Responding to Sultan S. Al Qassemi:

First thing first. I find your attitude (in the opinion piece you wrote) about Mr. Hari’s article is kind of a tit-for-tat and coming from a self-described journalist totally childish. Mr. Hari wrote about his experience in Dubai and his piece was just that. The people he interviewed and the places he visited are not made up, but that was his experience. If you can refute any part of his writing, you can do so based on facts. But if your line of argument is London is much worse than Dubai, then you miss the whole point of the article because Mr. Hari was not comparing Dubai with any other place but documenting his experience. If you feel that you have something to write about London, you can do that but you need not compare it with any other place unless you are doing a comparative piece.

You did not mention any specifics in Mr. Haris’ article that you find objectionable but condemned it in its totality because sometimes that is the best of course of action when you are short of credible argument. I can go over every example that you mentioned about London and give you a comparison with Dubai but I will give you a glimpse of what you failed to comprehend in Mr. Haris’ piece. For your information, I have lived in Dubai for more than a year and visited the place several times over the span of two decades; and I have been in London many times for a very short period of time.

Your first negative example about London is the number of homeless people and let me take the figure at its face value because it is not even relevant. I live in America and I know first hand that almost every major city has a problem with homeless people. And among the homeless, a good percentage of them are mentally sick and need immediate care. The government and welfare agencies are constantly trying to address the problem so far with little success. But the point I am trying to make is you don’t even have the right to be homeless in a city such as Dubai or all of the Gulf States because they will ship anyone who is staying in the land if they are unemployed. This is not like comparing apples to oranges; this is something like comparing apples to a rotten, insect infested orange. The sad fact of the matter is human rights violations are rampant across the region and if you really need to write about anything, do not be offended because someone find the will to write about the land of your ancestors, but try to tell us about a great deal of injustice that Mr. Hari did not find the time to document.

And then you mentioned about the awful nature of women prisoners in Britain (I thought we were talking about London) and by implication you tried to tell us that any journalist who comes from a nation of such atrocity should have no business writing about other places. Again, it all comes down to the issue of human rights and the places where it is respected. Not only in London or England, but almost all industrialized countries have their share of social problems be it in the form of drug and alcohol problems, ethnic issues, gender issues, economic hardship, gang problems, homelessness, lack of medical care, etc. But unlike any of the Gulf States or Middle Eastern countries, these and many others societal problems are constantly debated among the population and the lawmakers to find a solution. Some countries are getting better in managing the problems and others are having a difficult time dealing with them. But the point is, unlike much of the Arab states, the problems are not shunned or ignored but are discussed openly in an effort to find a solution. Because of the system of governance, sometimes governments are changed because of these issues. I wish I could say the same about the city you tried to defend needlessly.

In your zeal to defend the honor of your region, you dug deeper to find examples of injustices that Britain did against other than its own people and you brought us the example of the millions of Indians who served the Queen during World War II. I agree with you that we should learn a great deal from the history of injustices and suffering that Britain, America or the western world had brought against the third world countries. Thousandths of books have been written about the unjust nature of colonialism and its aftermath. And I am quite confident that many more will be written by future historians to enlighten us and guide us not to repeat those mistakes. But Mr. Qassemi, I am sure that you will be the first one to admit that Britain of today is not the place you knew a decade or two ago. And I have to admit that America of today is the not the nation that I saw when I landed the first time more than two decades ago. America is not proud of the way it treated the native Indians, African Americans and many other ethnic groups throughout the centuries. We have also to admit that nothing is static; we are all witnesses to the dynamic changes that is taking places all around us which is also changing us as result. No one is immune and everything is changing. We are living in an interesting time that let us see changes immediately. But unfortunately, all of the Gulf States are intentionally missing this dynamic human revolution. They are good at importing and adopting the western technology while at the same time ignoring the suffering of the immigrant population who are doing all the work to bring material modernity to the region.

The point is human rights group can raise the issue of the suffering of army conscript of Indian origin and demand just compensation for their suffering; I have seen first hand America discussed and addressed, thought not adequately, the issue of Japanese-American prisoners during World War II after a number of decades. The same could happen in Britain and all the colonial powers. Can we say the same thing about millions of slave labor conscripts who are suffering in the desert heat of Gulf States right at this moment? Most of the Arab states have forgotten that these are human being after all, with the same blood running through their veins as those who employ them. Mr. Qassemi, it is not only Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Pilipino, etc, but many of my fellow Ethiopians are suffering because of slave labor conditions throughout the Gulf States. I personally heard numerous examples of abuse of domestic workers who work from the time they wake up early in the morning until they go to bed late at night without any rest in between. Sometimes, the wages of these “slaves” are held for months and at times it is totally forfeited when the employer gets rid of them or if and when they escape from their captivity.

Mr. Qassemi, we are all thankful that we are living in a democracy and have the right to address any wrong that is done to us. Sometimes, we get the short end of the law and we do not get everything that should be ours by right. But no one can doubt that we live in a much better condition that our immigrant brothers and sisters in the Gulf States. Granted, we have so many social issues that we need to address to become a fair and just community, but don’t you dare to compare us with the unfortunate human beings in the deserts of Arabia who have no way out. I think you should be ashamed of yourself in trying to defend the indefensible just because someone wrote not so nice things about your region. You are no better than the people who are putting these people under such terrible conditions because you are trying to tell the world that it is no worse than Britain. You know that is not true and that is a shame.

Responding to Mr. Shewakena

I appreciate the analysis given by Mr. Shewakena in regards to the plight of Ethiopian Muslims and the general political climate and how to deal with it. To be fair, I have heard similar sentiment from some of my Christian brothers and I never thought for a moment that most of the Ethiopian Christians were as extreme in their views as we have seen from some elements lately. But there are major issues that are perplexing the Muslim community when it comes to the overall attitude of the Christian community when the rights of Muslims are trampled upon. Ethiopian Muslims have raised their voices whenever their rights were wantenly abused by the government and other extremist groups but we have never heard a word of support from those who are opposing the government for any number of reasons. None of the popular media and the pundits ever raised their voice when our rights were trashed time and again. When the opposition finds a cause to fight for, they will not hesitate to march on the streets of western nations, but, when human right issues of the Muslims are presented, they become a non-issue for most of our Christian counterparts.


I have to disagree with Mr. Shewakena’s point that both Christians and Muslims are equally oppressed and discriminated in Ethiopia. That was never the case and it is still not today. Historically, a big chunk of the nation used to belong to the Church until the end of Haile Selassie’s reign. The Church accumulated huge amount of property throughout the decades partly because of its favorable position with the monarchy and partly by taking much of the earnings from the Ethiopian peasantry. And Ethiopian Muslims contributed their tax dollars for the building of many churches because they had no other choices. The government in power gave back much of the property that was confiscated by the military junta to the church and as a result it gained much of the influence it had throughout the Solomonic dynasty. If we really need to straighten our house, we should start by calling a spade a spade.


Most of the mosques that we see in the nation now are built after the last monarchy was removed from power. Up until that time, the existence of Ethiopian Muslims was a mere footnote in the nation’s history and their suffering was unknown to the rest of the world. But, we know for a fact that Christianity was the official religion of the nation and all the kings and the emperors were crowned by the Abuna to tell the world that Ethiopia was a Christian nation. This does not in any way negate the fact that Christians suffered under successive feudal rulers but it needs to be mentioned that the sufferings of the Muslims was much worse. For instance, we can all basically agree that, except for the ruling class, Ethiopians across the board suffered because of the undemocratic nature of the system of rule throughout the centuries, but, we can safely single out the severity of the oppression women had to endure in a male dominated society. In a similar fashion, it is not that difficult to observe what Ethiopian Muslims had to go through in their own homeland. My contention with Mr. Shewakena is that we cannot just gloss over the nature of the oppression and paint everyone with the same brush and declare that we all suffered equally. Although I really understand the positive message that he wants to pass to the Muslims, it needs to be pointed out that there are some real issues that we are trying to straighten with our Christian counterparts so that we can bring real peace, equality and fairness to all our lives.


I share Mr. Shewakena’s view that unless a real democratic government is established in our country, we will never be free and equal. And, of course, Ethiopian Muslims repeatedly condemned the actions of the government during the 2005 election that ended up claiming more that two hundred lives and the sufferings of many others. And we are well aware of the magnitude of the government’s interference in the Muslim’s Council to the point that it became its own apparatus to effectively control our actions. We have seen governments come and go and we have learned a thing or two on how each one tries to change its tactics to control us so that we become docile and obedient. We have known the role of government in our lives for some time now and we are learning how to fight the ever changing nature of the oppression, but we have become more aware of the second force that is trying to hold us back in our just struggle to achieve our proper place in the nation. Let me jot down a few examples of this force to give you some idea of what we are dealing with.


