Arap

Arap
Arab; أرب
Regions with significant populations
Languages
	Somali, Arabic
Religion
	Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
	Garhajis, Ayub, Habr Awal, Habr Je'lo and other Isaaq groups

The Arap or Arab (Somali: Arab, Arabic: أرب‎, Full Name: Muḥammad ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad) clan is a major clan of the wider Isaaq clan family and is the twin of Garhajis (Ismail), according to the clan genealogy.^[1] The Arap predominantly live on the southwest side of Hargeisa and in the Hawd region of Somaliland, with its capital as Baligubadle being an exclusively an Arap territory.^[2] The territory of the clan extends to Ethiopia, in the area of Baligubadle.^[3] The Abdalle Arap, a sub-clan of the Arap clan are based in the Togdheer and Sahil regions.^[4]^[5]

History[]

Map of Somaliland showing distribution Arap Tribe in the central and south central Somaliland

Lineage[]

Sheikh Ishaaq ibn Ahmed was one of the Arabian scholars that crossed the sea from Arabia to the Horn of Africa to spread Islam around 12th to 13th century. He is said to have been descended from Prophet Mohammed's daughter Fatimah. Hence the Sheikh belonged to the Ashraf or Sada, titles given to the descendants of the prophet. He married two local women in Somaliland that left him eight sons, one of them being Muhammad (Arap). The descendants of those eight sons constitute the Isaaq clan-family.^[6]

Along with the other constituent sub-clans of the Habr Magaadle confederation (including Garhajis, Habr Awal and Ayub), the Arap too took part in the conquest of Abyssinia under the Adal Sultanate. The Habar Magaadle are known for producing a historical figure known as Ahmad Gurey bin Husain, who was the right-hand man of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.^[7]

Role in the SNM[]

Baligubadle, which straddles the border between Ethiopia and Somaliland, was the headquarters of the Somali National Movement (SNM) during the liberation of Somaliland from the regime of general Siad Barre.^[8]

The Arap's were heavily involved the SNM. For example, Hassan Isse Jama was one of original founders of the SNM in London.^[9] He was also the first vice president of Somaliland and served as the deputy chairman of the SNM.^[9] Furthermore in 1983, Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah of the Arap clan was the first sultan to leave Somalia to Ethiopia and openly cooperate with the SNM.^[10] The Arap's were the first clan to disarm their militia (the 10th division under Guutada Sheekh Sancaani) and hand over their weapons after the liberation of Somaliland. Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah agreed to lead the process of demobilization. This put pressure on other clans to follow suit, and, in early 1994, a well-staged ceremony was held in the Hargeysa football stadium to hand over weapons.^[11]^[12]

Arap Clan tree[]

The Arap clan is divided into the following sub-clans:^[13]

Sheikh Ishaaq Bin Ahmed (Sheikh Ishaaq)
- Muhammad (Arap)
  - 'Ithman Arap
  - Abdallah Arap
  - Eli Arap
    - Musa Eli
    - Zubayr Eli
    - Mohammad Eli
      - Abokor Mohammed
        Hashim Abokor
        'Umar Hashim
        
        Hussein Hashin
        Musa 'Umar
        
        Saleban 'Umar
        
        'Abdallah 'Umar
        Adan 'Abdallah (Warabe)
        
        'Ali 'Abdallah (Rer 'Ali)
        
        Ahmad 'Abdallah
        
        Musa Abokor
        Mahamoud Musa (Afyare)
        
        'Abdallah Musa
        
        Mohammed Musa (Fanax)
        
        Yusuf Musa
        
        Abdallah Abokor
        Gulane 'Abdallah
        
        Samane 'Abdallah
        Hussein Samane
        
        Yusuf Samane
        
        Mahamoud Samane

Notable Arap people[]

Siad Sadiq, mentioned in the Geoffrey Archer's 1916 important members of Darawiish haroun list
Hassan Isse Jama - One of the founding fathers of the SNM in London. Former Deputy chair of SNM, First vice president of Somaliland.^[9]
Edna Adan Ismail - The first Somali woman to study in Britain, first qualified nurse-midwife, and former foreign minister of Somaliland.^[14]
Farah Nur - Legendary Somali poet from late 1800s- early 1900s^[15]
Sultan Mohamed Sultan Farah - Sultan of the Arap clan and commander of the SNM's 10th division
Abdilahi Husein Iman Darawal - Somaliland politician and former SNM commander
Abdi Iidan Farah - 20th century Somali poet who wrote about Somali independence and camels
Sheikh Mohamed Sheikh Omar Dirir - Prominent religious scholar and businessman
Dr Omar Elmi Dihood - One of the founding fathers of the SNM and Somaliland lobbyist in the U.K
Ahmed Osman (Also known as "Ina Geele-Arap") - Business tycoon in Djibouti and Somaliland and founder of Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI)
Boon Hersi - Comedian/Poet
Abdiwaasa' Hasan Ali Araale Guleid - wellknown poet

References[]

