In an Arabic history piece for Raseef22, Mohamed Shaaban explains how the Dervish movement in Somalia grew out of the Salihiyya Sufi order. Its leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, born in 1856, studied religion in Mogadishu, founded a lodge in Berbera and then led two decades of armed resistance against British, Italian and Ethiopian forces, until British air raids in 1920 helped break the movement.

The piece also covers tribal rivalries and the movement's harsh tactics. Sufism is often seen as the quiet, mystical side of Islam; this history shows how a religious order can become a political and military force. It is a useful case for anyone thinking about how faith, colonialism and power feed each other.

Source: Mohamed Shaaban, Raseef22 (Arabic) (2026-11-04)

Summarised by the FTI newsdesk.