• The way it is established, the Ethiopian Muslims Supreme Council is no better that any other non-governmental entity because it is required to renew its operating license every two years from non-other than the World Council of Churches. You might argue that the government might have its hand on this but what about the role of the church? For an organization that was supposed to represent more than half the population, what kind of arrangement is that either by the government or the church? Even thought we have voiced our grievances as to the unfairness of this issue many times with the authorities, we raised it again during the DC demonstration to tell our story to everyone. The church is helping the government to contain the struggle of the Muslims and both of them have found an area of common interest that they see eye to eye. Mr. Shewakena, we are demanding the respect of our rights both from the government as we as the church because the lines are too blurry for us to tell the difference.
• Yes, we have seen the establishment of many mosques across the nation since the time of the dergue but most of the time the process of getting permit and building mosques in Ethiopia is a challenge all by itself. In mixed neighborhoods of Muslims and Christians, most of the time permits for building are routinely denied and it has become a custom to go through the courts. The church plays a leading role at every level of local government to enforce the denial of permits.

• Muslims students are denied their basic rights of worship (praying) in higher institutions of learning by non-other than those who area administering the colleges. Most of these authorities make no apologies for their discriminatory acts by falsely trying to hide under the constitution. What kind of constitution denies the basic rights of an individual? And we all know that a higher learning institution, let alone deny ones’ fundamental rights, is a place to experiment new ideas without regard to the actions of the government. It just happens that most of the intelligentsia in these higher institutions belong to institution called Mahbere Kudusan which is strongly affiliated with the church.

• Right now, there is an air of hostility among the followers of the two major religions as a result of destructive policies followed by both the government and the church. Finally, it came into the open and in some areas, Muslims are told to get out of the country because some believe they have overstayed their welcome. I wish it would have been easy to dismiss these and threats as a work of a lunatic fringe group. But, Mr. Shewakena, major social catastrophes are hardly noticed during the inception and once they get momentum, it is difficult to stop, and if so, at a terrible price both in human lives and property as well.


Mr. Shewkena, these and many similar examples are the reason we wanted to take our struggle in the open and let everyone know what we are dealing with. Although I wan not a part of the body that organized the DC event to speak on their behalf, I can tell you that a call was made for all Ethiopian to join their hands in a show of solidarity. Unfortunately, I learned that very few members of the Christian community participated, perhaps, they were not properly informed of our message.


Mr. Shewakena, we are all in agreement that the Ethiopian Muslims have a lot in common with their Christian counterparts and they have to bring their collective effort together to bring a lasting peace, freedom and equality to all the people. But somehow along our struggle, it seems to me that we are parting in different directions because we failed to see each others’ particular problems and concerns. We have been voicing our concern in the open for some time now but we are not hearing anything from democratic minded elements within the larger Ethiopian community. The peace loving Ethiopian Christian community has to raise its voice against the extreme elements and try to extinguish the hate propaganda that is spoiling the friendship and respectful relationship that has existed for centuries.


Surat S.

Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb - book review

I just finished reading Camilla Gibb’s book “Sweetness in the belly” with sort of mixed reaction. As most of you are aware by now, the author lived in Harar for one year (1994-1995) to do her post-graduate work in social anthropology focusing on the Harari way of life. For those of you who have read the book and are moderately familiar with Harar, I am quite sure you will find a lot that is common, intimate and brings so many memories about the life we left behind. But there are certain points that are mentioned in the book about Hararis that I was not either aware of, or to be blunt, not true, if memory and history serves me right. But a word of caution here about the nature of the book is warranted; the book is categorized as a novel which the English dictionary describes as “A fictitious tale or narrative, professing to be conformed to real life; esp.” Another sub-category of a novel, namely romans a clef is defined as a “ novel in which actual persons, places, or events are depicted in fictional guise.” And from the experience I had in reading the book, I believe the latter definition is a fitting description. Having said that, at times, I find it difficult to differentiate which part is fiction and which part is the real because Gibbs made the lines blurry in an effort to tell the story.

For the most part, the book is a good narrative of the lives of Hararis and to smaller extent Oromos in the early 1970’s. It is not hard for most Hararis who came of age in that era to identify with some of the fictional characters depicted in the novel. The author did a good job of intermingling reality and fiction to make the book an interesting read. There are bits and pieces of data scattered throughout the book that made me think and question its truthfulness. In the epilog of the book, the author thanks so many Hararis and non-Hararis by name and that led me to believe that the book was adequately researched. And I am sure it is wrong on my part to assume that most of the people who assisted Gibb on her book knew beforehand the final version.

The part of the book that I had difficulty to believe is the relationship the Hararis have with their immediate neighbor, the Oromos, as portrayed by Gibb. She repeatedly tried to depict it in a narrow and somehow far from what the reality is. Gibb’s portrayal of Hararis as the oppressor and the Oromos as the oppressed people is a very simplistic and a very easy definition which does not take into account the fact that the two ethnic groups are intertwined in more than one ways and their history runs both in conjunction with each other and parallel to each other. I will site the following three passages from the book to drive my point home. These references summarize Gibb’s understanding of the relationship of the two peoples which is not how Hararis perceive the facts to be. The first quotation is a conversation between Dr. Aziz, a leading character in the book, whose father is a Sudanese and his mother a Harari, and the main protagonist in the book, Lily, whose parents are Irish but who has adopted Islam and the Harari way of life by way of upbringing.

“ … Hararis have enjoyed centuries of privilege – their wealth comes from the exploitation of peasants. Harar was one of the biggest slave trading markets in East Africa. The Hararis would trade black people like me for goods from the Orient. A black man for a bolt of silk from China. My father was bought for a vat of gunpowder.”P299

In the second quotation, the author took the liberty in explaining the role of one of the characters in the book who is an Oromo striving to be a Harari.

“Gishta began life as a servant in a Harari household like most Oromo girls in the vicinity of the city.”

And the final quotation in this category comes from the mouth of Lily during the Ethiopian revolution of 1974. She is expressing her fear to what the future holds for the Hararis and her own life.

“ … That would mean taking away land from the Hararis,” I realized aloud. The Hararis thrived under feudalism; it was the basis of their economy, though to admit this would be to indict themselves as beneficiaries of the emperor’s corrupt system.”

If we dig a little deeper as to the truthfullness of the first quotation, it is obvious that for Hararis that is an absurd assertion. It is just a simple matter of history that Hararis were basically and equally involved in farming and trading throughout their history until just recently. The farming part was a means of survival for a part of those Hararis who used to live in Harar and its surrounding and the trading part of livelihood was extended wherever Hararis went beyond the borders of their homeland. And up until recently, it was the Hararis themselves that were tilling the land with marginal help from their Oromo neighbors. As Hararis started to leave their homeland in search of modernity and better fortunes elsewhere, the number of Hararis who were involved in farming eventually decreased and those who stayed on the farm sought the help of the Oromos on an equal footing to share the bounty. To boldly assert that the Harari wealth came from the exploitation of the Oromo peasants is not only baseless, but laughable at best because the income generated from the farming was very negligible and barely sustained the Harari farmers let alone make them wealthy.

It would be very easy to fault Gibb for her interpretation of these relationships, but we have to remember that she went there to further her studies and she obtained all the information from those who helped her on her book. I can not for a moment believe that Hararis will be the source of such distortion of history, but it will not surprise me if such notions are entertained by other ethnic groups who have a beef to grind..

The second part of the quotation is the role of Harar as a slave trading center. There are anecdotal evidences that Harari nobles were in way or another involved in slave trade. I have read instances of Arab slave traders coming to the shores of Zeila in early nineteenth century, which was part of Imam Ahmed’s empire. Other than that, little is known about the slave trade in Harar as illustrated by the following quotation:

“When Burton arrived here in Absynnia, the city was at its peak as an important center of commerce and a way station for caravan routes, particularly in gun-running and the slave trade. (Up until the mid-19th century Western Arabs exported women and men even for the small price of rice and dates.

Little is known of the slave trade of Harar, but Burton in 1855 calls it “the half-way house for slaves.” The Amir himself took an active part in the slave trade and received some slaves in lieu of tribute and taxation. A slave caravan from Harar to Berbera in the 1850’s was said to contain about 500 slaves, However slave trade was not the most decisive factor in Harar’s economy.

