafka naxariista iyo in ay ka mid noqdaan kumanka naarta laga xoreeyo ka tuugayay ninka maalmahaasi barakaysan 27ka Ramadaan dhaleecayn been iyo qadaf ku sheegaya Madaxwaynaha Somaliland iyo wasiirada uga waxqabadka badan gaar ahaan Wasiirka Madaxtooyada iyo Maaliyadu ma aha ilmo xalaal basle waxa uu ka mid yahay shadaadiinta yar yar ee aan Ramadaanta la xidhxidhin.

Ninkaasi waxan si kooban ugu sheegi lahaa dalkayaga Somaliland Nimcaa FadhFadhida bishan Ramadaan bilowgeedii Madaxwaynaha Jamhuuriyada Somaliland waxa uu xadhiga ka jaray Idaacadii Quraanka Kariimka ahayd ee abdi Somaliland laga furo oo 24 hours 7 days baahisa Qawlka EEBE Quraanka Kariimka ah caasimadii iyo umadii muslinka ahayd ee ku noolayd idaacadaasi way qaboojisay, Shaydaadiintii aad ka midka ahaydna way buufisay, kaalay arag gaadiidkii dadwaynah kaad fuushoba meheradii ganacsi ee aad hormartoba gurigii ag martaba Quraanbaa nooga baxaya ALXAMDULILAAH.

Ku darsoo kaalay arag abaalmara ugu qaalisanaa ee abid Somaliland la gudoonsiiyo da’yarta korka ka xafiday 2da WAXYI (Quraanka Kariimka ah & Xadiiska Rasuulkeenii Muxamed NNKHA. Madaxwaynaha Jamhuuriyada Somaliland ee aad dhaleecaynayso ayaana bixiyay Abaalmarinta Quraanka Kariimka ah ee ugu qaalisan ee dhul Soomaaliyeed degto laga bixiyo oo ah dhawr kun oo dollar iyo Baabuur yar oo cusub, waxanu ku qaabilay xufaadii guulaystay iyo culimadii tartanka Quraanka wayday Aqalka looga arimiyo Somaliland. Sidoo kale shirkada aad Aflagaadaynayso ee Dahabshiil ayaa ka mid ahayd maalgaliyayaasha Tartanada Quraanka ee dalka laga qabtay iyaga iyo Ganacsato kale oo badan ayaa adduunka ku baxay tartamadaasi bixinaysay.

Baashe Muhumed ninka sheeganayow maanta maalin ay ka wanaagsan tahay Somaliland ma jirto, maalin caalamku kaga kalsooni badan yahayna inama soo marin. Itoobiya waa saaxiibka Koowaad ee Somaliland leedahay, Ingiriiskuna waa ka 2aad, adigu labadan dal afhayeen uma tihid digreetadii ay kugu magacaabeena namaad tusin. Anigoo ka mid ah Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland ee waliba ka madaxbanaan xukuumada Madaxwayne Siilaanyo ayaa xogogaal u ah arimahan aad beenta qaawan ka sheegayso.

Waligeed may dhicin Digniin Ingiriis, Itoobiya iyo dal kaleeto u soo gudbiyo Madaxwayne Siilaanyo oo lagu durayo Wasiirka Tamarta badan ee Madaxtooyada iyo kan maaliyada toona. Xasad iyo Buqdi qabyaalad ku salaysan ayaa ku hayee, ma jiro wax xidhiidh ah oo ka dhexeeya Argagixisada aad adigu ka mid tahay iyo madaxda qaranka oo aan ka ahayn colaad aanu midba kan kale bixinaynin.

Shirkada Dahabshiil waa shirkada kali ah ee buuxisay dhamaan shuruudaha caalamiga ah ee lagu kantaroolo xawilaada lacagaha taasi oo ay ku kasbatay kalsoonida dhamaan dadka ku hadla afka soomaaliga iyo bulshada caalamka hay’adaha Qarmada Midoobay iyo kuwa caalamiga ahba. EEBE ayaa sharaftaasi iyo kalsoonidaa u suurtogaliyay.

