Islamic extremism in Somalia has its roots in the Middle Eastern Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Early penetrations to undermine the traditional Islamic School started in the 1960s by a well-known Somali scholar called Sheik Nur Ali Olow who graduated from Al Medina University in Saudi Arabia. He succeeded in influencing or baptizing the then Commander-in-Chief of the police force, Gen. Mohamed Abshir who remains up to now a faithful follower of International Islamic fundamentalism and an activist of a sophisticated character if not a ring leader of high caliber within the Islamic fundamentalist movement in Somalia. 1 Hussein Aideed Jr. 1 Orientation of Islamization in Somalia As implied in the above excerpt, the traditional brand of Islam pursued in Somalia has had a Sunni orientation. Hence, fundamentalist tendencies were, by and large, non-existent in Somalia until the post independence period. In fact, the extremist thrust did not begin until the mid 1960s. The early adherents of this were educated in Saudi Arabia, but were able to find sympathetic followers in the Somali establishment. Mr. Hussein Aideed in a lecture delivered at the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD) in 2002 elaborated on this issue as pointed out in the introductory excerpt. Some Somalis educated in Egypt are also said to have had influence on extremist Islamization tendencies in Somalia. Some are alleged to have had contacts with the Islamic Brotherhood of Egypt. Hence, "Al Azhar education institutions, whether in Somalia or Egypt, have also contributed to the formation of a group of religious scholars who have been greatly influenced by the Islamic Brotherhood movement, which had a considerable number of followers inside Egypt and produced priests like Sheikh Mohamed Moallim Hassan, an Azhar graduate, who laid the foundation of the current Islamic fundamentalist movement in Somalia." 2 This tendency was continued during the era of Siyad Barre as a reaction to the Socialist Ideology introduced by the military junta. Such activities were generally externally funded. Besides, they took "the form of an underground movement mostly funded by Saudi Arabia and Gulf philanthropic Islamic organizations. Through this method, the number of followers of islamist fundamentalist ideology increased." 3 In addition, internal dissident groups looking for alternatives to the military regime pursued this brand of Islam. The growth of the thrust toward fundamentalism was also assisted by the educational opportunities provided to some Somalis in some Middle Eastern universities, notably Saudi Arabia. Hussein Aideed has developed this point. He writes, "the roster of Islamic fundamentalists during this period grew through opportunities offered by Saudi Arabian academic institutions specialized in Wahabia Islamic teachings which was underlined with political indoctrination based on the philosophy of Islamic renewal." 4 This, according to Aideed, has become the source and motto of the current expansion of "international Islamic fundamentalism, openly tainted with anti-Western and anti-American characteristics." 5 Not surprisingly, statelessness in Somalia has also boosted the gravitation towards extremist brands of Islam. As noted earlier, in the process the role of Islamic charity organizations in Somalia has also been paramount. It is also alleged that the assistance given by organizations and individuals in the Middle East and the Gulf area has been significant. Hussein Aideed has named “Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Kuwait, U.A.E. and Qatar" as some of the countries which at different times contributed to this process. International Network of Somali Religious Organizations
The above
has led to an expanding network of Somali organizations with international
links. Further, "through these connections, a network of close ties have
been developed with all international Islamic fundamentalist groups in
Europe, North America, Australia and some Far Eastern countries like
Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, as part of a world-wide Islamic
fundamentalist movement with Bin Laden as its supreme chief."
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