Basic Facts
- Country: Somalia
- Capital: Mogadishu
- Languages: Somali, Arabic, English
- Religion: Islam
- Products: Livestock, fruit, grain,
frankincense
- Government:
No central government
since 1991
- Climate:
Tropical, warm, and arid
Brief History
-
Somalia known as
Puntland
by Ancient Egypt
-
Contact with Islam in
the
7th Century
-
Colonized by Ottoman
Empire 1500-1850
-
European Colonization in
the 19th Century
-
Freedom Movement lead by
Mohamed Abdulle Hassan: 1900-1920
-
Independence 1960:
British
Somaliland and Italian Somaliland unite to form the Somali
Republic
-
Two Presidents
successfully elected during this period under multiparty
democracy
-
A coup in 1969 was
followed by 21 years of military rule
-
In 1991 civil war led to
the collapse of the Somali state and the era of the warlords
Mogadishu before and
after civil war
Before
After
Mogadishu before and
after civil war
Before
After
Mogadishu Cathedral before and after civil war
Before
Today
Names
-
Somalis officially use
three names: a given name, father's name, and grandfather's
name.
-
There is no family
surname.
-
Somali women do not use
their husband's surname after marriage.
-
The origin of Somali names
is often Cushitic or
Arabic, with the latter more common.
General Attitudes of Somalis
-
Good-natured, friendly,
and hospitable
-
Value friendship based on
mutual respect
-
Place great worth on
family and tradition
-
Cherish self-reliance,
autonomy, and tradition
-
Value learning; they will
sacrifice much to provide proper education for the children
-
Wisdom and bravery are
admired
Cultural
Accommodation
-
No handshake between
opposite gender
-
Dietary guidelines: no
alcohol or pork products
-
Daily prayers five times
each day
-
Fasting in Ramadan: no
food or drink between dawn and sunset
The Five Pillars of Islam
-
Declaration of Faith
(Shahadah)
-
Performing Five Daily
Prayers (Salat)
-
Paying Charity to the Poor
(Zakat)
-
Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm)
-
Pilgrimage to Makkah once
in a Lifetime (Hajj)
Islamic Holidays
- Eid Al-Fitr: Feast of Breaking the Fast observed at the end of
Ramadan
- Eid Al-Adha: Feast of Sacrifice
observed during the Pilgrimage to Makka
Basic
Beliefs of Muslims
Challenges to Be Overcome
-
Language and
cultural
barriers
-
Trust and
understanding of
new culture and environment
-
Acculturation:
Challenge
to fit in and yet to maintain cultural and religious identity
-
Isolation:
Separation from
family
-
Availability of
services
-
Complex and
fragmented
system, lack of understanding of the system
-
Immigration issues
and
concerns
-
Economic concerns
-
Somali warmly
greet each
other with handshakes, but shaking hands with the opposite sex
is avoided.
-
Common verbal
greetings
include:
-
Iska waran. (How
are
you?)
-
Subah wanaagsan.
(Good morning)
-
Galab wanaagsan.
(Good afternoon)
-
Habeen wanaagsan.
(Good night)
-
Somalis also often
use the
Arabic-based greeting, "Assalam alaikum," meaning "Peace be upon
you."
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