Mohamud Hassan - Aduun Waa Hadh Wareego, Waa Habeen iyo Maalin

As the beginning of Nabsiga Hiisha clearly states: the world is masked in a shadow, that envelopes it day and night.

This is an accurate assessment of the human condition for those who live their lives outside of the socially acceptable norms and practices that are usually associated with the mainstream. We are often told that life is not black and white, just a shade of grey. It is this shade of grey where everything takes place; where black and white collide. But there are those who exist outside of all the acceptable norms and practices; dipping in and out of the mainstream as and when they see fit. Machiavellian in the extreme; their ambition is made apparent by the total lack of direction visible in their peers. They are socially mobile, slithering their way to a position wherein which they can find comfort. At the expense of the very people they claim to be working to help. Which is tragic.

In an effort to provide an example to those readers who may find it difficult to follow my train of thought, I present to you Mohamoud Hassan. To give you a glimpse of what is happening within Somali community organisations; there is the London Youth Somali Forum, the Somali Youth Development Research Centre and the Somali Community Development Trust. All of them have one thing in common. Yes, you guessed it, the honourable Mohamoud Hassan. For the London Youth Forum, he is the representative/ambassador for the organisation in all 15 boroughs. His details on the website: http://www.lsyf.org.uk/index.php?menu_id=72&exmenu=72 are false. I have attempted to call him and got through to an advertising firm. He is the architect of the Somali Youth Development Research Centre: http://www.sydrc.org/. And he is the Director of the Somali Community Development Trust: http://www.scdtrust.org.uk/. All of these organisations are based in the same borough of London [Camden] and all of them receive public funding and support from the local authorities. Now, we can safely assume due to the evidential data associated with Somalis in the capital [and particularly in the borough of Camden] that to date these three organisations have done little in the way of addressing any of the issues faced by the very community they claim to so actively represent.

The dilemma here is clear; when asked 'what are you doing to address your current situation?' Somalis are seen as a lethargic, inactive element of society. The common refrain here is that they fail to 'help themselves' , but what people fail to realise is that some appear to be very good at helping themselves. Just look at Mahamoud Hassan and see what the current system has produced. The status quo allows for the likes of Mr. Hassan to operate without impunity. Sometimes they even operate at the behest of those who hold power in local authorities; often you hear their representatives ask ' why don't you speak to a Mr. Hassan from the London Somali Youth Forum, they are doing terrific work!'.

Now, I am not knocking the ambition of Mr. Hassan et al. As there are a number of his kind in the game, so to speak. His ambition is misplaced and the likes of Mr. Hassan allow for the system to manipulate the path Somalis could take towards a progressive understanding of their current plight and their future role in mainstream society. These kinds of individuals have every right to develop their careers and achieve all they can. But the greedy must not be allowed to cash in on the needy.