Islamic Groups in Somalia; Ideology, Goals and Objectives | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Somalia is a country located in East Africa that has presidential form of government. The country consists of 18 regions. The capital of Somalia is also the largest city in the country, Mogadishu, which is located on the coast of Indian Ocean. The official languages of the country of Somalia are Somali and Arabic. The population of the country is around 7,872,000 and the population density is about 7 persons per square kilometer. Annual population growth is around 2.5%. The majority of Somalis come from the Hamitite lineage. There are also, Arabs and a small number of Europeans, Indians and Pakistanis living in the country. Three quarters of the population lives in the south of the country. Almost all of the population are Sunni Muslims and generally adhere to the Shafi sect. This paper attempts to examine five Islamic groups in Somalia, their ideology, relations, goals and objectives that they are striving to achieve. These five groups are most active in the environment of Somali Islamic organizations from last three decades. Some of these organizations have been recognized as terrorist organizations and others as moderate Islamic organizations. In the preparation of this article, several books, thesis, articles, academic papers and journals were the main sources that have been used in order to produce a precious and novel paper that met the criteria of academic paper and has the essential features of scientific research.