In-depth Analysis: What Can We Learn from Aisha’s Tragedy of Rape, Torture and Murder in Galkacyo?

In-depth Analysis: What Can We Learn from Aisha’s Tragedy of Rape, Torture and Murder in Galkacyo?

The former Prime Minister of Britain Sir Winston Churchill once said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. The Somali people around the world were appalled about the horrendous crimes that were happening lately in Galkacyo, in particular, the rape, torture and murder of 12-year-old Aisha Ilyas. In this piece, I am not going to discuss Aisha’s ongoing case, because it is an open legal case at court, and is not wise to speak any court case before it closes. Likewise, this piece will not debate about the causation of murder-rape cases in Somalia, in particular, this new phenomenon “paedophilia” since there is no comprehensive, legal and scientific research available. Instead, the article will concentrate mainly on the lessons that we can learn from these adversaries that our society is facing. Aisha is gone, and she is not coming back, though, I am sure she is in a better place as we speak, but, can we make Aisha’s legacy a long lasting one? What are the lessons that we need to learn from these tragedies? Can we turn this tragedy into a positive, so we can protect our children better from those who want to do them harm? Was Aisha’s murder, rape and torture a blessing in disguise, in other words, a wake-up call?

Aisha was born and raised in Galkacyo, Somalia, a city with around 700,000 population situated in the Mudug region, central Somalia. Aisha was a young, intelligent schoolgirl, who had aspirations about her life like any other 12-year-old kid in the world. Aisha’s mother reported that her daughter dreamed of becoming a paediatric doctor, so, she can help young children who are battling illnesses around the world. In fact, her school’s report for the current year reads well, her school teachers praised Aisha for her incredible intelligence, good grades and exceptional behaviour in and outside the classroom. One teacher described her as “a shining example of the students”.

Additionally, according to Aisha’s mother, Aisha memorised more than 18 parts of the Holy Quran, and she was “destined to fully memorise all of the thirty parts of The Quran within the next two years”, added her Quran teacher. Aisha had gone missing from her family 22nd of February 2019, two days before her little and battered body was found at an alleyway not far away from her mother’s house. Aisha’s mother said to reporters that she sent Aisha in that morning she is gone missing to buy meat from a local shop, then she never returned home. Within 24 hours of founding her body, it was reported that security forces dragged five adult males from a nearby house, close to Aisha’s family house. Some local newsagents reported that some of the perpetrators were close-relatives to Aisha; hence they knew Aisha.

What are the opportunities that we need to grasp in this challenging moment? And how can we turn our tragedy into a triumph? This is our task as a society. Tragedy, whether it hits close to home or biospheres away, can shake us to our core, place a punitive light on our own immediate experience, push us to reach out and remind us to be grateful for everything—big and small. Being connected to the human experience whether catastrophic or cheerful—can make us feel alive and drive us to reduce the suffering of others. If we are connected with others and able to step outside of ourselves, tragedy can be a great wakeup call, a loud reminder to live authentic, meaningful lives and above all, leave a legacy. In watching the reaction to the horrendous and appalling murder-rape crimes in Galkacyo, (like Aisha’s case) and struggling with my own response, here is what we as a society can learn:

1. Aisha’s tragedy of rape, torture and murder, should awaken us all, to show us that we have gone astray because of the lives we’ve been living, and the choices we were making. When things are moving along slickly—or relatively smoothly, it’s easy to just go through the motions of living and not really alive, or at least be dead inside. It’s so simple in fact that most of the Somali population is stuck in cultural mythology that doesn’t help in the fight against crimes such as rapes, because as Somalis we are reluctant to report such crimes since we believe its shame to talk about rape. Instead, we have a backward culture in place that quickly resolves rape cases in the form of paying compensation of few goats to the family’s victim. Even so, the victim will see nothing of that compensation received in her name. According to reports in the Guardian, between September 2016 and February 2017, the Somalia Protection Cluster – a network of about 130 organisations focused on rights and support – reported more than 1,500 rape case in the country. Rape and child sexual molestation in Somalia is a reality, Somalis need to stop denying and, wake up and smell the coffee.

