Document #1192672
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Limited information could be found on this
subject among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
In a telephone interview on 22 November
1995, a professor of Somali history at the University of
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia stated that sometimes Islamic
organizations and religious leaders have been able to bring a
certain amount of order to a community with the introduction of
Islamic law, usually as a result of a local political vacuum
(ibid.). The source did not think sheikhs were singled out by clan
leaders, but cautioned that the situation in the country is
volatile and traditional forms of respect and order have
deteriorated (ibid.).
The BBC reported in September 1995 that six
imams were shot dead by unknown assailants in Mogadishu (12 Sept.
1995). No motive for the killings could be identified (ibid.).
In March 1995, Agence France Presse
reported that armed militiamen attacked a southern Mogadishu
building housing a sharia court in a bid to release a convicted
colleague (15 Mar. 1995). However, the attempt failed when
militiamen defending the building and "hundreds of civilians"
repulsed the attackers (ibid.).
According to a Reuters report carried by
the Horn of Africa Bulletin in early 1995, Sheikh Sharif
Muhiddin, the head of the Mogadishu sharia court was attacked by
unidentified gunmen (Jan.-Feb. 1995, 20). No one was injured in the
attack, which prompted thousands in Mogadishu to demonstrate their
support for the sharia court (ibid.).
Radio France Internationale reported that a
leader of a fundamentalist Islamic organization threatened armed
faction leaders with a holy war if they did not reach a conclusion
to the current conflict (14 May 1995). Information on whether the
leader followed up on his threat could not be found among the
sources consulted by the DIRB.
For information on the political impact of
Islam in Somalia, please consult pages 174-181 of The Price of
Peace, which is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
For additional information on the media reports cited above, please
consult the attachments.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris, in
English]. 15 March 1995. "Militiamen Attack Islamic Court in
Mogadishu." (FBIS-AFR-95-051 16 Mar. 1995, pp. 4-5)
BBC World Service [London, in English].
12 September 1995. "Six Imams Killed; Fighting Reported in
Mogadishu." (FBIS-AFR-95-177 13 Sept. 1995, p. 6)
Horn of Africa Bulletin
[Uppsala]. January-February 1995. Vol. 7, No. 1. "Somalis Protest
Attack on Islamic Law Enforcer."
Professor of Somali history, University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 22 November 1995. Telephone
interview.
Radio France Internationale [Paris, in
French]. 14 May 1995. "Group Threatens 'Holy War'."
(FBIS-AFR-95-094 16 May 1995, pp. 5-6)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris, in
English]. 15 March 1995. "Militiamen Attack Islamic Court in
Mogadishu." (FBIS-AFR-95-051 16 Mar. 1995, pp. 4-5)
BBC World Service [London, in English].
12 September 1995. "Six Imams Killed; Fighting Reported in
Mogadishu." (FBIS-AFR-95-177 13 Sept. 1995, p. 6)
Horn of Africa Bulletin
[Uppsala]. January-February 1995. Vol. 7, No. 1. "Somalis Protest
Attack on Islamic Law Enforcer," p. 20.
Radio France Internationale [Paris, in
French]. 14 May 1995. "Group Threatens 'Holy War'."
(FBIS-AFR-95-094 16 May 1995, pp. 5-6)