TM7 ... and for several hundred years prior to that and in conjunction with the charter of 1960, all Somali tribes practiced a local brand of Islam that rejected its roots with the Arabian Peninsula because of slavery. They make their hajj locally instead of Mecca/Medina. The Charter of 1960 was to introduce a progressive government in the area, but it was not without its opposition as the civil war later proved. So the proverb has been in effect before, during and after their very brief attempt at religious freedom. That's why in the early 1990's the documented population of Christians in Mogadishu went from 142 to 0, with many of them killed by Imams on the grounds of apostasy by means of a tire necklace; their families were distributed to faithful Muslims lest their children adopt any Christian ideals. That's why the Somali Christian population is 100% converts in the first generation, living abroad, with 2nd generation being born outside the region. The brief brand of Christianity you speak of was only in the Ogadeni region, along the Ethiopian border, not by the military but by a specific military leader, whose tribe had received alot of influence from the Ethiopian residents of the region along the border. It was stamped out rapidly later on.
If I had to guess, this guy is not the first born son of his father's first wife (polygamy is common amongst Somalis even in the US), and therefore is not entitled per tribal law to an inheritance unless he marries into wealth, which is difficult to do without any of his own. He's probably closer to his mom's brothers than he is to his father or his father's brothers. They've probably not integrated into their local community in Oregon, so he's an outsider at large, and an outsider within his own community. Easy pickings for a recruiter offering the chance to be a part of something larger, with meaning, make a difference ... fuel the discontent and channel it appropriately. Their recruiters profile ... its published, and it works, and it doesn't start off in Islam usually. Darn them for not being PC!