^ Kirk, J. W. C. (2010-10-31). A Grammar of the Somali Language: With Examples in Prose and Verse, and an Account of the Yibir and Midgan Dialects. Cambridge University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-108-01326-0.
^ Renders, Marleen. (2012). Consider Somaliland : state-building with traditional leaders and institutions. Leiden: BRILL. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-90-04-22254-0. OCLC 775301944.
^ Glawion, Tim (2016). Somaliland's Search for Internal Recognition, SFB700 (C10 project) Research Brief 5. Hamburg: German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
^ Somaliland: The Strains of Success. International Crisis Group. 2015.
^ Ghani, Mohamed Hassan; Abdi, Suad Ibrahim; Duale, Ali Ege; Hersi, Mohamed Farah (2010-11-30). "Democracy in Somaliland: Challenges and Opportunities" (PDF). Academy of Peace and Development. p. 76. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
^ I.M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali, fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), pp. 31 & 42
^ "مخطوطات > بهجة الزمان > الصفحة رقم 16". makhtota.ksu.edu.sa. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
^ Musa, Ahmed; De Giuli, Akusua; Yusuf, Ayan; Ibrahim, Mustafa (2015). Baligubadle District Conflict and Security Assessment (PDF). Hargeisa: The Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Woldemariam, Michael, 1982-. Insurgent fragmentation in the Horn of Africa : rebellion and its discontents. Cambridge, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-1-108-42325-0. OCLC 1000445166.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Höhne, Markus V. (2006). "Working Paper No. 82 - Traditional Authorities in Northern Somalia: transformation of positions and powers" (PDF). Max Planck Institute for Social anthropology Working Papers. Halle / Saale: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. ISSN 1615-4568.
^ Balthasar, Dominik (May 2013). "Somaliland's best kept secret: shrewd politics and war projects as means of state-making". Journal of Eastern African Studies. 7 (2): 218–238. doi:10.1080/17531055.2013.777217. ISSN 1753-1055.
^ Connaughton, Stacey L.; Berns, Jessica (2019). Locally led peacebuilding : global case studies. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 82. ISBN 1-5381-1411-9. OCLC 1099545093.
^ Abbink, G.J. (2009). "The Total Somali Clan Genealogy (second edition)". ASC Working Papers (84): 32.
^ Kristof, Nicholas D., 1959- (2009). Half the sky : turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. WuDunn, Sheryl, 1959- (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-307-26714-6. OCLC 290466888.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Roble, Faisal (2015). "Remembering Said S. Samatar". Northeast African Studies. 15 (2): 141–148. doi:10.14321/nortafristud.15.2.0141. ISSN 0740-9133.

[1] Kirk, J. W. C. (2010-10-31). A Grammar of the Somali Language: With Examples in Prose and Verse, and an Account of the Yibir and Midgan Dialects. Cambridge University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-108-01326-0.

[2] Renders, Marleen. (2012). Consider Somaliland : state-building with traditional leaders and institutions. Leiden: BRILL. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-90-04-22254-0. OCLC 775301944.

[3] Glawion, Tim (2016). Somaliland's Search for Internal Recognition, SFB700 (C10 project) Research Brief 5. Hamburg: German Institute of Global and Area Studies.

[4] Somaliland: The Strains of Success. International Crisis Group. 2015.

[5] Ghani, Mohamed Hassan; Abdi, Suad Ibrahim; Duale, Ali Ege; Hersi, Mohamed Farah (2010-11-30). "Democracy in Somaliland: Challenges and Opportunities" (PDF). Academy of Peace and Development. p. 76. Retrieved 2020-07-10.

[6] I.M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali, fourth edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2002), pp. 31 & 42

[7] "مخطوطات > بهجة الزمان > الصفحة رقم 16". makhtota.ksu.edu.sa. Retrieved 2017-08-24.

[8] Musa, Ahmed; De Giuli, Akusua; Yusuf, Ayan; Ibrahim, Mustafa (2015). Baligubadle District Conflict and Security Assessment (PDF). Hargeisa: The Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention.

[:0-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Woldemariam, Michael, 1982-. Insurgent fragmentation in the Horn of Africa : rebellion and its discontents. Cambridge, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-1-108-42325-0. OCLC 1000445166.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[10] Höhne, Markus V. (2006). "Working Paper No. 82 - Traditional Authorities in Northern Somalia: transformation of positions and powers" (PDF). Max Planck Institute for Social anthropology Working Papers. Halle / Saale: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. ISSN 1615-4568.

[11] Balthasar, Dominik (May 2013). "Somaliland's best kept secret: shrewd politics and war projects as means of state-making". Journal of Eastern African Studies. 7 (2): 218–238. doi:10.1080/17531055.2013.777217. ISSN 1753-1055.

[12] Connaughton, Stacey L.; Berns, Jessica (2019). Locally led peacebuilding : global case studies. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 82. ISBN 1-5381-1411-9. OCLC 1099545093.

[13] Abbink, G.J. (2009). "The Total Somali Clan Genealogy (second edition)". ASC Working Papers (84): 32.

[14] Kristof, Nicholas D., 1959- (2009). Half the sky : turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. WuDunn, Sheryl, 1959- (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-307-26714-6. OCLC 290466888.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[15] Roble, Faisal (2015). "Remembering Said S. Samatar". Northeast African Studies. 15 (2): 141–148. doi:10.14321/nortafristud.15.2.0141. ISSN 0740-9133.

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