Siddiqis in the Horn of Africa
Encyclopedia
One of the geographic areas where Siddiqis are commonly found is Horn of Africa
in the Countries of Ethiopia
, Somalia
and Djibouti
. However, In this countries they are not called Siddiqi rather they are known by other local names. Siddiqis in East Ethiopia are usually called Qallu
. Some of them speak Arabic still now. But most of them speak the local Oromo
, Harari
or Somali language
s. The tradition here is that the Siddiqis made themselves part of the indigenous African ethnic group accepting the name given to them, but maintaining their own identity. So, in Ethiopia, they are Usually known as Qallu
. And in Somalia, they are commonly known as Sheikhal or Aw-Qutub.
The notable Siddiqi families in Ethiopia
include
1. Kurtu family in Harar
, Deder
, and Djibouti
2. Aw Barre family
3. Aw Ismael family
4. Qallu-Diinii family
5. Khabir Hassan family in Gelemso
6. Aw Samirren family
7. Aw Khalaf family
8. in Harari
genealogy, the Abogne(also called Abun), the Khalaf and kurtu families
The common ancestor of all Siddiqi families of The Horn of Africa is known as Shiekh Abadir Omar Al-Rida ibn Muhammad ibn Shamsadin Al-Bakri Al-Siddiqi . The tradition of the Siddiqis tells that it was this Shiekh who came from Yemen
and settled at the town of Aw Barre, on the border of Ethiopia
and Somalia
, and gave birth to his six sons whom the Siddiqis count as their fathers. Then he moved to the city of Harar and strengthen the institutional,administrative and social frame work of the city and its people. His tomb is located inside the walled city, and few meters away, also there is a mosque that bears his name.
n Siddiquis include Ahmad Taqi. Other notable Siddiquis in Somalia include Dr Ali Shaikh Shmed Abubakar founder and president of Mogadishu University
, he is also the president of a Muslim
organisation in Somalia
which is known locally as Al-Islaah it is part of the wider Muslim Brotherhood
organisation which is based in Egypt
, and Dr Ibrahim Dusuuqi who is a respected and well known Muslim cleric in Somalia he is a cardiologist by profession and doubles as both a politician and preacher, he was a parliamentarian who took part of the transitional national government of Somalia under Abdi Qasim Salaat Hassan. Shaikh Ahmad Qudubi scholar and preacher who has ahuge following in both Mogadishu
and Somalia in general. Notable Siddiquis in Kenya
include Ahmad Nassir Malim Abdullahi who is an advocate by profession, he is the former chairman of the Law Society of Kenya and head of anti-corruption authority in Kenya he is also University of Nairobi
lecturer. Another prominent Siddiqui in Kenya is the current police commissioner of Kenya Major General Muhammad Ali who is also a general in the army of Kenya. Amongst the notable personalities of the Siddiqui family in Kenya is a senior banker and economist with standard chartered bank Munir Shaikh Ahmad and a business tycoon named Dahir Shaikh Ahmad who owns several landmark malls in the capital city of Nairobi including the gold and dollar exchange complex in the east of Nairobi
.
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
in the Countries of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
. However, In this countries they are not called Siddiqi rather they are known by other local names. Siddiqis in East Ethiopia are usually called Qallu
Qallu
Qallu is a name in which the people who are believed to be the descents of Sayyid Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first Caliph of Islam, are known in East Eastern Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.-Why They are Called Qallu?:...
. Some of them speak Arabic still now. But most of them speak the local Oromo
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
, Harari
Harari
Harari may refer to:* The city of Harar in Ethiopia; "Harari" is an adjectival form of the noun .** Harari people of Ethiopia** Harari language* Harari Region in Ethiopia* Harari Rishon Model, named after Haim Harari...
or Somali language
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
s. The tradition here is that the Siddiqis made themselves part of the indigenous African ethnic group accepting the name given to them, but maintaining their own identity. So, in Ethiopia, they are Usually known as Qallu
Qallu
Qallu is a name in which the people who are believed to be the descents of Sayyid Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first Caliph of Islam, are known in East Eastern Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.-Why They are Called Qallu?:...
. And in Somalia, they are commonly known as Sheikhal or Aw-Qutub.
The notable Siddiqi families in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
include
1. Kurtu family in Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
, Deder
Deder
Deder is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Oubora Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an altitude of 2117 meters above sea level. It is the largest of three settlements in Oubora woreda....
, and Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
2. Aw Barre family
3. Aw Ismael family
4. Qallu-Diinii family
5. Khabir Hassan family in Gelemso
Gelemso
Gelemso is a town in eastern Ethiopia, in the western periphery of the highly networked mountain chain referred to by the natives as Fugug but by geographers as the Ahmar Mountains...
6. Aw Samirren family
7. Aw Khalaf family
8. in Harari
Harari
Harari may refer to:* The city of Harar in Ethiopia; "Harari" is an adjectival form of the noun .** Harari people of Ethiopia** Harari language* Harari Region in Ethiopia* Harari Rishon Model, named after Haim Harari...
genealogy, the Abogne(also called Abun), the Khalaf and kurtu families
The common ancestor of all Siddiqi families of The Horn of Africa is known as Shiekh Abadir Omar Al-Rida ibn Muhammad ibn Shamsadin Al-Bakri Al-Siddiqi . The tradition of the Siddiqis tells that it was this Shiekh who came from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and settled at the town of Aw Barre, on the border of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, and gave birth to his six sons whom the Siddiqis count as their fathers. Then he moved to the city of Harar and strengthen the institutional,administrative and social frame work of the city and its people. His tomb is located inside the walled city, and few meters away, also there is a mosque that bears his name.
Notable Siddiquis from the Horn of Africa
Notable EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n Siddiquis include Ahmad Taqi. Other notable Siddiquis in Somalia include Dr Ali Shaikh Shmed Abubakar founder and president of Mogadishu University
Mogadishu University
Mogadishu University is a non-governmental university in Mogadishu, Somalia. As of 2011, its in the top 30 of African universities.-History:The idea to establish a non-governmental educational institution started in June 1993, after which time it took five years to develop and open the university...
, he is also the president of a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organisation in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
which is known locally as Al-Islaah it is part of the wider Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
organisation which is based in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and Dr Ibrahim Dusuuqi who is a respected and well known Muslim cleric in Somalia he is a cardiologist by profession and doubles as both a politician and preacher, he was a parliamentarian who took part of the transitional national government of Somalia under Abdi Qasim Salaat Hassan. Shaikh Ahmad Qudubi scholar and preacher who has ahuge following in both Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
and Somalia in general. Notable Siddiquis in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
include Ahmad Nassir Malim Abdullahi who is an advocate by profession, he is the former chairman of the Law Society of Kenya and head of anti-corruption authority in Kenya he is also University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
lecturer. Another prominent Siddiqui in Kenya is the current police commissioner of Kenya Major General Muhammad Ali who is also a general in the army of Kenya. Amongst the notable personalities of the Siddiqui family in Kenya is a senior banker and economist with standard chartered bank Munir Shaikh Ahmad and a business tycoon named Dahir Shaikh Ahmad who owns several landmark malls in the capital city of Nairobi including the gold and dollar exchange complex in the east of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
.