JEDDAH, 6 February 2003 — A prominent Islamic scholar from Somalia reiterated yesterday that no terrorist group exists in his war-torn country. After Sept. 11, the United States government accused the Somali group Al-Ittihad A-Islamia of having links to Al-Qaeda.
“No terrorist group exists in the country. The charge that Somalia harbors terrorists and militant Islamic groups is based on misconceptions,” Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhyadin, deputy chairman of the Council of Somali Islamic Scholars (CSIS) told Arab News.
Sharif pointed out that Somalia has its local terrorist elements. “We have our own terrorists who are young armed militias. They commit random killings, rape, banditry and other related crimes against humanity. But there is no organized terrorist group with links to international terrorism.”
Asked about the current strength of Al-Ittihad, he said that the group had lost its strength and was in no position to assist Al-Qaeda. “Most of the group’s armed followers have been defeated and disarmed. They were obliged to assimilate into civilian society. At present, they cannot be a threat to domestic, regional and global stability.”
He said that CSIS, the umbrella for all the country’s Islamic scholars, was recently formed to work for the solidarity of all Islamic groups in the country.
“The objectives of CSIS are: to unite different Islamic factions, to deliver lectures on Islam and to propagate the Islamic viewpoint concerning everything, including terrorism,” he added.
“We must understand the difference between Islam and Muslim. Islam is a divine religion but Muslim refers to a human believer in the faith — and a human can make a mistake. Therefore, it is not right to link Islam as a religion to terrorism. At the same time, it is not Islamic to perpetrate terrorist operations such as suicide bombings.”