The Egyptians embarked on a building program in Harar and erected a number of fine stone buildings, including a mosque and the city’s first hospital. The walls of the town were both heightened and strengthened and a new wall was erected a short distance to the northwest. The slave trade was officially abolished, and in practice at least greatly reduced.” Angie Eng.

Except for this anecdotal example such as the above quotation and Richard Burton’s personal observation, which was quite biased to say the least, I could not find any evidence to suggest that Harar was one of the largest slave trading centers in East Africa and to assert that Hararis “…would trade black people like Lily for goods from the Orient. A black man for a bolt of silk from China.” I am not quite sure where Gibb collected her information from, but since she had ample time to do her research in her Harar, she would have been surprised by evidences that would have contradicted her assertion if she really did a thorough research rather than regurgitate statements that have not been tested for historical accuracy.

The second quotation in reference for Gishta’s role as a servant in a Harari home is not something that is routine in a Harari household. Again, there might be some Hararis that employ Oromo children for household help in Harar, but that is not one experience in almost all Harari households as Gibb would like us to believe. If she had said the same thing about Hararis in Addis who overwhelmingly hire domestic servants of other ethnic groups, I am sure that would make sense because it is true. I am not sure the number of households Gibb had visited in Harar during her stay, but she would have noticed easily that the majority of Harari household could not even afford to hire housemaids unless she is telling us that the service is provided for free. And of course, that would not be a service, but a form of slavery. And my question to Gibb is did she encounter any Oromo slaves in a Harari household during her stay? I am quite certain that she can see the absurdity in all this. The few Hararis who remained in their farms have partnered with Oromos to work on their fields sharing equally the profits of their labor, but that is the extent of the service. Unless Gibb wants to advance the theory that Hararis indeed oppressed the Oromos in all aspects of their lives, as it was common to hear such phrases in the aftermath of the 1974 revolution, she would have noticed that there is no substance to her assertion if she really did her research properly.

The last quotation I chose from her book asserts that we Hararis thrived under feudalism because it was the basis of our economy. And the very question that comes to mind is, “what is the source of your information? And how do you substantiate that?” Of course, Gibb is just trying to establish the assertion that Hararis oppressed the Oromos in their neighborhood by telling the readers that Hararis were the beneficiaries of the emperor’s feudal system. I am sure that is real music to many Harari ears. We are told that we Hararis benefitted with the feudal system at the expense of the Oromos. As a matter of fact, Hararis were the ones who were burdened with feudalism and suffered together with the other Ethnic groups. All Hararis vividly remember their history and it was just a little more than a century since Hararis lost their empire to Abyssinian highlanders and started the tortuous journey of oppression under feudalism, fighting it every chance they get. But turning history on its head, Gibb is telling us that we were in cahoots with the emperor in oppressing the Oromos and getting wealthier as a result. Even a very short stay in Harar and around Hararis would not lead anyone to such conclusion, but Gibb stayed in Harar for more than a year and such is the result of her adventure.

I understand that I was a bit harsh with the author with some contents that are depicted in the book as real, but the book is part Harari history and way of life and I am afraid that people should not take the wrong message from reading it. As a bestseller in North America, the book gained a wider audience, and hence, the greater the chance for the misinformation. If she was really interested to tell the truth, Gibb should have provided her completed work to get a feedback before publication from Hararis, Oromos and others that have a stake in the story. Maybe she did that and no one saw anything disagreeable and, if that is the case, that is the greater shame.

Although I started with some factual errors in the book that should have been corrected, I would like to congratulate Gibb for venturing into a world that is rarely given any chance to be noticed and we should all be thankful for that. I would like to believe that she did her best to be sensitive to the subject matter covered in her book and did a superb job for someone who is an outsider. I noticed that Gibb had a talent to make the reader be a part of the story and live the life of the characters even for a short while. Reading the book feels like I could see vivid images of the places and events she was describing with minute detail. And as a Harari, it feels like the events in the book mimicked the life story of so many people most of us are familiar with. And I hope that many Hararis will take the time to read the book and make observations and learn a little bit of their history that is fading away as time goes by.

Surat

The Whole Shebang about the “Millennium” Celebration

The Whole Shebang about the “Millennium” Celebration

This is a topic that I put at the back of mind for sometime now, just waiting for some free time to jot down what took place in our beloved city of Harar last July. I had expected in vain for the “organizers” of the event to give us an assessment of the whole celebration including the pros and cons, the reaction and feedback on what took place that fateful month. The way I look at it now, it is either I have to wait a bit longer or maybe wait forever or do my own assessment and get a feedback from Hararis who made the effort to make the trip and spend time in Harar. From the outset, it needs to be mentioned that all the sources for my article are Hararis who made the journey and relatives and friends who live in Harar and nearby towns since I was not able to make the trip for personal reasons.

To make it an easy read, I have divided the contents into five parts starting from the very idea of the name “millennium” and snippets of things that happened in-between as well as the forces that were trying to bring it under control. Here is my view on how the name millennium was adopted and became the catch phrase although the organizers may probably take issue with that.

I. “Harari Millennium” and the motivation for organizing the event. There is a total agreement on the part of the few Harari historians such as Br. Ahmed Zakaria and Br. Abdulmuheimin Abdulnasser that the establishment of Harar is more than a thousand years old, but no one knew the exact or near dates for sure. Thanks for the speed of the technology of our time, I learned from the interviews of these respected historians that it would not make much of a difference if the age of the city was adjusted and rounded up just to take advantage of the gathering of the Harari people in their homeland and reacquaint themselves with their culture and heritage. Later on, upon the persistent effort of Mr. Ferhan Idris (aka Birak ul Harar) , the organizers made some concession and admitted that the city is a bit older than a millennium and that they would advertise it as such, but that did not materialize. The “Harari Millennium” or the “Millennium” for short quickly became a catch phrase and a part of our everyday vocabulary. Maybe the organizers did not think much about it at the time and they did not see any harm being done to our history, but the fact of the matter is Harar is stuck with the millennium phrase or quickly built the fame of a thousand-year-old town. Time will tell if this gross historical error will be corrected in time and the true history of the town is restored.

But I believe there was another motivation that was lurking under the shadow of this simple argument to give the town a round figure for her age. There was a concerted effort on the part of the Federal Government and the Harari “leaders’ to bring together the Harari Million in conjunction with that of its Ethiopian counterpart. If I probably look at this whole episode from a different prism as an impartial observer from the outside as a lay person, I will certainly see the merits and the gains both these political groups might get from this symbiosis. Both of the events will be promoted globally and the goodwill and positive reaction from the rest of the world is a currency that is much needed by a government that is engaged in a life-and –death struggle with a strong opposition for survival. But at the back of every concerned Hararis’ mind, the feeling of regret was ingrained because of the error that was made to our history. And later on, everyone realized that the trade-off was for nothing. Because of the total disorganization of the event, the perceived advantage that was anticipated as a result of marketing the hype disappeared into thin air. One could safely say “ … for the want of a horseshoe a horse was lost” regarding this whole incident.

Was there coercion on the part of the Federal Government on the Harari “leaders” to go along with this plan? Did the Harari “leaders” consented easily to the idea in order to appease the central government and be on its good side? Maybe it could be that the Harari “leaders” themselves brought the idea to the Feds thinking that the windfall is too much to pass. The only people who can shed light on what was done to blemish and put a scar on the history of Harar and its people can only be explained by those who made the decision. But all of us Hararis will bear the brunt of this shame that we brought on us.

Sometime ago, I joined a discussion on the Harari Paltalk forum about the type of contribution the Hararis could make towards the Ethiopian Millennium. An idea was advanced by someone who presented himself as a man of religion that we should make our presence felt and participate in the festivities to show our friendship with our Ethiopian counterparts. Someone argued that the Millennium is a holiday for Christians and our role should be limited only to a courteous well-wishing in a manner that is usually done for other Christian holidays and the arguments went back and forth. Well, for what it’s worth, I hope you should at least guess what my position would be on the matter because, by now, it is easy to see the trend of my thought.

I would refer the reader to the following site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar#Difference_between_Gregorian_and_Julian_calendar_dates

to brush up their knowledge of the history of the European calendar and by extension that of the Ethiopian calendar but for the purpose of this article, I will quote the following relevant entries from the same site.

“The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. A modification of the Julian calendar, it was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, for whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 via the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued from his seat (Villa Mondragone). Years in the calendar are numbered from the traditional birth year of Jesus, which has been labeled the "anno Domini" (AD) era,^[1] and is sometimes labeled the "common era" or the "Christian Era" (CE).”

“The Ancient Romans had begun their years on 1 January. During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals — 25 December (the Nativity of Jesus), 1 March, 25 March (the Annunciation), or even Easter.^[6] Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on 1 September from about 988.”