Shacbiga Somalilandna ma joogaan maanta 1960kii beenta adigoo kale u sheegi jirteen ee shaydaanku dantooda qaran dhaafin jireen. Waa dad soo jeeda oo kala og Nacabkooda adigoo kale ah iyo Nasteexooda.

Waar Baashoow toobad keen, oo haddii aad tahay muwaadin Somaliland ah dalkaaga iyo dadkaaga dhinac ka soo raac oo nala wadaag nimcada if iyo aakhiro ee shacabka Somaliland haystaan. Madaxwaynaha iyo Xukuumadiisu guulaha ay hirgaliyeen ee Ilaahay aanu ku tusin adiga Baashow halkan kuma soo koobi karo, waxay jidad cusub noo dhistay, Idaacada dunida oo dhan laga dhagaysto ee Radio Hargeisa, Tan Quraanka Kariimka ah, dib u heshiisiinta beelaha walaahayaga bariga Somaliland, dhismaha garoomada casriga ah ee dalka, iyo siyaasada dibada oo goolal badan oo xidhiidh ah ay iska dabo dhalisay.

EEBOW guusha Somaliland noogu sii wad. WABILAAHI TAWFIIQ

Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh

Egypt's Brotherhood rejects appeal to 'swallow reality'

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans and hold up posters during a rally marching back towards Rabaa al-Adawiya Square -Credit: REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

(Reuters) - The Muslim Brotherhood has rejected pleas from international envoys to "swallow the reality" that Mohamed Mursi will not return as Egypt's president, the Brotherhood spokesman said on Monday.

The envoys, trying to resolve a political crisis brought on by the army's overthrow of the Islamist Mursi a month ago, had visited jailed Brotherhood deputy leader Khairat El-Shater in the early hours of Monday.

But he cut the meeting short, saying they should be talking to Mursi, spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said. But people briefed on the meeting said it was long, thoughtful and in some moments intense but constructive and useful.

From the other side, a senior military source said the army and interim government would offer to free some Muslim Brotherhood members from jail, unfreeze its assets and give it three ministerial posts in a move to end the crisis.

A source involved in the diplomatic initiative said the releases from prison were expected within hours.

Several thousand Islamist supporters marched through downtown Cairo calling for Mursi's reinstatement and denouncing the army general who led his overthrow.

Marchers chanted "Mursi, Mursi" and "We are not terrorists", and waved picture of the ousted leader.

The protest showed tension is still running dangerously high in Egypt despite the mediation effort by the United States, the European Union, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

"Things should move soon, otherwise we shall miss this opportunity. This is all still incredibly fragile." said the source involved in the diplomatic initiative.

Mursi became Egypt's first freely-elected president in June 2012, 16 months after the overthrow of U.S.-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled for nearly 30 years.

But fears that he was trying to establish an Islamist autocracy coupled with a failure to ease economic hardships afflicting most of Egypt's 84 million people led to huge street demonstrations, triggering the army move.

Speaking about the talks in recent days, Haddad said the envoys "still carry the position that we should swallow the reality and accept that the military coup has happened and try to recover with minimum damage".

Newly released deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Khairat el Shater attends a pro-democracy rally at Tahrir Square in Cairo March 4, 2011. Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany

"We refuse to do so," Haddad told Reuters.

There was no agreement on how to start talks, he added.

The state news agency said earlier that diplomats, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and European Union envoy Bernardino Leon, had met Shater after midnight at the Tora Prison where he is being held south of Cairo.

Shater is seen as the political strategist of the group that propelled Mursi to office last year, and was arrested on charges of inciting violence after Mursi's downfall.

He told the envoys that only Mursi could "solve the mess" and the only solution was "full restoration of constitutional legitimacy and reversal of the coup", Haddad said.

"They invited him for discussions but he ended it abruptly...then he walked out of the room," Haddad said.

Mursi is being held at an undisclosed location and facing an investigation into accusations including murder. Most of the rest of the Brotherhood's leadership is also in custody.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Burns had no plans to meet Mursi. She suggested no breakthroughs were imminent.

