Last week, I was reading the news online when I came across the headline: "Somali Women Whipped For Wearing Bras." Needless to say, I was shocked, appalled, and seriously angry. How do people get off by inflicting pain on others because of clothing? What we wear is our choice and ours alone; no one else should have a say. These thoughts all rushed to my mind when first reading this article. But after I calmed down, I realized that this didn't happen in America; it was in Somalia; this changes everything.

I tried to forget it, but I kept imaging myself being publicly whipped for wearing a bra. So I wanted to know: Why did it happen? Why is this so bad? It shouldn't matter where we are in the world---the same rules should apply on this issue. Don't women deserve the right to dress themselves and feel comfortable?

But no matter how much I want this to be true, I know that in some places, it's not. Other countries have certain traditions or rules to adhere to, whether it be religion or culture or other things. I was curious about the topic, so I researched Somalia on the Internet.

For one, Somalia is located on the easternmost part of Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean. Actually, Somalia is the birthplace of Islam. For centuries, Islam has been perceived as a sacred religious institution. However, several of its followers have distorted and altered the teachings into their own interpretations. These people have convinced themselves and others, that what harmful acts they are doing, is what God would want.

The Somalia Islamists group, Al-Shabaab, is responsible for beating these women. In 2004, Al-Shabaab was formed after the loss of the Islamic Courts Union. The ICU was a group of Sharia courts who wanted to create a rival administration to the Transitional Federal Government---the Parliament of Somalia. In other words, the Al-Shabaab group was developed after the ICU failed to destroy Somalia's Parliament.

Al-Shabaab is the Youth Wing of the ICU; it's sort of like the "special forces." Al-Shabaab is radical and extreme. They are to blame for so many terrible things, such as abducting journalists, killing wounded soldiers, and harassing people. Al-Shabaab has also wreaked havoc twice in Mogadishu already this year. They carried out a suicide car bombing on an African army base in February, and now this whipping of women wearing bras.

It started out this way: Al-Shabaab sent gunmen into the streets of Mogadishu, looking for any women with a firm bust. Women were inspected to see if the firmness was natural, or from a bra. If found wearing a bra, the woman is ordered to remove it and shake out their breasts. Al-Shabaab’s reason for this act is that these women violated the Islamic law; wearing a bra is “deceptive.”

Al-Shabaab is a group dictatorship. They've already forbidden musical ringtones, movies, dancing at weddings, playing, and watching soccer. And now this? What point are they trying to make now? As of 2008, Somalia has topped the list of unstable nations; these countries are most at risk for failure rank by likelihood of collapse.

I’m seriously...at a loss for words. (I mean, obviously not, otherwise I’d stop typing.) But for one thing, I’m glad that this didn’t happen in America; I feel so relieved. I wish I could say the same for the women and girls of Mogadishu. I can’t imagine how they must feel, uncomfortable in the streets where gunmen are inspecting their underclothes. I hope soon that this chaos with the ICU will end soon. In the meantime, I pray for Somalia.