Since the above quotation makes the origination of the European calendar very clear, there is nothing for me to add. Thus, it naturally follows that we Muslims do not celebrate Christmas (birthday of Christ according to Christians) or for that matter the New Year for the reasons already mentioned. Therefore, what are our excuses and reasons to participate and play a role in the Ethiopian Millennium as it was rightly argued by one of the Harari Paltalk participant? None, whatsoever. Everyone who lived in Ethiopia is well aware that Christians celebrate their holidays following the teachings of their religion as do their Muslim counterparts. Followers of both religions celebrate their own holidays without one being a part of the others’ festivities. Although both groups exchange well-wishing and greetings as fellow human-beings and show a feeling of good neighborliness on their respective holidays, that is the extent of it. Turn it and toss it any which way you want, it can not get any clearer than this.

But again, for reasons only our Harari “leaders” are aware, the Harari Millennium and the Ethiopian Millennium were marketed in tandem as two sides of the same coin. And as a result, some Christians came to celebrate the Harari Millennium, which, mind you, is not a religious event and some Hararis participated and sang in celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium, which I remind you once again, is, indeed a religious celebration. And as long as my memory serves me right, I was under the impression that Hararis are almost one hundred percent Muslims except for a handful that escaped in search of something better. Was there something that I missed since I left Ethiopia? Have some of us adopted Christianity as our religion?

In my view, the concept of the “Harari Millennium” was created by the forces that be and in control of what is happening in Harar to make name for themselves and enrich their pockets with the windfall that they thought might come from it. Many Hararis might think that the date truly reflects the history of Harar and its people but that view is not supported by rigorous historical research. The history of Harar and its people need a thorough research to bequeath to our children what is true and real and discard the chaff that was created to get instant gratification at the cost of distorting our heritage.

II. The Organization of the “Harari Millennium” and its proceedings.

Again, my writing merely reflects the views of those Hararis who were present at the event. Of course, everyone knows by now how the event was conducted and judging by the reactions of diaspora Hararis, assigning a grade of “F” for the overall proceedings of this event is giving credit where credit is not due because the whole shebang is a total failure. So many things went wrong at the same time that it’s unthinkable that this was an event that took months to prepare and organize. A mere association of the word organization and preparation with the event is a misnomer. Let me just jot down what I heard went down in Harar last July and I will leave it to those who were at the event if they can recognize it.

1. The beggars of Harar were rounded up and dumped somewhere along the roads leading to Jigiga because the “organizers” thought they were sore eyes to dignitaries and diaspora Hararis. They wanted to show a very sanitized and clean Harar to the tourists.
2. Scheduled events were frequently changed or cancelled on the whims of individuals who might or might not be members of the organizers.
3. All retail service outlets were not prepared for the onslaught of visitors who came for the event believing in the hype of the organizers. Frequent complaints of visitors were restaurants ran out of food right at lunch hour. If somehow one is lucky enough to fill his tummy, it seemed like owners of restaurants were in force to overcharge their guests every chance they got.
4. Even in normal times, water is a scarce commodity in Harar. The crowd that descended upon Harar exasperated the situation and no one seemed to pre-plan for the eventuality.
5. The problem at the opening ceremony requires a chapter of its own to give a lesson on how to “disorganize” an event. Here is a list of what was deliberately done by the organizers.

1. The “Harari Millennium” was an event that was supposed to showcase our history, heritage, language and way of life. One can only find a handful of Hararis among a thousand or so school age children who filled the stadium to show our achievement to the whole world. Mind you, this is a show that was broadcast live on national TV.

2. In all honesty, I did not mind seeing some of the most neglected and forgotten ethnic groups to be included in the festivities, but was this a show for the ethnic groups in the country or as the name implies something about Hararis? A better organized show about all ethnic groups might belong in Addis since this was supposed to be an event to showcase our achievement.

3. A frequent complaint heard by the local Harari population was that they were not invited to most of the events at all since most everything was done for the pleasure of diaspora Hararis. Most of the better seats were assigned to diaspora Hararis to curry their favor totally neglecting the local people. But was not the whole thing marketed as an event for all Hararis?
4. Again, it might seem an obvious fact for most of us that this is a Harari event, but it seems this was totally lost on our president because wherever he went, he was giving speeches in other than his native language but in Amharic. As a matter of fact, Amharic is no more the official language of the nation, it is just a working language, but you could not tell that from the way the president was conducting himself. Would it have killed him to make at least half his presentation in his native tongue to show the world what we mean when we say that we have a rich culture? Isn’t our language part of this rich culture?
5. Everyone with a car was given a preferential treatment and the local security forces made it easier and favored them with a different set of rules more than others without a wheel. Most of the local officials have four-wheel drive vehicles at their disposal and this was a show-off time for most to tell the crowd where the real power resided.
6. The moment the ceremony was over at the stadium, the whole town took a decided turn for the normal, which is being dead for the rest of the afternoon. Why? You guessed it, it was time for Chat. All the soccer games that was planned for the event was played in an empty stadium because Chat took priority before everything else. And most of the diaspora adult male Hararis joined the local culture of wasting time chewing the leaf and came home to tell the tale.
7. It might seem for some that the opening ceremony was a respectable show, but given the resources allocated for the event and the hoopla surrounding the event, it looked like it was a hodge-podge event without and preparation that just happened in a spur of the moment.
8. Since our “leaders” made it their motto to welcome anyone into Harar, our prime minister also repeated it loud and clear for everyone that Harar is a town for everyone. This is all very well and good under normal circumstances, but we do not live under one. Hararis are under the verge of loosing their land and being wiped out in their own hometown and bringing in more people to settle as a replacement is not the right course of action on anyone’s part to preserve our identity. I did not hear the prime minister make the same kind of speech in Mekele or Aksum inviting other Ethiopians to settle there. Doesn’t Harar have more than its share of non-indigenous people for our leaders to tell everyone to come and do their wish?

6. All efforts by the diaspora Hararis to gather and express their views was thwarted

by a concerted effort of the “leadership”. A repeated attempt was made by some diaspora Hararis to meet and organize, but this was to no avail. The leadership made a half-hearted symbolic attempt to conduct a town-hall meeting whereby only selected pro-league Hararis were invited, but even though the whole thing was stage managed, it ended up being a total fiasco. The “leaders” were not willing to make public the results of this meeting because it was not what they expected from the few individuals who heard and made it to the meeting.

7. There was a lot of fanfare surrounding the distribution of land to Hararis to build dwellings and this was carried out in the tradition that the “leaders” are used to. The largest plots were allocated to those with some connection to the leaders and most of the diaspora Hararis who applied for one returned empty handed. The “leaders” made sure not to disseminate the information about the distribution of land beforehand and as a result the diaspora Hararis came unprepared to pay some of the initial money required to secure the property. Let me add a piece of information regarding this issue of land distribution. Initially, the regional government allocated a sum of $5 million birr to purchase the land from Oromo farmers that it is now distributing, but during the land reform program of the previous government, most of the land in question was confiscated from Hararis and was given to the Oromo farmers who were working on the plot as partners with their Harari counterparts. But the Harari “leaders” gave the bulk of the money to the Oromo farmers while given a token fraction of what remained to the Harari owners of the property. Well, some Hararis did not take this miscarriage of justice lightly and opted to sue the government. I will leave it to the reader to make their own judgment as to the merit and fairness of this so-called land distribution to some favored Hararis that was confiscated from other Hararis who rightfully owned the property and denying them the justice to be fairly compensated.

In summary, it seems like the only thing that was occupying the minds of our “leaders” was how to bring as many people as possible to Harar and leave them wondering to themselves. And the diaspora Hararis just did that. A common theme that I heard from the mouths of kids and adults who went for the occasion is they enjoyed going to Harar because they had a chance to see relatives and friends after so many years and came with a sense of doing something for their homeland. Despite the efforts of the “leadership” to make this a miserable experience for those who took the trip, a good number of Hararis came back with the determination to do good and change the reality on the ground.. If one ventures into the Harari Paltalk forum, the discussion is mainly focused on how to organize and make a marked changed in the lives of the people of Harar.

III. The Outcome of the Event

It was obvious from the inception that the Federal Government had a vested interest in the success of the so-called “Harari Millennium” because of the reasons that were already mentioned. And one could fairly assume that the central government generously funded the event since the local government is almost bankrupt for such an undertaking. Although difficult to substantiate, rumor also has it some international organizations provided a share of the funding for the project.