"There is clearly much more work to do. We have the goal of helping the Egyptians get back to a democratically elected, inclusive government," Harf told reporters.

In another development, a senior military source said the army and interim government would offer to free some Muslim Brotherhood members from jail if they had not been involved in violence.

It would allow the Brotherhood to reopen offices that had been shut after Mursi's overthrow and permit it to legalize its position to run in new elections. It would also unfreeze the group's assets and give it three ministerial posts.

"The initiative will be made so that we can end the crisis and have the Brotherhood end their sit-ins," the military source told Reuters.

A political source familiar with the proposal confirmed the details. The military source also said the government and the military had not yet agreed on Mursi's fate.

"We want the legal process to take its course while the government is seeking for all charges against him to be dropped," he said.

VIOLENCE ON HOLD

The diplomatic push has so far helped to hold off further bloodshed between Mursi's backers and the security forces.

An EU source in Brussels said the mediators were still trying to build confidence between the various sides and did not want to raise expectations.

"The real thing at this stage is to bring people together so they can actually meet and discuss these issues and for that you have to build up some trust and that can be done by very concrete measures, releasing people, dropping charges, not pressing charges, not moving into the squares, lowering the tension," the source said.

Thousands of Mursi supporters remain camped out in two Cairo sit-ins, which the government has declared a threat to national security and pledged to disperse. The interim government said on Sunday it would give mediation a chance but warned that time was limited.

Almost 300 people have been killed in political violence since Mursi's overthrow, including 80 shot dead by security forces in a single incident on July 27.

During Monday's march, protesters sprayed graffiti on walls and statues calling army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led Mursi's overthrow, a murderer and a traitor.

Security forces made no attempt to disperse a crowd estimated by reporters at several thousand strong.

"The military came and stole our country, they stole everything," said Mahmoud Isuafi, a businessman from the Nile Delta city of Mansoura. "I want democracy. Where is my vote? I can no longer elect my leader so I protest instead."

The military has laid out a plan that could see a new head of state elected in roughly nine months. The Brotherhood, which spent decades in the shadows before Mubarak's downfall, says it wants nothing to do with it.

However, diplomats say the Brotherhood knows Mursi will not return as president and wants a face-saving formula for him to step down that guarantees it a stake in the political future.

Two U.S. senators, Republicans Lindsey Graham and John McCain, were also due in Cairo at President Barack Obama's request to meet members of the new government and the opposition.

Before leaving on the mission, Graham said the Egyptian military must back out of politics quickly or risk a cut of the $1.5 billion in aid it receives from Washington each year.

(Additional reporting by Tom Finn, Shaimaa Fayed and Shadia Nasralla in CAIRO and Lesley Wroughton in WASHINGTON, Writing by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Michael Georgy and Michael Roddy)

Large snake kills two children in New Canada

There were conflicting reports on whether the
snake was a boa constrictor (above) or a python

New Brunswick, Canada - A snake escaped from a pet shop and killed two children in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, police say.

In a statement, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police said they believed the reptile had strangled two boys, aged five and seven, in Campbellton.

The boys were staying overnight at a friend's apartment above the pet shop.

Police said they believe the snake slipped out of its cage overnight and travelled through the ventilation. The serpent has been captured by police.

Officers were called to the address on Monday morning where the two boys were found dead, said a police statement.

"The preliminary investigation has led police to believe that a large exotic snake had escaped its enclosure at the store sometime overnight, and got into the ventilation system, then into the upstairs apartment," said the statement.

Post-mortem examinations will be performed on the two boys on Tuesday.

WikiLeaks Founder Says Proud of Australian Support

WikiLeaks founder and Australian Senate candidate Julian Assange

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press

WikiLeaks founder and Australian Senate candidate Julian Assange says he is proud of the level of support he enjoys in his home country and has pledged to enforce transparency in Parliament if he wins a seat in elections in September.

"When you turn a bright light on, the cockroaches scuttle away, and that's what we need to do to Canberra," the Australian capital, Assange told Nine Network television in an interview filmed in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London and broadcast in Australia on Sunday.

