Somalia

7 Pages 1866 Words

father died, could read the Quran and became his teacher’s assistant. Some five years later, having dedicated his life to religion, he set up as a teacher on his own account, and by the early age of nineteen had won the title of ‘sheik’ for his learning and piety.” (Lewis, pg 65)

Sayyid Muhammad Adbille Hassan believed that Christian colonization was destroying the Muslim faith of his people. He sought to win support for Salihiya, his new order, “by preaching in the mosques and streets that his country was in danger, urging his compatriots to remove the English ‘infidels’ and their missionaries.” (Lewis, pg.67) He strongly opposed drinking alcohol, which the English had introduced.
In 1899 rumors began to circulate that Sheikh Muhammad was collecting weapons and men to lead an expedition into Ethiopia. The sheikh solicited help from the Isaq, Habar, and Dulbahnate clans. And with this achieved, along with a force of over 5,000 men, Sheikh Muhammad formally declared a holy war against the Christian colonizers-particularly the British and the Ethiopians.(Lewis, pg. 69) This struggle would continue for the next twenty years with Sheikh Muhammad’s followers vying for the Somali territory.
By 1936 Italy had conquered Ethiopia and the then Italian Somaliland became part of the Italian East African Empire. However, during WWII, Britain conquered Italian Somaliland and renamed it Somalia. But by 1956 Somalia had gained internal autonomy and four years later won its independence and unified with British Somaliland.
Over the next twenty year...