Local and international signatories, as well as most of the nation’s powerful people came in force to give legitimacy and show their support for what they believed was a celebration of the Harari history and heritage. But was the whole project worth the trouble that most Hararis went through and more than anything, what did Hararis gained by conducting the event? Let me be fair to the organizers of the event and state the obvious and what everyone was able to witness and follow up with what we could have done instead.

1. The event brought thousandths of Hararis to their birth place and created a sense of belonging and great deal of nostalgia. The event created an incentive in most Hararis who have not seen their homeland for a decade or so to make the trip and reacquaint themselves with their land and the people.
2. Supposedly the event should have brought a patriotic fervor in the diaspora Hararis to do some good for their homeland.
3. Investment ideas might have cropped up in the minds of some non-Hararis who went for the event and maybe took attraction to the place.
4. Since all eyes were focused on Harar during the event because of the media and live coverage on TV, it might have created an urge in some to visit the place and learn more about the people, thus bringing in much needed tourism money to the area.
5. On the part of the organizers and the Harari “leadership”, the name and recognition that follows for organizing such an event was something to talk about.

And now let me get back to the reality and see the other side of the curtain.

1. Although there is a lot of merit in bringing together so many Hararis from around the world to assert their identity and do something good for their homeland, all the effort was wasted because the diaspora Hararis never got a chance to get together to discuss about the event or organize themselves while they were in the middle of the hoopla. Any effort towards organization was thwarted by the ever vigilant “leadership”. Therefore, the diaspora returned to wherever they came from empty-handed and they are now feverishly trying to organize themselves, an opportunity they were denied while in Harar. I would have expected the initiative from the organizers to give venue for the guests to express their views and organize themselves -since this is a rare opportunity for such a number of Hararis to meet in one place – but on the contrary, they became an obstacle every chance they got. The lack of any meaningful connection between the diaspora Hararis and those who are back home has been a major hindrance to the overall development of Harar. Unlike any other ethnic group I am aware of, a very significant percentage of the Harari people live not only outside of their region, but sadly, outside of their country. An astute observer of African migration once said, “The sun never sets on the people of Africa” because they live in all corners of the world. I am sure there would be no argument if I said the same applies to our people too. Again, the blame goes both ways why there was no stronger bond between Hararis who live all over the map and the ones in Harar, but as elected and paid leaders of the Harari people, we would have expected a great deal from the Harari National League to bridge this gap. And the last July event was a missed opportunity for Hararis to stand as a united force to develop their region made worse by the lack of leadership and carelessness on the part of the present “leadership”.

2. When an entity embarks on a project of this magnitude, one would naturally assume that there must be something tangible that is worth showing to the outside world. Hararis in and outside of the country know too well that there is barely anything that is substantial to showcase in terms of development. No matter what the “leadership’ says about the region, the federal government made it clear that the Harari Regional State is the least developed compared to all other areas. I understand that no Harari would like to hear this, but it does not take much thinking if one observes the reality on the ground. I challenge anyone to provide me with three significant development projects in the regional state that took place in the last decade. If we do the math right, it is very clear that there is no fund in the annual budget left for the leadership to initiate any development projects in the area. The only option for the “leadership” would have been to play their designated role as leaders and urge Hararis everywhere to do their best in the development of their region. Hararis have the fund, the manpower and the will to lift their region out of the poverty and backwardness that has been the mainstay of our self-rule and the absence of meaningful leadership played a major role in the situation we have at our hand.
3. The regional state does not have a comparative advantage when it comes to the development of large scale agricultural or industrial projects because of real estate and water shortage. Even with the completion of the water project underway, water will remain a scarce commodity in Harar for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, the only viable and significant development Harar should embark upon on a large scale is the development of the tourism industry. The town has been selected as a world heritage site and there is much that tourists would like to explore by visiting this fourth Islamic holiest land in the world. World class hotels and service industries related to the tourist industry should be sought and encouraged to flourish in order to make the dream a reality. The resultant benefit in terms of employment and tax money to the regional government is a much needed resource that has been absent for a long time. Harar should take advantage of the program of the central government in trying to promote the country as a hub of tourist destination, the potential of which is immense. Harar should try to ride the coattails of this project and promote itself as an ideal destination. But do we have the right “leadership” for that? Did the last event took advantage of all that? I leave that for your judgment.
4. One of the most important subjects that should have been in the mind of every Harari during the last July event is if we are doing all the right things in order to survive as an ethnic identity. I have said it many times and it needs repeating until it gets its due attention in all our discussions until we find a way out of it. Hararis are a very tiny minority in their own homeland. Population wise, we are dwarfed by other major ethnic groups and it’s only a matter of time before we totally disappear as an ethnic group altogether in Harar and elsewhere. Is anyone doing anything to find a solution to this? Judging from the activities of the current “leadership”, we should not hold our breath. On the contrary, I am arguing that they are the ones who are acting as a catalyst to make matters worse. They are inviting all others ethnic groups into Harar to make it their home before looking into the big picture of finding a solution to the issue I raised. What kind of a “leadership” does not raise this issue which is detrimental to our survival but brag about what took place last July, which is nothing more than an empty show of inferior ego looking for attention?
5. I hate to admit that the best we can come up for leadership is the current batch that is holding Harar and its people hostage in return for self aggrandizement. I would really like to believe that we are resourceful people big enough to find solutions for what ails our community and have enough left to be of help for others. Our ancestors did not flinch from their responsibility when it came to the question of their faith and land and defended that with all their might no matter the consequences and they paid dearly for it. But they were firm in the outcome of their struggle. But, is this how we repay their efforts and everything that they have fought for? Proportionally speaking, we have the largest number of most everything compared to the general population of the country. We have professional in almost all fields and entrepreneurs who are an asset to the whole country. We have given more than our share and more than our numbers indicate in making this country what it is today. We were at the forefront of the Ethiopian Islamic movement and struggle for equality and justice and we are still contributing much. Significant numbers of the Ethiopian Islamic intelligentsia were educated in the schools we built and, as such, they respect us as well rounded educated people they would like to emulate. Having said all this, wouldn’t it be shameful if this all we can show for a “leadership”? What we have for leadership is a corrupt and visionless group of Hararis who have no regard for their history and the proud struggle of their people. Others have taken the liberty to judge us and put us down by the actions of our current Harari “leadership”, which is really a shameful chapter that we should be able to get rid off and forget soon s quickly.
6. The social and economic problems of the Harari people in Harar is becoming worse by the day while the current leadership is giving a blind eye to what is going on. It seems the only thing that is occupying their thoughts is how to keep their position and power to do more harm to our people. Poverty, disease, unemployment and many other social ills are rampant among the Hararis of Harar. Our social ills have been put at the backburner by the “leadership” because they have more pressing issues of swimming in corruption and running after every cent they can get their hands on. There was not a single seminar during the event to discuss about these issues that are of major concern to Hararis but the “leaders” were happy to sing to the tune of what a spectacular event they had organized.
7. The “leadership” took side to favor one group of diaspora against another and tried to plant the seeds of hatred among Hararis. There was an inter-office circular that made the rounds and warned the bureaucrats not to help a certain group of Harris from North America because they were known to criticize the government. Maybe the Harari “leadership” has a set of principles to live by that discourages and punishes those who are critical of its administration, but is this what we should expect from our representatives? I came to understand that this was not an isolated incident but part of a culture that is rampant in the administration. If there is one single item that ignites the short fuses of our “leaders’, it is the question of accountability and transparency. Instead of addressing the allegations that the administration was closed to any sort of criticism, they affirmed that the “leadership” is really not welcome to any criticism and angrily rebuffed any questions that were raised by concerned Hararis.
8. They have ceremoniously established the culture of Chat as a habit that does not harm society at large. Since I have addressed the issue of Chat in our Harari society in my last writing, I will not bother the reader much. Suffice it to say that the “leadership” should have taken the initiative to the harmful effects the substance and raise awareness during the event. So many missed opportunities.

IV. What Needs To Be Done? Hararis have been hoping in vain that their elected “leaders” will see the light of day and mend their ways to do good for their people. We can still go on drinking in the stream of hope and expect things to change by themselves. But that was never the way things work out. Let me remind you of a saying that says that “ Those who drink to drown their sorrows should be taught that sorrows know how to swim.” The first step we should take to get out of the mess we have created for ourselves is to acknowledge that there is real problem in our community and with our “leaders” that determines the future of our collective destiny. It has been said that the first rule of a self-help group called alcoholic anonymous is to make their patient acknowledge that she/he has a problem, that they are drunks. On the surface, this rule seems so simple to the outsider that most question its relevance. But the reality is that most people whoa are addicted to all substances keep denying it and will give all kinds of excuses for their habit. But it requires a great deal of determination to make the leap and take the first step to make the admission of ones’ ailment. In our case, the fact we have a very dysfunctional group of “leaders” that we need to change with an able, caring, far-sighted and committed Hararis to advance our cause should be our first step in the right direction.

