Remembering Hodan Nalayeh: A diasporic journalist who stood for peacebuilding, social empowerment and promoting positive Somali culture

Remembering Hodan Nalayeh: A diasporic journalist who stood for peacebuilding, social empowerment and promoting positive Somali culture

Terrorists want to instill and spread a culture of violence, fear and despair through their narratives and actions. To defy this, Hodan Nalayeh showcased Somali achievements and the beauty of Somali culture. CNN has said that Hodan uncovered “a positive side of Somalia rarely seen in the media coverage.” In this way, the journalist succeeded in undoing terrorists’ everyday messages.

Captured Australian Islamic State members: whose problem?

Captured Australian Islamic State members: whose problem?

This post explains how this situation came about, and discusses some practical and moral problems with the government's current approach. I argue that more efforts should be made to repatriate these individuals, to help protect the children and where possible prosecute the adults. However, the post also points out some risks posed by my own preferred approach, as this is an inherently difficult situation.