In a separate interview at the embassy, where he has taken refuge for more than a year, the 42-year-old fugitive told Ten Network that his popularity demonstrated by a recent opinion poll reflected poorly on the ruling Labor Party.

The center-left government staunchly supports the U.S. condemnation of WikiLeaks' disclosure of hundreds of thousands of classified documents.

A national survey by Sydney-based UMR Research, a company that Labor relies on for its own internal polling, found in April that 26 percent of Australian voters said they were likely to vote for Assange or other candidates running for his WikiLeaks Party in national elections, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Sunday would be held Sept. 7.

"I'm obviously proud of that, but it's also something extremely interesting about the Australian people and about what is happening and the perceptions of what is happening in Canberra," Assange told Ten.

Assange did not favor conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, whom opinion polls suggest will likely be the next prime minister. Assange told Nine that Abbott as head of government "wouldn't be good for anyone."
Britian Australia Senator Assange.JPEG

UMR managing director John Utting told Fairfax Media in April said that the poll showed WikiLeaks had "a good chance" of winning seats if Assange runs a clever campaign. A Senate seat can be won with as little as 17 percent of the vote within a state.

The online survey of 1,000 voters had a 3 percentage point margin of error.

A poll published by The Monthly website in June conducted by Melbourne-based Roy Morgan Research found 21 percent of voters would consider voting for Assange's WikiLeaks Party, with support greater among women (23 percent to 20). The poll, taken June 4-6, was based on a telephone survey of 546 voters. No margin of error was published.

Assange has been campaigning by Skype from a room in the embassy, where he was granted asylum in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations.

He is one of three WikiLeaks Party Senate candidates in Victoria state. The party, which was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission only last month, will also field candidates in New South Wales and Western Australia states.

Assange argues his extradition to Sweden is merely a first step in efforts to move him to the United States, where he has infuriated officials by publishing secret documents, including 250,000 State Department cables. U.S. Army soldier Bradley Manning has admitted passing those documents to WikiLeaks. Manning faces up to 136 years in prison after being convicted of leaking classified information to the anti-secrecy group while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2010.

The Australian government has echoed U.S. condemnations of Assange's publishing, but also says he has not broken any Australian laws.

If Assange wins the election, he would be required to take up his Senate seat on July 1, 2014.

WikiLeaks Party national council member Sam Castro said that if Assange wins a seat but cannot return to Australia by then, the party can choose a replacement.

Assange spent almost two years fighting extradition over alleged 2010 assaults on two Swedish women, which he denies. In June 2012, Britain's Supreme Court ruled against him, prompting his asylum bid with Ecuador, whose leftist government had expressed support.

Assange told Australia's The Conversation website in February that he regards his bid to become a senator as a defense against potential criminal prosecution. He said that if he wins a Senate seat, the U.S. Department of Justice would drop its espionage investigation rather than risk a diplomatic row.

Mo Farah piles pressure on Barclays to cancel ban on money-transfer firms

Mo Farah

Barclays bank is under growing pressure to reverse a “kneejerk” decision to pull the plug on UK companies that allow people to send money home to support families in some of the world’s most desperately poor countries.

Olympic and world champion runner Mo Farah has thrown his weight behind a campaign to stop the bank closing the accounts of 250 UK money-transfer companies operating what Farah called a “lifeline” into poor countries.

Farah’s native Somalia has no regulated banking system and gets 50% of its income through remittances. Last week Farah wrote to the PM and this weekend added his name to a petition calling on the bank to extend its deadline of 12 August, asking his 800,000 Twitter followers to do the same.

“The Mo Farah Foundation, along with some of the world’s biggest charities and organisations, including the UN, relies on these businesses to channel funds and pay local staff,” he said. “This decision could mean life or death to millions of Somalis.”

On Wednesday, a delegation led by shadow international development minister Rushanara Ali will deliver the petition to Downing Street, asking David Cameron to intervene. The prime minister hosted a major conference on Somalia in May when he said failure to support the country would increase the global terror threat. A diplomatic storm is also gathering, with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana and other states expressing concern.

