What does radical opposition Islamist leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys offer Somalia and the world?
Sheik Hassan and I once worked together, guided by principle, and I believe I am still on the same road. What he believed to be impossible became possible. Sheik Hassan believed Ethiopia [which invaded in 2006 to topple a previous Islamist government that included Sharif and Aweys] would not withdraw and change was not feasible. [But] Ethiopia pulled its troops out of Somalia in 2008 and change came. He had a role to play and could have helped us to reinstate our nationhood. He has a duty to make Somalia peaceful. Sheik Hassan objects strongly to your relations with the U.S., as does al-Qaeda. It is vital for the government to have a relationship with the U.S. We do not live on an isolated island. We need to be assisted to rebuild the country and recover from civil war. Any assistance to Somalia, any relations that are serving the interest of the people, is not shameful. It is progress. Can you end piracy? The pirates who hunt down ships are based on land. That’s the reality. We can pl
