Quick Somalia Links

My friends at Radio Open Source are putting together a show on the political tensions in Somalia – their overview of the political situation is an excellent one, and reflects the difficulty they’re going to have in getting enough viewpoints around the table to build an accurate radio show – Somalilanders, Puntlanders, supporters of the provisional government, pro-Islamist Somalis, as well as Ethiopians – who are already weighing in on the comment thread.

BBC has an excellent article on the tensions within Somalia’s islamist movement, including some explanations of the differences between Wahabiist “Salafi” Islam and more moderate Qutubism, which favors engagement with the West. The article suggests that the “honeymoon” may be over, as more conservative parts of the UIC movement begin to push for changes that conflict with Somalia’s traditionally liberal approach to Islamic life and law.