Xudeedi Posted November 13, 2006 A lot of you are familiar with Duale's piece a year ago when he bibliographed and detailed the birth and rise of Al-Itihaad Al-Islaamiya in the Horn. The founders, mostly from northern region, and popular members whom most of you are presently familiar with their activities. The piece was written prior to the rise of Islamic courts. Consistently, Dr. Siarag highlights all the key players both the present and the past. This is his summary of Mogadisho elements after discussing all of their political involvement in the regions they had previously established their bases. Please, note his article preceded the events that unfolded in Mogadisho. It flourished and proliferated under the umbrella of the USC-Aided’s wing and under the auspices of Abdiqassim Salad Hassan and his Transitional National Government (TNG) formed in Arta, Djibouti, in 2000. In collaboration with the USC, it established a base in Merca, the capital of the Lower Shabelle region in 1992, taking over the control of the port and setting up an Islamic court.................Al-Ittihad maintains Islamic courts and its own militia force in Mogadishu. They also run various madarassa schools, relief organizations and almost all the business activities in the city, including export-import trading, transportation, telecommunication, storage facilities and banking systems. Al-Ittihad regulates daily currency exchange rates for southern Somalia, including Puntland. It maintains strong commercial ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Al-Ittihad retains commercial centers, offices and residential premises, and hideouts for its top leaders who mostly are in possession of UAE resident permits and bank accounts. The higher-ranking Al-Ittihad leaders based in Mogadishu include, Mohamud Esse, Sheikh Omer Faaruuq, Hassan Daahir Aways, Sheikh Ibrahim Suulay, Aden Hashi Ayro, and Haji Addani (perhaps the most influential of Al-Ittihad leaders in southern Somalia). Sheikh Ali Dheere, who follows a different version of religious radicalism in Mogadishu, was instrumental in the establishment of the first Islamic court in North Mogadishu. Officials of another extremist Islamic organization, the Altakfiir Wal Hijra, headed by Abdiqadir Haji Mohamud, which is believed to be the most intimate and closest to Al-Qaeda, in terms of ideological outlook, are residing in the ******-dominated southern Somalia. http://wardheernews.com/articles/November/13__Alittihad_Sii'arag.html --The Whole Long Article Notes: By Sii Arag at the end of his article. Muslim Brotherhood (commonly known by its Arabic name, Ikhwan ul Muslimeen) was founded in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna in 1928 to serve as a political instrument for the founders’ quest for the creation of an Islamic State in Egypt. It later inspired likeminded Islamic radicals in many Muslim countries. Muslim Brotherhood is politically active in Somalia under several names, in addition to its original name, among which are: Haraket Al-Islah (reformed movement) and Al Haraka Al-Islam (Islamic Movement). 2 On December 5, 2001, the State Department released statement on the designation of 39 organizations on the USA PATRIOT Act’s “Terrorist Exclusion List”. Al-Ittihad Al-Islami featured top in the list. The US government has also frozen Al-Ittihad Al-Islami funds with the intention “to deter donations to the organization and alert other governments to U.S. concerns about the group’s involvement in terrorist activities”. The Clash of Civilizations: Reality or Illusion SomaliaOnline Discussion [ November 12, 2006, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: Libaax-Sankataabte ] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