The current “leaders” came to power by the last electoral process of 2005. The ground work should be laid to prepare a group of well intentioned Hararis to replace the current batch in the next election. Some might not be patient to give time to the current “leaders” to wait until 2010 to change the status-quo, but unless the process allows for the current leaders to be removed from office by a no-confidence vote of the people, the only option we are left with is to organize the people for the next election. I do not believe that the current batch will leave office without a fight and they will try to spoil the peoples’ effort in every way possible. Then what are the necessary steps for this eventuality? I will present my suggestions and we can improve upon them as we go along.

1. All Hararis who have similar views should try to meet and network and lay the ground to form an organization other than the Harari National league (HNL). Except for very few Hararis who have a vested personal interest in prolonging the life of HNL, we should try everything in our power to get rid of this worthless organization that bears our Harari name but is working against our interest.
2. The formation of a political organization requires the utmost care and dedication on the concerned parties and should not be taken lightly. It is a process that requires careful deliberation and understanding of the complexities of the political environment we live in. Therefore, we should take out time and study the complex variables and make the correct decisions.
3. Once the organization is established, a great deal of work needs to be done to educate the people on the need for this organization and why the previous body failed us in our struggle. A grass-root effort should be conducted to recruit the best sons and daughters of Hararis to bring into the fold of the newly formed organization to serve their people.
4. The Organization should establish a good working relationship with other ethnic groups living in the region in order to build an everlasting bond based on mutual respect and common good.
5. The Organization should make its programs and plans known for the general public so as to be held accountable. The short and long range plans for the region should be specified with time limits so as to prepare the people what to expect during its time in office.
6. The Organization should establish a mechanism to hear the needs of the community and its total involvement in the conduct of its affairs. It should affirm that the members of the organization are in office first and foremost to serve the people.

We are living during a unique historical period in our history and we should be able to shoulder our responsibility and stand for the cause of our people to give them an opportunity to live up to their potential. Those of us who are conscious about the nature of our problems and are able to see a way out of our quagmire should play our role as responsible citizens and make a difference in the lives of those who are not able to do it alone. The mere facts that we are raising our voices and posing a challenge to the status-quo is shaking those who have taken the peoples’ business for granted and have been sitting idly for such a long time. Hararis are also raising their voices inside Harar and challenging the “leaders” to come forward and account for their deeds. I urge all Hararis to rise and stand up to fight for their rights and get rid of the yoke of oppression no matter what color it is wearing.

Hararis have come to realize the sad fact that their own brothers and sisters are capable of, and are, indeed oppressing them without any regard to the common heritage and the common good. We Harris were under the impression that as long as we are the masters of our destiny, it was going to be a free ride. But however long it took the reality to hit us hard, we have finally arrived to understand the hard facts and what needs to be done to overcome our dire situation. The road we need to traverse might not be easy and short, but surely we have triumphed over much more difficult situation in our history than we find ourselves right now. The wolves in sheep’s clothing’s amongst us might have thought they may lead us in any direction they desire, but let us show them that it was only our trust in them that we have lost and we have a lot waiting to gain in the not distant future.

Peace

Surat Singh

Have we learned anything from a decade of self-administration?

The resiliency of the Harari people throughout the last century to hold onto their cultural heritage forces us to look deeply into the factors that made us something of a wonder to the rest of the Ethiopian people. Since Harar succumbed forcefully and was incorporated into greater Ethiopia, we have endured successive hostile rulers who made it their ultimate goal to destroy the rich history of our people and replace it with an inferior way of life. Since the conquest of Harar by the forces of Menelik II in 1888, the Harari people went on a one way trip of slow suffering and oppression that is equivalent to modern day ethnic cleansing. The conquering forces made it certain that there would be no development in Harar and surrounding areas thus forcing the population to leave its indigenous land and move out to other parts of the country. In a two pronged effort to empty the land from its Harari inhabitants, the settlers brought in their entourage of military personnel and thousandths of others who give supporting services while at the same time forcing the natives to leave their land in search of better opportunities.

We Hararis were scattered and forced to accept and live under this reality for more than a century which was the underlying cause for the overall decrease in the population that is evident for sometime now. A number of studies show that the population of Hararis worldwide is in the range of thirty to forty thousands which begs the question as to what happened in the last one hundred and fifty years or so for the population to stay stagnant. In his book written in 1856, “First Footsteps in East Africa”, the English explorer Richard F. Burton estimated that the population of Harar was around eight thousand which did not include Hararis living outside of the walled city. Since Burton’s visit to Harar, which he incidentally chose to portray the place and the people in a fairly negative light, the population of Hararis should have been a little more than three hundred thousand if we allow an annual growth rate of two and half percent which is less than the average in most of sub-Sahara Africa. Then how can we explain the discrepancy in the population of Hararis in the last hundred fifty years not to show any statistically significant difference? Allowing a good percentage for the overall mortality rate, there is a chunk of the Harari population that is missing in this simple calculation. We can fairly argue that the Harari population was gradually diluted and assimilated in the surrounding dominant ethnic groups leaving us in a predicament that we find ourselves in. Right now, the inhabitants of Harar who identify themselves as Hararis is a tiny percentage of the population making us a miniscule minority in our own homeland. Unless and until we are able to change this phenomenon, I will argue that we have not seen the worst of our destiny yet. If we let the present trend continue as it is - and there is nothing to make me believe otherwise - it will not be a long time before we see Harar without its natives and as a result the final chapter will be written in the total cleansing of our people. It is a small or no consolation at all that if something radical is not done to change this reality, we will be one more addition to hundreds of ethnic groups that have disappeared without a trace in the history of mankind.

But are we in the right course to change the reality of our people? Obviously, the successive feudal kings and the military junta made a deliberate attempt not to develop the region simply because they did not want a rival regional power emerge other than the Shoan supremacy. A concerted effort was made by the settlers to change the culture and heritage of the indigenous Hararis by forcing them to adopt the Amhara culture and way of life and to forcefully assimilate them into the larger empire. Although it made a significant negative impact in the socio-economic development of Harar, thanks to the fortitude and conviction of our ancestors, that effort did not turn into reality. Up until the downfall of the Haile Sellasie regime, Hararis were able to control and manage what is left of the economic life of the town to give it a distinct Harari flavors and the locals felt the town is theirs’ despite the unrelenting pressure exerted by the settlers to change that. But since then, a disturbing trend of Hararis migrating from the region in search of better opportunities elsewhere is being observed. The abandonment of the town by Hararis and the simultaneous migration of other ethnic groups into the region are changing the balance of ethnic groups to the determent of our survival as an ethnic entity.

Since the emergence of the Ethiopian People Democratic Revlutionary Front (EPRDF) led by the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) and its subsequent system of governance, Hararis were able to gain the power of self-rule and administration although the fruitful outcome of this new endeavor is yet to be realized. Through their own political party, the Harari National League (HNL), Hararis were able to usurp a leadership role in the affairs of the region for a little more than a decade now. And it is the duty of all Hararis to ask the pertinent question how we have fared so far. A period of more than ten years is quite adequate to make a fair and balanced assessment of our affairs and depending on the outcome make the necessary adjustments as needed.

In order to make a balanced analysis of our situation, we have to start with the changes that took place in the last decade and there is no better place to start than with the quality of the peoples’ life. As mentioned earlier, a good estimate of the number of Hararis who live on their native soil is roughly around twelve thousand, making up less than five percent of the population of the regional state. And since the focus of this article is on the welfare of the Harari population, I will confine my analysis to this particular group.

If we apply any kind of economic yardstick to measure the economic development of Harar and its people, there is practically very little to speak of unless one is taking pride in the recent celebration to mark the fictitious and made-up history of Harar. I will take the following most often sited economic indicators to assess our situation and see if we have shown any marked improvement since we have assumed the power of governance, namely employment, education, housing, healthcare, basic services and investments.