Therefore, Aisha’s tragic case is a blessing in disguise, so we can shake off and bury this shameful culture we were adherent to for so long. The history of human beings tells us that societies must develop, improve and change their culture every few years, so they can adjust to the fast moving of social developments and the world. Aisha’s tragedy teaches us that we should listen to the victims of rape (girls and women) and do something about it. Aisha’s tragedy shows us that our education system is broken, there may be some universities and schools here and there, but there is no productive education system. For example, universities around the world, their secondary duty after educating students is conducting researches that are paramount for the society’s existence. Every nation in the world rely on their university’s research into society’s issues and then act upon the findings of their learnt men and women. Therefore, Aisha, although she is no longer with us, she tells us that we should wake up and improve our education system, especially our further education.

2. Aisha’s tragedy can show us our bonds to others and make us united. The Aisha’s misfortune may be horrific, abhorrent, and hard to swallow, that an innocent 12-year-old is subjected to rape, murder and torture. But there is something about the way that people step up and come together to protect each other, safeguard their children and fight for a common cause that can remind everyone that they have a place in this society. Aisha may be dead, but she tells us that we should be united to protect our children. The Somali people should break the fake clan borders and protect their children, as Nelson Mandela said: “Children are our greatest treasures, children are our future”. We should put aside our differences and opinions, and no matter whatever your religious school of thought is, whether you are Sufi, Salafi or otherwise, and no matter what your political view is, we should be united to protect our children. When we are hurt and forced to suffer, we can finally see one another in the way we were intended—as complete beings who experience the same emotions and deal with the same struggles. Yesterday was Aisha’s family who is being hurt by the tragic murder of their daughter, today could be your family. We should be deeply united no matter the circumstance, but tragedies (like Aisha’s) can help us discover how tortuously connected our roots are. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, in other words, what hurts me—must hurt you too.

3. Aisha’s tragedy teaches us to re-evaluate our dedication to our children’s safeguarding, not only in the motherland but also in the diaspora. As Somalis, we used to be a family-orientated society, that had a strong family bond together, but that’s no longer the case, the absent fathers are to be blamed. Anytime you see a Somali family, anywhere in the world, more often than not, you will see a mother and children without their father. The father could be at work, working hard to make ends meet, and keep a roof over the heads of his family. However, according to a recent report by the Office of National Statistics, 65% of the ethnic Somali children in the UK grow up in a lone-parental household. And that’s the case in most of the Somali diaspora communities in other parts of the world. Thus, our children make up the largest young detainees in the UK’s youth detention centres, because the fathers that supposed protect them are absent. According to the Daily Express, 600 out of the total 2000 youth detained in Feltham facilities are originally from Somalia, that is 1 in 3 detainees. If that is not a deafening wakeup call for absent father, I don’t know what can wake them up. With this in mind, Aisha’s tragedy tells us, as fathers we must do more to protect our children. We spend a considerable portion of our lives seeking monetary wealth and the perks that come with it, and we forgot the greatest treasure there is, safeguarding our children.

4. Aisha’s tragedy teaches us to know that the world and the people in it has changed. The days you would send your children on their own to school or to madrasa are long gone. I remember as a kid growing up in Mogadishu, I used to go to and from anywhere I wanted by myself, without anyone looking after me, and that was the case for most of my generation. But that is not the case anymore, and parents should know that. In my time there was strong law and order; also, people were in favour of a children’s safety, and there was hardly anyone who would want to harm a child. With the advancement of technology and the world becoming a global village—with the discovery of the internet, the deceiving of the devil had surfaced and gone up completely another level. The watching of porn and other sex moves and rape are linked, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Indiana. Moreover, from April 1st, porn movies would be illegal watch on the internet in the United Kingdom unless you purchase an exclusive licence for it. With this intention, Aisha’s tragedy telling us that internet companies in Somalia with the government, local and federal should block sex channels from Somalia.

5. Aisha’s tragedy places a spotlight on the things that we take for granted. For instance, we should be grateful for the relative peace period that we had. We should show our gratitude that we have an administration or some sort of government, there was a time that we didn’t have any. We should be thankful that we have enforcement agencies, albeit a weak one. We should appreciate that there is a judiciary system in place, although not active. We all have something to be grateful for, no matter the size, and no matter the dire circumstances we are in. But, Aisha’s family will never be same, so let us work together and eradicate rape and sexual violence from our society, so no more family will be weeping because of the loss of their daughter. Let us be grateful to Allah that our daughter and sisters are safe. Let us be grateful, let us be grateful, let us be grateful…

In the final analysis, the Aisha’s tragedy, as all things do, will pass. But for now, let’s plant Aisha’s legacy first in our hearts, then in our lives—and work hard together so this tragic will never be repeated again.