My analysis of the situation.
I can see why telling Somali women not to marry poorer men will cause a stir in a society in which 90% of the men are indeed poor. However, from my understanding, Fakiir is a different level of poor. It is a type of poverty in which a man will struggle with a roof over a womanβs head and even her next meal.
To add, I find it difficult to be charitable or even understanding of the concerns of Somali men who attested Sh. Munaβs statement simply due to our cultural track record. Weβre a society in which mothers bare the main brunt of children and even in the event of divorce, a woman with a very poor ex will be expected to not only raise her children alone but try and find sustenance for those kids. We also have one of the highest mother maternal rates in the world mostly fueled by poverty and lack of medical attention in rural areas. To make matters worse, women married to very poor men are still expected to compete for resources since a poor man with 5 kids will try and marry again despite his kids not having any form of schooling and even shoes.
Iβm not going to lie, the backlash of Somali men against Sh. Muna drummed home to me how selfish many of our brothers are. Theyβre thinking of how such a message will stop them having wives to sleep with despite not even having the ability of providing three meals a day. Somali women unlike other traditional cultures donβt have the luxury of men who will always take the burden of provision. All it takes is one talaq or for him to prefer the company of another wife and a woman can find her and her kids nearly starving, reduced to beggars, crying to tribal relatives.
Iβm also disgusted with many of the pick mes in our community screaming about wanting a poor man and bashing Muna.
@Mozart, unfortunately you do have a point. If someone looks at the videos you actually find just as many women bashing Sh. Muna for simply telling them to persevere and benefit themselves. The low self-esteem and stupidity is open for everyone to see. Somali men are smart enough to put themselves first. Thatβs why theyβve bullied Muna because her message dampens their ability to marry multiple women with hardly a dime and responsibility towards their offspring, but we have far and I mean far too many women who have 0 respect for themselves and 0 braincells to rub together who donβt understand that the same men theyβre screaming for will always put themselves first and ultimately pay them dust.