Barclays is the major player operating in the £2bn sector, which supports some 3,500 British jobs. But the UK and US governments have been tightening bank regulation. US authorities fined MoneyGram $100m andslapped a $1.9bn fine on HSBC last year over poor money-laundering controls.

Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, said: “Countries across Africa and Asia will be badly affected and none more so than Somalia, a population reliant on what their friends and families send. Barclays’s decision will indeed cost lives – quite apart from potentially triggering a new crisis in the region.

“Shutting this vital lifeline risks giving people no other choice but to send money through dangerous and alternative methods out of desperation.

“We’ve not heard a whisper from the foreign secretary on this issue. He ought to step in. Barclays’s decision risks undoing the fragile progress that has been made after decades of conflict, not to mention humanitarian emergencies, piracy and terrorism,” said Ali.

Oxfam is also pressing the government to act. “It seems an extraordinary move of risk aversion by the bank. A rather kneejerk reaction when we are talking about people sending small amounts, usually £200 to £300 at a time,” said Emma Fanning, its humanitarian and conflict policy adviser. “Vital to the people receiving it but very unlikely to be the kind of funds that terror organisations would be dealing in.

“The impact of this will be felt by ordinary people, families and communities who are already in poverty and are now finding an essential lifeline being cut off. There will be suffering as a result. Not only that but aid agencies and charities will be left to plug that gap when people in countries like Somalia are cut off from financial support coming from families abroad.

If the bank isn’t willing to find a solution then the government has to come up with one. They have to find a way round this and quickly.”

Barclays said it would give extra time to money transfer companies who asked. “As a global bank, we must comply with the rules and regulations in all the jurisdictions in which we operate. The risk of financial crime is an important regulatory concern and we take our responsibilities in relation to this very seriously.

“Some money-service businesses don’t have the necessary checks in place to spot criminal activity with the degree of confidence required by the regulatory environment under which Barclays operates. Abuse of their services can have significant negative consequences for society and for us as their bank. We remain happy to serve companies who, in our opinion, have sufficiently strong anti-financial crime controls and who meet our amended eligibility criteria.

“We have been engaging with the UK Government, remittance industry bodies and other stakeholders to discuss the issues.”

A government spokesman said: “The Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, allowing UK residents to remit funds abroad whilst also ensuring a robust anti-money laundering regime.

“Ministers have met industry to discuss the issues facing the sector. The Department for International Development is also urgently reviewing the impact of changes on developing countries and examining what can be done to support those affected.”

Source: The Guaridan

Taliyaha Ciidammada AMISOM Oo Ku Gacan-Saydhay Amar Uu Bixyey Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya

Muqdisho - Taliyaha Ciidammada Midawga Afrika (AMISOM) ee dalka Soomaaliya ku sugan, ayaa dib u celiyay, isla markaana diiday in uu la shaqeeyo Guddi uu Madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya u xil-saaray in ay warbixin ka keenaan xaaladda ka jirta Garoonka diyaaradaha ee Magaalada Muqdisho iyo xarunta xarunta Xalane ee ay ku shaqeeyaan Sirdoonka Ingiriiska iyo Maraykanku ee isla Muqdisho.

Madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud, ayaa Guddigan uu magacaabay u xil-saaray in ay warbixin ka keenaan xaaladda ka jirta guud ahaan Madaarka Muqdisho iyo xarunta Xalane oo ay gacanta ku hayaan Sirdoonka dalalka Maraykanka iyo Ingiriiska, isla markaana uu ku xidhan yahay Sheekh Xasan Daahir Aways.

Taliyaha Ciidammada AMISOM, ayaa ku gacan saydhay in ay la shaqeeyaan Guddiga uu Madaxwayne Xasan soo magacaabay, waxaanu Taliyuhu ku gaabsaday in Madaarka Muqdisho iyo xarunta Xalane labaduba ay yihiin xarumo Millateri, isla makaana aan loo baahnayn in Guddiga uu Madaxwaynuhu soo diray ay wax ka ogaadaan.

Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud, ayaa markii Guddigaas dib loo celiyay waxa uu u qoray AMISOM warqad qoraal ah oo uu ku amrayo Taliyaha Ciidammada AMISOM in ay u oggolaadaan, isla markaana la shaqeeyaan Guddigaas uu u soo magacaabay inay soo ogaato hawlaha ka socda Madaarka Muqdisho iyo xarunta Xalane ee Muqdisho oo  ah halka ay ku shaqeeyaan Saraakiisha Sirdoonka ee dalalka Maraykanka iyo Ingiriisku, isla markaana y ku jiraan Maxaabiis badan oo uu ka mid yahay Xasan Daahir Aways.

Warqadda Madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya uu  qoray waxaa toos u diiday in ay ku dhaqmaan Taliyaha Ciimmada AMISOM, tallaabadan uu qaaday Taliyaha Ciidammo AMISOM, ayaa muujinaysa in ay Ciidankaasi ka awood badan yihiin Masuuliyiinta ugu sarreya  dawladda Soomaaliya, isla markaana aanay mar kasta  iyo xaalad kastaba waajib ahayn in ay ka amar qaataan.

Waxaa jira dhismayaal cusub oo la sheegay in lagu soo kordhiyay Madaarka Muqdisho oo aanay ka war qabin dawladda Soomaaliya, isla markaana ay dhisteen Ciidammadda AMISOM, kuwaas oo aan la ogeyn waxyaabaha lagu qabto.

Tallaabaddan ayaa waji-gabax ku noqotay Madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya, isla markaana u cuntami wayday in dawladdu yeelan-waydo masuuliyadda Madaarka Muqdisho iyo xarunta Xalane. Waxaanay wararku intaa ku darayaan in la filayo in Madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya arrintaa cabasho ka dhan ah Taliyaha Ciidammada AMISOM uu gaadhsiiyo Xafiiska Midawga Afrika ee Muqdisho.

Somalia: Mogadishu under Siege through Heavy Bombardment

Heavy fighting is currently ensuing in Mogadishu mainly around security service compounds.

While it is not yet clear who is attacking the Somalia security forces as well as the main base of AMISOM reports indicate that the said areas are under heavy bombardment whose confirmed damage so far is several serious injuries sustained by both security personell and civilians alike.

Areas that are the scene of the fierce fighting include Ex-Control, Afgoye, Saybiano Estate, Zope Junction, KM 4 & Sanaa Roundabouts, Bulo Hube Estate, Waberi police station and AMISOM base among others.
Though the gun battle is fierce the bombings effected by the attackers is the largest and most deadliest ever witnessed during twenty years of turbulence not only in Mogadishu but the entire country of Somalia.

While the identity of the attackers is yet to be confirmed suspicion is directed at the Al-shabaab militants who have been battling the Somalia Federal Government for Control of the capital city Mogadishu thus augment their current supremacy in rural areas of the country.

The Fast and the Not Necessarily Furious Ramadan Mood and Circadian Rhythms

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is currently in full swing and observing it requires adapting to a certain rhythm of fasting, feasting and festivities. But the rhythm of Ramadan might also impact another sort of rhythm--circadian. Researchers have been exploring whether circadian rhythms are out of sync with Ramadan's

Photo: Full Moon and Full Belly: Ramadan is based off a lunar calendar--when the sun goes down, it's time to eat up!

For the majority of the year, Muslims begin the morning with a call to prayer followed by breakfast, a meal to break the previous night's fast. This, along with exposure to the light, sets the body's internal clock according to the solar day. During Ramadan, the Islamic lunar calendar's ninth month, observers abstain from food, liquid, and tobacco during daylight hours. Instead of the morning, fast is broken at sunset with iftar, following the evening call to prayer. Items prohibited during the day are permissible throughout the evening, and then the final meal, suhoor, is eaten before dawn. As a result, the normal order is reversed through the holy month; at night, when the body is normally ready to wind down, the month's late night festivities wind up the circadian clock.