1. Employment. Traditionally, Hararis were engaged in farming the surrounding areas and practically controlled the business of commerce in the town. Since demographics have dramatically changed in the walled city as well as the regional state in the last decade, the number of Hararis who are engaged in farming is almost non-existent and commerce is largely controlled by other ethnic groups who made Harar their residence recently. The percentage of youth unemployment in Harar is so high that it is easier to count those who have jobs which is a direct result of lack of any meaningful investment among other things. It’s no wonder that that the aspirations of most Hararis is to leave town in search of a better life.
2. Education. Let me start by explaining the dire situation of the traditional Harari Qu’ran Gey which is equivalent to a pre-school and kindergartens with an added significance of teaching Islamic education and the Harari way of life. Well, there is not much to report; the whole town is left with two or three Qu’ran Geys and those are in need of much repair and funding to run them. Practically, it was a right of passage for most everybody who was born and raised in Harar to go through Qu’ran Gey and its importance to the Harari educational culture can hardly be emphasized. Some of these institutions require very little to run and manage, but we were unable to surmount that hurdle and rise to the occasion of saving them. Harar has a number of elementary and high schools that is funded by the regional government but the number of Hararis in these schools is a reflection of the percentage of Hararis in the region and as such shamefully low. As I mentioned earlier, since the focus of my piece is on Hararis, let us leave that for another time and place. In the recent celebration to mark the fake millennium, the centerpiece of the show in the opening ceremony took place in a stadium that was populated overwhelmingly by students of other ethnic groups. It is ironic that the whole event was supposed to be a celebration of our history, endurance and achievement and we had to call other ethnic groups to showcase that. And in matters of higher education, statistically insignificant few Hararis attend Haramaya University, which is the only college in the region with a student population of more than eight thousand.
3. Housing. Again, let me start with the most important historical heritage of the walled city, Jugal, and the conditions of the dwellings inside. Again because of the migration of what is left of Hararis to other greener pastures in and outside of the region, right now more than a third of the population inside Jugal is other than Hararis. One of the reasons Harar was selected as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO was because of the magnificence of Jugal and its architecture. Although much needed repair was done to the streets by the last Harari administration, everything inside the wall needs repair and maintenance to preserve the importance of the town to the region and the world. Since it is the stakeholders who have a vested interest to keep watch over their heritage, Hararis should be enticed and encouraged to return to their roots and populate the dwellings in order to preserve it for future generations. Outside of Jugal, inhabitants of the region, including Hararis, who are in good financial standing are building modern structures. And the regional government made a half-hearted effort to the diaspora Hararis to build houses and invest in the region the outcome of which we shall live to see.
4. Healthcare. The state of healthcare for Hararis is a reflection of what is available in the urban centers of the rest of the country. No additional public hospital was built other than the ones that were built during the rule of Haile Sellasie. A couple of private and for profit clinics has been established by investors because of the dire need to address the health of the population, but these were hardly adequate. Although the population of the region grew many fold since the time of Haile Sellasie, the corresponding growth in the establishment of essential health facilities were absent and the regional government was forced to make the obvious admission and, of course, promised to correct the situation. Time will tell.
5. Basic Services. It needs no mention that Hararis and other inhabitants of the region suffered needlessly for years as a result of careless management of water resources. Although there are no proven water resources in and around Jugal, there was abundance of water some sixty or so kilometers further away and it took more than a decade to get serious and bring water into town. The initial water project was mired in a lot of corruption by the leaders and the funds were mismanaged and ended up in someone’ pocket. And now the ever changing figures of the water project are in the neighborhood of three to four hundred million birr and everyone knows who is going to foot the bill. To this day, water is still rationed to the inhabitants of Harar and everyone is eagerly waiting for completion of the water project as promised by the authorities.
6. Investments. If we are to believe the press releases of the regional government, it seems like private investments are popping up at a breath taking pace. But what one needs to ask is how is that possible without adequate supply of water for these investments? Taking advantage of the Hararis who visited their homeland, the government made a semblance of appealing to their emotional attachment and encouraged them to build houses and invest in other business ventures. But most everyone who had any contact with the Harari leaders in charge of these departments had a very bitter tale to tale. The bureaucratic red tape is one of the worst in the whole country and word is they treat anyone like dirt, of course, unless one has the right connections. That the leaders are there to serve the peoples’ interest is lost upon most Hararis who populate the bureaucracy.

The affairs of Hararis in managing both the regional government and serving the interests of their own folk was bewilderment for those who happen to know the reality recently. But these affairs have been going on for some time now. Since it has become a norm, element of surprise has been taken out of a routine that would have been unthinkable a few decades ago.

Now let me turn to the subject that I have thought a long time to write about. It is a product that we have been partners in introducing it to the rest of the world and I would like to examine briefly the result of our contribution to the rest of the world.

Welcome to the world of Khat, Qat or Chat.

Other than the social and economic problems mentioned above, one of the greatest hindrances to any kind of development in Harar is the role Khat is playing in our every day life. I will be the first one to admit that Khat is not a substance that can be compared to other deadly drugs that are wrecking havoc in most western countries. When I used to live in Ethiopia, the use of Khat was not that widespread; and I remember that farmers used to spend half an hour or so to put a mouthful of Khat and prepare for the days work that is waiting them ahead. And our elders will put in front of them a symbolic quantity of Khat before they start a secession of religious (Din) discussion or hymn (Salawat). Fast forward to the present and you wonder what the hell (pardon my language) happened in the last thirty or forty years. Khat has taken hostage of a good percentage of not only the Harari population, but the country as a whole. It is as if the genie of Chat is suddenly escaped out of the bottle and casting its spell on whoever crosses its path. In the good old days, the chewing of Khat was mainly confined to the Muslims of Oromo, Harari and Gurage (Silttis), etc. for the most part, but today one can hardly find a community that is not affected by it. If there is a substance that can shower an individual with the curse of laziness, we have found the discovery of a lifetime. If anyone needs to take the life out of someone or a whole society without actually killing them, they should just introduce the charm of Khat. This is the curse of the ages that we are facing right now. I used to wonder why countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) had severe punishment such as a death sentence in the case of the Saudis and long prison sentences for UAE for procession of Khat, but I do not wonder anymore although I believe the punishment is still excessive.

The sad part of this whole phenomenon is no one is touching the subject in any form. There are people with vested interest in the business of Khat including the Federal Government who are making tons of money while the country and the people are dying with the disease of idleness, boredom and misery. The export of Khat to neighboring countries and to the west as well is a lucrative business that made many people very rich. The government is turning a blind eye as long as it is making money and turning the people docile and careless to what is going around them. In the case of our own Harari president, I have had it on a good source that he brought a bag full of the fresh Khat during his visit to North America in 2006 and was going at it during his stay. I have a number of questions if this turns out to be true and let me remind some of you who would like to jump in and defend the president in your zeal to show your patriotism, give him a chance and let him defend himself because I give him enough credit to do that. But if the incident is true, here is my question to our president; were you not aware that Khat is still treated as an illegal substance and procession is a crime in America and to a lesser degree in Canada? Couldn’t you have imagined the shame to you and your people if caught red-handed by the authorities? And what was the message that you tried to convey to the people who invited you for the occasion? Although most everyone knows that you are addicted to the substance, would it have been too much to wait until you return to Harar to continue the habit?

The main reason I brought this point is not to embarrass the president about this particular incident because the chewing of Khat and wasting time is not a hot topic of embarrassment in Ethiopia as a whole. Everyone will tell you that even the prime minister is not immune to the epidemic. This is not a disease that is mostly confined to the masses; it covers most everyone from top to bottom. The reason it is not addressed as a dire social problem is those who should be concerned and are in a position to find solutions are also infected by the disease, thus leaving us in a situation of catch-22. Everyone is aware that among the top two or three social and economic problems facing Harar right now is the culture of chewing Khat. As I mentioned earlier, Khat had a symbolic role in the past and was not intrusive in the day to day live of the inhabitants and was not a major concern of societal ills; but times have changed for the worse and now Harar is becoming a ghost town for a better half of the day. Why? You guessed it, a good percentage of the productive citizens are having fun with Khat disregarding their responsibilities to their families, children and those who hired them as well as the larger community too. And nobody in his right mind should find any merit in these states of affairs and stand to defend it. And it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the role of a leader is crucial in finding a solution. But our leader, in this particular case, has become the problem rather than being the solution. I find it very disturbing that no one raised the issue that most of our leaders are addicts, because most of us are in the same predicament of chewing Khat. We have reached a level where it becomes difficult even to acknowledge that there is a grave illness inside our community. I am not in particular blaming the president for cultivating the habit since he is the product of his environment, but right now he is in a position of immense authority and he is responsible for the welfare of not only the Harari community, but the region as well. And I am sad to he is acting very irresponsibly.

