By Hayat Ahmed

As I read about the monstrous attacks on innocent lives that happened in Hargeysa on Wednesday my heart throbbed with anguish, and my eyes began to swell up with tears. Though I live in a city with very few Somalilanders, as I came across some of my compatriots on my way home, one look at the sad, far off expressions on their faces was enough to tell me that they too had heard the dreadful news. When I got home, I frantically began searching the internet for more news on the attacks, and came across the heart wrenching video showing the attacks, on YouTube. As I watched the footage and saw places I use to walk past carefree during my summer vacations, my mind quickly turned to my first ever trip to Somaliland.

I was born abroad and raised abroad. I had never taken any interest in the little Republic, thinking of it only as the place my parents left because of the war; I saw my future in North America , the only home I had ever known. My father thought differently. He told me that Somaliland was not just a country but was a part of who I was as a person, a part of me that could never be severed, and that one day I would learn to love it as dearly as he did. So I went to Somaliland with my father's words in mind, completely unaware of how this trip would have such a huge impact on my life. As I learned more about Somaliland 's rich history and culture, I found that I learned more about who I was as a person. Growing up in North America, I faced a lot of racism from a very young age, in Somaliland however I was someone; the daughter of so and so and the granddaughter of so and so. I was welcomed with open arms by people I had never met, and felt a strong sense of belonging, of finally being home. After my trip I came to regard Somaliland as my little corner of the world, my home, my future. Somaliland had become a part of me and a feeling that had been dormant in me had final been awoken: a feeling of true, genuine patriotism.  

As I scrolled down the YouTube page reading the comments left by my compatriots, I could see that no matter where Somalilanders lived, whether in the Australian outback or the California valley, the feelings of pain, anguish, and loss, was universal among us all. We grieved together, united by the sadness we all felt over the lives lost and destruction that occurred in a homeland many of us have not seen in years, if ever. Disbelief that such a senseless attack of terror could be carried out against such compassionate, caring, people, who have strived and struggled to maintain a peaceful, free, tolerant and democratic society. All Somalilanders, everywhere felt the loss of those innocent lives very keenly, and although we might not be able to be with you at this darkest of hours, our hearts, minds, and prayers are. We have faced worse than this before and Insha'Allah we shall overcome.    

Hayat Ahmed,

2008 President of SYONA

hfarah@live.com