The Islamic Movement in Somalia: A Study of the Islah Movement, 1950-2000

There is very little scholarship on the history of Islamic development in Somalia which seriously takes into consideration both historical forces and the very ideas and internal organization of the Islamic movements. This book reconstructs the historical evolution of moderate Islamic movement in Somalia using postcolonial perspective. It succinctly accounts for the revival of Sufi brotherhoods since 1800s, focusing on the 50-year period (1950-2000) in which civilian governments, military dictatorships, armed opposition factions and Islamic movements were interacting and reshaping the Somali history. It divides Islamic development in Somalia into four historical periods: the Islamic revival (1800-1950), the Islamic consciousness ( 1950-1967), the Islamic awakening (1967-1978) and the Islamic movements (1978-2000). The book provides empirically rich narrative of the Islah Movement as a case study which has an impact on the social and political developments in Somalia since the collapse of the state in 1991. The author provides an insider's view of the Islamic Movement being one of the leaders of Islah.