While I am still on the subject of our Harari leaders, let me bring in the issue of the Harari National League (HNL) and comment on its activities or lack thereof. It is not surprising that most of the issues and questions that are being raised by most Hararis are begging for answers from the Harari leadership which is disturbingly silent on almost all issues. Since I am focusing on Harar and Hararis, the sole responsible organization for the welfare of the Harari people, namely the Harari National League (HNL) has been silent on its activities since the inception of the organization. The HNL is a political party which supposedly should have been spear-heading the struggle of the Harari people but because of its deafening silence, I am beginning to wonder if it really exists or it is just a phantom. A friend who visited Harar last August informed me that he went four different times to the office of the HNL and could not find a soul to address his concern. The League has offices in several places in the country and practically all of them are without personnel. One can hardly find any of the offices working regularly, including the ones in Harar and Addis.

Since the League came into being, there is not a single report of its activities that have been widely disseminated to the Harari public. The financial status of HNL and what it has been doing since its inception is only known to a very few individuals who are running the organization. If I put the question to anyone as to who were the presidents of the League since it came into being, I bet that very few people will come up with the answers. Most Hararis are aware that the League is controlled by very few individuals in Addis with good business connection to the Federal Government and the Harari leadership. Within the Harari society, the League has become a club of a few selected individuals with business interest who do not care an iota what happens to the larger Harari society. Of course, we should not blame the League for what happened to our community since almost no one raised any issue so far. In the absence of any challenge to its activities, the League trampled on the aspirations of Hararis who thought innocently that it was working for their benefit. I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but this is not even news, it has been going on for more than a decade and none of us bothered to question what was going on. And this was precisely the reason that even the prime minister himself took the opportunity to criticize our leaders for not doing much for the development of the region. Regarding the development in Harar, I will quote the prime minister in his own words and he said “… we are only seeing a flicker and not a light at the end of the tunnel.” And mind you, we are still in the tunnel, but who is not aware of that? But once again, since it is never late to ask, can we, as Hararis, ask the League what it has been doing all these years? By that, I mean what did it do specifically to mobilize the Harari masses in and outside of the country for their benefit? For the Diaspora Harari community, when was the last time you heard any news about the functions of the League or for that matter its very existence? I say the blame goes both ways but the League gets the lions share.

Although we Hararis went out of our way to show the world about our heritage and development last July in our effort to accommodate the wishes of the Federal Government in a made-up millennium event, it was evident that we had little to show for it. We have gathered all the ethnic groups in the country and declared Harar is their town from now and that they are invited to take pieces of whatever is left. As it stands, we are a very tiny minority in our own homeland and our leaders are inviting everyone to come and make us totally disappear in their zeal to entertain and pleasure their masters. Harar is the fourth holiest place in the Muslim world, but you can hardly tell that from what the evangelists of the west are doing right in our midst. One could fairly argue that Harar is a Christian city because of the abundance of churches that sprung in the last thirty years or so. As we loose the grip of our very existence and unique identity as a wonder of Islamic culture, we are being rapidly replaced with other cultures and religion because of mainly the leadership that we have in place. And some of our Harari brothers and sisters, in their infinite wisdom, warn us not to disturb this ideal condition and bring us an outcome that is worse than this. If you pardon my saying so, I believe we are in the middle of a crisis unlike anything we have seen in our past one hundred years of history. And, the sad part is we are not even awake to smell the coffee.

History is replete with examples of few individuals who make important decisions about the outcome of events that affect the lives of millions of people. Take the example of Adolph Hitler, millions of people perished as a result of the rise of this lunatic and the influence he gathered in his ascension to power. If I name any dictator, you will find the suffering of thousandths, if not millions, of people as a direct result of a single person’s decision. But believe me it does not take a dictator to adversely affect the lives of millions of people, every single one whom is precious to the Creator, I can site democracies that are turning into dictatorships and competing evenly with the same deadly outcome. A few Harari individuals and their associates are playing a game with our collective destiny and all of us have the right to question and get adequate answer for what is happening.

On of the sad news from many Hararis who went for the recent festivities was that they are surprised to find out that Harar is a ghost town right after lunch every day. Mind you, I am not talking about other normal times, but this is right in the middle of the hoopla where the Harari leadership made every effort to invite Hararis and others around the world and decided to kill the town after mid-day. Most of the programs that took months of preparation (according to them), were cancelled if it happened in the afternoon and if it interfered with the ritual of Khat. And somehow, they learned that the programs took place in the afternoon right out of the blue. And changes to the programs were made right there and then, giving precedence to the culture of Khat, making sure that nothing interfered with this noble endeavor. A stranger unfamiliar with our community might think what I am writing is some sort of fiction, but most us of who are concerned about this holy land know very well what is written is true and there are so many more things that are disturbing.

In their eagerness to show their patriotic affection to their country and their people, most of our brothers who went to Harar for the recent events spent a good chunk of f their time chewing Khat and contribute their share of an induced mass hibernation and came back to boast about getting the fresh substance rather the dried Khat that they are used to chew. That, indeed, is part of being a good Harari and, our children also noticed what happened there as I hoped they would. I am sure the children did not find anything new in the behavior of their dads because they are already used to see them spent their spare time idly chewing Khat even in the west, but they thought that they will be treated differently once they got to Harar, but that turned out to be a wishful dream. As the time approached to go to Harar and when the children saw the eagerness of their dads to visit their motherland, the children innocently thought that they were going to spend quality and memorable time visiting places and relatives, observing what ill’s the society and discussing ways and means of finding solutions, teaching them about the wonders of their heritage, play soccer and do other physical activities, etc., no! but that was just a wishful dream. The children woke up fast and realized that the whole trip was planned for the pleasure of their dads and most of the time was reserved for the worship of fresh leaves that they having been dreaming about for such long time.

For some of you who are not used to read a long piece of article, I apologize for subjecting you to this ordeal but these are issues that were begging for attention. But before concluding, I would like to answer some of your concerns before you even ask the questions because I really want to make these about the problems that are facing us as an ethnic group and a community. I would go a step ahead and kindly remind my Harari brothers and sisters not to make these about personalities but try to stay focused on the issues at hand. The only way I could address some of your concerns is by delving into the foundations that led me make my case in a learned manner and addressing issues accordingly. And as you are all very aware, logic is the basis and pillar of a learned and meaningful discussion and helps us to think very clearly and present our arguments accordingly. Therefore, let me address some of the accusations leveled at me in the past and probably will follow as a result of this article by going to the source.

Logical fallacies

In writing this article, I tried to brush up the Logic course I took a long time ago in college and found this description in matters of rational argument. In one of the web-sites dedicated for this sole purpose, if defines deductive reasoning as such: “Deductive arguments are generally viewed as the most precise and the most persuasive; they provide conclusive proof of their conclusion, and are either valid or invalid. Deductive arguments have three stages: premises, inference, and conclusion.”

When logical arguments do not follow this method accepted by almost all scientific disciplines, then any argument is actually thrown out as invalid. And I would like to show some of the fallacies that are brought forward in our discussions regarding our affairs.

1. We keep on criticizing our Harari leaders for everything, but they are the ones who are facing the reality on the ground and doing their best. If you think you can do better, why don’t you go there and do it rather than bad-mouthing them while living a comfortable life overseas? First thing first. This is a circular argument and falls under the category of logical fallacies. In our example, if someone is criticizing the work of the Harari leaders with ample evidence, then the counter-argument is to refute the allegations with adequate proof. It will not do the subject any good to ignore the original criticism and level a counter-allegation in hopes of creating confusion. It will not make for a sound argument and will not solve the problem if the issue is diverted. And in all fairness, isn’t it just simple common sense to hold those leaders who have been elected to do the peoples’ job responsible for their actions rather than other concerned Hararis who may simply point out weaknesses?

2. Why do we keep comparing our development to that of the Western world that we are familiar with? We should understand that our people live like most others in a poor third world country. The problems took centuries to develop, why do we expect change to come overnight? Once again, this logical fallacy falls under the category of red-herring meaning introducing irrelevant facts or arguments to distract from the issue at hand. The rational way to address the issue is debating the issued raised in the argument and backing it with related and ample proof. The issue is not about comparing our problems and finding solutions the way it is routinely done in western countries. If we happen to find examples of similar conditions in other parts of the world and how successfully the problem is dealt with, then there is no reason to adopt the method befitting our conditions.

3. Do you have personal grudges against some personalities? There is a name in the basics of logic for this argument and is called Argumentum ad hominem (argument directed at the person) which is defined as the error of attacking the character or motives of a person who has stated an idea, rather than the idea itself. And all I can add to this is let us stick to the issues and remove the personalities from the argument.

I wish you all the best in this holy month of Ramadan and may the blessings of the Almighty Allah be upon all of us. Amin.

Sincerely

Surat Singh