Body temperature and melatonin, a hormone that induces heat loss, normally follow a circadian rhythm. Throughout the day, the rise of body temperature and the inhibition of melatonin prompt wakefulness. Then, in the evening, body temperature falls while melatonin is secreted to induce sleepiness.

Both melatonin and core body temperatures have been used as reliable indicators of changes to circadian rhythms, making them useful in examining levels of tiredness throughout Ramadan. Research has suggested the nocturnal peak of melatonin is diminished and delayed throughout the holy month, as well as a change in the onset of the secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol. In addition, studies have shown changes to both the circadian rhythm for body temperature and sleep architecture, resulting in difficulty falling asleep, shorter sleep periods, and alterations in Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep.


With all of these bodily changes, there might be an expectation to encounter some seriously grumpy people. This may or may not be the case; not only is it unclear how to interpret the disruption of circadian rhythms, the findings aren't universal. Various studies specifically examining moods during Ramadan have resulted in mixed findings.

Some only found increased levels of fatigue at the end of Ramadan with no significant changes to mood. However, other studies have found negative moods may result from sleep patterns. There may also be increased levels of irritability; in a study of smokers and non-smokers, irritability was higher in both groups during the Ramadan month but increased more in smokers than in nonsmokers.

This study highlights one of the many things that makes studies of Ramadan so tricky. In addition to smoking status, there are a whole slew of variables that exist during the holy month. Other variations exist due to factors such as socioeconomic status and culture, both of which shape choices in foods prepared. Because Ramadan is observed throughout countries worldwide, the special dishes reflect regional cuisine. Depending on the country, there may be changes in the levels of fat, protein and sugar consumed. For example, nutritional intake during Ramadan has been reported to decrease, increase, and even stay the same!

Complicating studies further, the Islamic calendar is lunar, meaning the first day of Ramadan advances 11 days every year in relation to the Gregorian calendar. Consequently, the month of Ramadan falls on different parts of the year throughout its 33 year cycle. This not only shifts the amount of fasting time within the same location in different years but also changes the amount of time for different locations within the same year. This year, fasting within Argentina will be only around 9 hours but will be over 21 hours in Iceland, although recommendations for modifications have been made.

All of these factors contribute to how Ramadan is studied and experienced. However, there may be one consensus regarding Ramadan--although there might be increased sleepiness, Ramadan certainly isn't a snoozefest. In cities worldwide such as Cairo, it's a vibrant time of year filled with celebrations.

Photo: This gentleman needs to wake up.

And if the desserts don't sweeten the mood, then you can stuff it! Really. In Arabic, mahshi means "stuffed." This dish of vegetables stuffed with rice and meat is served throughout the year and during Ramadan it provides a tasty mixture of protein and carbohydrates.

MAHSHI

And if the desserts don't sweeten the mood, then you can stuff it! Really. In Arabic, mahshi means "stuffed." This dish of vegetables stuffed with rice and meat is served throughout the year and during Ramadan it provides a tasty mixture of protein and carbohydrates.

Stuffing:

2 cups short grain rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lb ground lamb or beef

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup each, chopped parsley and dill

1 large onion, chopped

Tomato Sauce:

1 cup tomato puree

3 cups water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Assorted Vegetables to Fill (Zucchini, Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Etc)

To Make The Stuffing:

Soak rice in warm water for half an hour.

While rice is soaking, heat oil in a frying pan, add onions and saute until they are brownish.

Add the ground lamb. When the meat is cooked thoroughly, combine the mixture with rice, 1 cup water, herbs and cumin.

Continue to simmer until the liquid is absorbed. The rice will not be cooked through, that will happen when it is baked.

Core the assorted vegetables and stuff them with the rice and meat mixture, leaving enough room to allow the rice to expand while cooking.

To Make The Tomato Sauce:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix thoroughly.

Then:

Place the stuffed vegetables in a baking dish and pour in the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 degrees, adding water if needed and continue to bake until the rice is cooked thoroughly and the vegetables are soft.

Images: All photos take by Permission of the artists: JJ San, Tom Spender, Damon Farry, Layla Eplett, Rick Wilhelmsen, Marwa Morgan, Greg J, yelayat.

