The Roots of Hate.
The most influential two books in Somali history . A clan narrative passed as facts glorifying a certain clan as the essence of Sonali heroism while depicting the rival as traitors/pro British.

In a series of short tweets will sift through facts vs fiction.

The two book's are:

1- Ismaaciil Mire ( the warrior poet in recent edition). Published 1974

2- The history of the dervish and Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. Published. 1976.

Both books were financed and printed by the Somali higher education and the academy of culture.

Both authors, Axmed Cali Faarax Idaajaa and Aw Jaamac coordinated their research & both books mostly used tribal oral sources. While the master dervish the Mad Mullah was written by the elder Aw Jaamac .Idaajaa book is the poetry of ismaaciil Mire a minor follower of the Mullah.

The book of the Mad Mullah and his dervish. The author used oral history as the main source. Out of 28 individuals used as a source only 1 individuals was clan wise untrelated to both author & subject. Other sources include 2 Italian sources and 4 British hardly used in the book

The author begins by attributing 3 similarities between the Mullah and prophet Mohammed. The 2nd was the age of 40 where Mohamed proclaimed prophehood and the Mullah proclaimed his jihaad in 1896 . Forty year's after 1856 a date chosen to liken his movement to the prophet.

According to all sources the Mullah was in his early 30s when the dervish declared jihad in 1899 not as the authors claims in 1896.

place of birth Jaamac claims was near Las Anod later editions claimed near Buhoodle .According to the primary sources he was born in Qoob Fardood.

Why does the place of birth matter? Aw Jaamac attempts to constantly attach the Mullah to his tribal region. Qoob Fardood was a tariiqa where his father and various mullahs of different tribes preached to various tribes. Qoob Fardood as a religious community was multi tribal

In the next 6 pages Aw Jaamac claims the Mullah after religious schooling in the interior accompanied a group of dhulbahante to pilgrimagein 1893 There in Mecca he became a follower of sheekh Saalax. Returning home in 1895. He settled & married in Berbera & began to preach jihad.

The Mullah grew up in Bebera. Studied & joined the Axmediyada , married & had his first born. He arrived at Berbera a teenager joining his sister married to Duale Liban interpeter at Berbera post. Another relative Diiriye Magan the cheif translator of the commissioner.

The young Mullah grew up among the upper colonial civil servant both Duale Liban & Detria Magan are top colonial civil servant related to him . He eventually marries Duale daughter. Ironically Haji Musa Farah of the same class was married to Ducaale Liban cousin in Berbera.

His boyhood freind Cabdullaahi Shixiri in 1909 interview stated they grew up together since boyhood.

Other primarily sources both English and Italian confirms that he grew up in Berbeta.

And above all sir Wingate Pasha interview of local Somalis in Berbera1909 confirmed it.

From page 8-12 Aw Jaamac narrates many incident between an anti colonial Mullah confronting both the British authority and the lax religious collaborators. With nothing to validate his claim orsl or otherwise.

Aw Jaamac's fervent jihadi tales ii. Berbera has no credibility .

One document that invalidates such tales is James Hayes Sadler the council general during the rise of the dervish. On April 1899 Sadler dates the first time this Mullah came to the attention of the administration

Aw Jaamac now attributes Sultan Nuur's Christian Somali children that takes place two full years later to the Mullah . To support his statement the he quoted Douglas Jardin out of context Curiously he mentions Suldaan Nur in the next only once in a book about dervish history.

The Mullah settled at Qoob Fardood tariiqa an old tariiqa founded by sheekh Abo Yoonis. Although Aw Jaamac claims he settled at Qoryaweyn there is no evidence.
There Aw Jaamac narrates that the Mullah preached jihad gained followers and single handedly founded the dervish in 1898

The dervish movement was put together between Feburary and April 1899.

The revolt was instigated by Sultan Nur experience with the converted Somali children.

For the creation of the movement in details read.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nur_Ahmed_Aman

Sultan Nur as early as March 1899 to July 1899 was in Qoob Fardood tariiqa. in April 1899 they adopted the term dervish & on May they declared that they are a government with their own sultan , amiir & councils. To assemble forces & materials the dervishes sent letters .

One such letter was sent to the Sultan Diiriye. The letter was intercepted. The original translated by Douglas Jardin & translated into Somali by Idaajaa.
" Our children" was rendered into Somali " your children" . Aw Jaamac implying the mullah was fighting to save Isaaq children

Not only they expunged Isaaq leaders like the cheif agitator Nuur. They attributed his cause to the Mullah and insinuated that they were saving Isaaq children.

Ironically in the opposite page is a copy of Saddler letter affirming the Christian children incident was Nut's ecpi.

Notice how idaajaa translate Saddler's sentence " the movement in the dhulbahante ( land) "

In Somali it literally translated the movement by the dhulbahante.

The constant clan dog whistle implies the forces of the dervishes were dhulbahante or daarood.

What was the clan composition of the dervish in 1899.? For those evidence we have two Somali sources sent to tariiqa in March,1899 & end of April 1899.
The second scout was none other then the Mullah's mentor & relative from Berbera. Diiriye Magan personal translator of Saddler.

In the chapter" the beginning f the struggle'" Aw Jaamac narrates that the Mullah leading a 5000 took overall Beer, Burco, oodweyne and attacked Sheik.

Again Aw Jaamac is inventing myth.

No forces led by the Mullah took over Beer or Burco. It was rather the plan once sultan Nuur persuaded the western HY . The eastern forces and the western forces assrmble at , Nuur,'s base at Burco.

At Burco the dervish declared war a Sultan Nuur insisted on raiding western HY.

Aw Jaamac describing the dervish army as ' reer Nugaaleed" before allegedly attacking Beer, Burco and Oodweyne.Reer Nugaaleed is code word for dhulbahante. Implications dhulbahante over runing HJ and HY country.Majority of the dervish were HJ and HY according to reliable witness

The first murder by the dervish old Akil Fidhin of the Musa Ismail in 1899. They stole his fine horse upon demanding it back , he was told the Mullah will mount it to raid the dhulbahante. Fidhin replied hope you won't come back , upon hearing that they beat the old man to death

Axmed Aadan in 1899 narrated the the slow death of Fidhin having been punished by demanding bsck his horse.

Now read Aw Jaamac manipulation of Fidhin story. Bottom page 22.

We have covered so far time wise from 1895-1900 and so far the clannish revisionist narrative does not match the historical records.

In 1901 the first battles took place. . It's worth to note here that all the fighting forces were I'll treated Somali tribes by the dervish.