The Future Political Order for the Federal States of Somalia

Somalia and Banaadir

There are different factors in human history that have determined the geography of territories and formed the basis for the developments in culture and civilization at several moments of man's life.

Therefore, it would be difficult to talk in general about present-day Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and all of eastern Africa, without referring to Islam, Arab people, and the decisive contribution of the Banaadiri in bringing civilization to these parts of eastern Africa. It would be like talking about European history without mentioning Rome and Greece.

Before the creation of Somalia from nothing, on 5 April 1908, by the cynical and uncultured colonizers, Somalia belonged to different ethnicities and different peoples, who had a glorious past and a certain period of freedom in the past according to history books.

Reading the biography of Shamsud-Din Abu Abdalla Muhammed, better known as Ibn Battuta, is like celebrating a lost and damaged memory, which someone is trying to destroy. As of today, Mogadishu and other towns of Banaadir do not exist any more, or they exist only as a violation of civilization and a cancellation of man's dignity and rights.

It is unnecessary to recall that the first people coming to this land of eastern Africa, long before the birth of present-day Somalia, were the Banaadiri; right at the beginning they had a total of 39 families, founded by 7 brothers. These 39 families at the beginning were divided into 4 groups. The first group included 12 families called Muqarri, the second group was called Jid'ati, the third consisted of 6 families called Aqabi, and the fourth consisted of 6 families called Ismaili.

Then, other groups arrived from different regions of the Arabian peninsula at different times, but most of them from Yemen, as this land was known for development, peace, and political stability, thanks to the Banaadiri.

The Arab people that built these territories from nothing about ten centuries ago represented the progress, peace, and stability that are a really big present from Yemen to lands that had always suffered tribal wars.

Today, the Banaadiri are a multiethnic and multicultural people, including population of Arab origin, and from Bantu and Cushitic groups, that suffered considerably due to this war in Somalia, as they do not have their own armed group.

The presence of Arab people of Banaadir from 1200 AD cannot be a matter of discussion. Al Jaami's mosque built in 1238 AD and Fakhrud Din's mosque built in 1269 AD and other old buildings are proof of the presence of Banaadir people.

It must be considered that a population that was able to build such huge mosques shows its great economic power and knowledge of architecture, and it is clear that building these mosques required years of preparation in terms of both economic and financial planning. In fact, if we read Ibn Battuta, he says that during his trip in 1331 AD he was very impressed by the beauty of Mogadishu.

It is the opinion of many scholars that today if serious archaeological research is conducted, it will show that the presence of Banaadiri goes back to the pre-Islamic period.

The Banaadiri of Arab origin have been in the past, and are presently, the object of a big operation of destruction and ethnic cleansing by different parties, starting with the Portuguese, who were the first group that tried to destroy the Arab presence on the eastern coast of Africa and ended a long period of peace and political stability, but fortunately without success, as they were sent away from the Oman Sultanate. In particular, there is one famous account of the ransacking of the Banaadir city of Barawa by the Portuguese in 1499. The invaders spent three days in the town, ransacking and looting it. The town was then set on fire.

In 1800 AD, the Banaadiri started to enjoy economic progress and development under the Oman Empire, when Zanzibar became the economic capital and the residence of Sultan Sayid Said.

Unfortunately, all the above came to an end...