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15 Strange Habits I Developed Overseas - Which stranges are Djiboutian do !!!

 

Rachel Pieh Jones. Pieh as in 3.1415926. Raised in the Christian west, now I live in the Muslim east. Djibouti Jones is where I process writing, running, raising three Third Culture Kids, the Horn of Africa, and faith.

This post, 23 Strange Habits, is the inspiration behind today’s blog post. I have not lived in 23 countries but have certainly picked up some strange habits. Here are a few of the strange habits acquired after eleven years overseas, habits that are hard to shake and of which I am barely conscious.

1.      No shoes in the house. People in Minnesota tell me to make myself at home and leave my shoes on. I struggle. I want to take them off. In Djibouti there could be goat/camel/sheep poop on those shoes, or road kill juice, or simply a lot of dirt. A house without a pile of shoes at the front door is a lonely house.

2.      Kissy-face or tilted chin or tongue sticking out. Instead of using a ‘pointer’ finger, I use ‘pointer’ lips and ‘pointer’ tongue and ‘pointer’ chin.

3.      Cupping my hand to call someone. Waggling one finger is how you call a dog. I hold my hand out, palm down, and bring all four fingers toward the fleshy part of my palm. I watched a movie recently in which Liam Neeson called a military officer with his finger and I cringed. I thought the officer would attack him for being so disrespectful. 

4.      Farmer-blowing in the street (only while running though!) and spitting. Gross. Sorry. 

rarely getting mail, no house address

 5.      Kissing cheeks and no hugs. I used to view the French-style cheek kisses as inherently sexual. Now I much prefer them to full-frontal hugs. Which is more invasive: Brushing cheeks together while making juicy smooching noises or full body contact and squeezing? 

6.      Inhaling. I inhale often, and sharply. It means something like, uh-uh, or I’m listening. Lucy tells me to knock it off, apparently it is annoying. 

7.      On-and-off showers. I turn off the water while shampooing, shaving, sudsing and then turn it back on to rinse. Off again. On again. This isn’t because of temperature issues exclusively. Showers are not designed to keep water in a certain space. A shower means the entire bathroom gets doused so to minimalize the pool-effect, I turn the water on and off. 

8.      Insha Allah. When talking about the future I feel incomplete if I don’t add something like insha Allah. God willing. Hopefully. As far as I can tell. Maybe, maybe not.

9.      Using the optative. May you be healthy! May God heal you! May you not hit that donkey cart! May you lower the price! Strangely, in Somali, this is sufficient. But when I use it in English, hand motions accompany the words, salute-like, and I feel like I’m sending the person I’m speaking to off into battle.

10.  Layers. The hotter it gets, the more clothes I wear. This is because sweat is ugly. So I wear one or two or three layers that soak up the sweat while the outer layer still looks fresh.

11.  No public displays of affection. Tom and I rarely hold hands and when we do, it is awkward and limp. We only recently started kissing in the airport upon arrival or departure and then a chaste peck on the cheek with a shoulder pat.

12.  Irregular toilet flushing. If its yellow, let it mellow. If its brown, flush it down. Sometimes flush toilet paper, sometimes put toilet paper in the garbage, sometimes hide toilet paper under the nearest rock. I promise not to do that while visiting your home. Unless you live in Africa, then you just never know.

exchange money with a lady on the side of the street, not a bank or ATM

 13.  Sleeping in the middle of the day. Lovely.

14.  Bizarre exclamations and hand gestures. Ish! Hoh. Waryaa. Sow ma aha? Wiggling my earlobe or poking the side of my nose, all tacked onto the end of otherwise normal English sentences.

15.  Twirling conversations. Americans don’t tend to face each other while talking, but stand shoulder to shoulder. This feels strange and cold so I turn to face them, possibly step closer, may even make physical contact. They then rotate slightly, back away, and flinch. I respond again. All this is subconscious, but it inevitably means we turn in full circles while talking.

Have you noticed any of your own strange habits? Or any of mine that I didn’t mention?

source: djiboutijones.com