The decision of the Somali people

ANN: It happened sometime in the past that the Italian cemetery was dug up and the remains of dead people exhumed. There is a suspicion that Adan Hashi Ayro was behind this. We know Ayro is now a commander of the Ifka Halane Court. What does Sheikh Sherif have to say about this to the Italian people?

Sh. Sherif: A lot of things have taken place in the country. A lot of mistakes have taken place. Many Somali cemeteries have been dug up and the remains of dead people thrown in the bushes. Houses have been built on others. People have been killed, some have been raped, and others have been taken hostage and sold. So this [Italian cemetery] is just one of the many mistakes that happened in the country. There was great misery in the country. The lives of the whole Somali people have been completely destroyed. Millions have left the country, millions have become handicapped and other millions are suffering inside it. Therefore, I think the answer is obvious.

ANN: Some of Ayro associates have been convicted in Hargeisa for the murder of foriegn aid workers. What is your stand on this issue?

Sh. Sherif: Brother, I have no idea about it. I have no information on this matter, I cannot, therefore, comment on it.

ANN: The US government expressed its willingness to talk to you but has also shown its worries about Somalia becoming a safe haven for terrorists. Are you ready to have a dialogue with Washington?

Sh. Sherif: Absolutely, absolutely. We welcome this development. We need to have a dialogue with them. We know that a lot of wrong information has been given to the US. They have been fed with lies and Somalia has been portrayed to them as a threat, which is baseless.

ANN: There are people suspected by the US Government of having links with international terrorism, particularly al-Qaida. One of them is Sheikh Dahir Hassan Aweys, a former head of Al Ittihad, who is on the American black list. What will you do if the US Government requests you to arrest him?

Sh. Sherif: I don't think anybody will ask us to do that. We are not assigned to arrest people for them, as you know.

ANN: If the US Government includes this issue in the agenda of its talks with you what you will do?

Sh. Sherif: They have no right to do that. As you know, we don't work for the Americans.

ANN: How do your Islamic Courts in Mogadishu view the September 11 attacks on America and similar attacks on other places in the world?

Sh. Sherif: There are different reports emerging on that issue. Some say that Al-Qaida was behind it, some say that the Jews were behind it and some say that Americans themselves were behind it. Therefore, it is not right for us to talk about it when real facts are not available.