History of Wahabism
Islam began at the start of the 7th century after the Qur'an was sent down to Prophet Mohamed to spread to mankind. However, we believe that previous prophets followed the same teachings and submitted to Allah.
Sunni was a denomination of Islam that began after the last messenger's death. It was founded on the belief that the first Caliph was to be the prophet's father-in-law Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr is not a prophet, had no revelations to give, and received no divine orders from Allah through his angels. His position as Caliph was purely a political one of a religious group. Hence the politicalization of religious identity began. Though Somalia was never part of the Caliphate, the majority of Somalis identify as Sunnis. Wahabism is considered to be a religious movement or branch of Sunni.
Wahabism is a movement that was founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the 18th century, many centuries after Somalia had already accepted Islam and it had became the predominant religion in the region. He had made a pact with Muhammad bin Saud, a desert warrior, that he would give bin Saud his unwavering loyalty in exchange for the political leader to preserve and promote Wahabism, which al-Wahhab promised would bring bin Saud "power and glory" and rule of "lands and men." Already, there was the explicit imperialistic goal associated with Wahabism, one that was meant to benefit Saud (and his descendants). Muhammad bin Saud established the state of Saudi and is the founding father of the Saud family dynasty, both of which still exist today. This pact is still intact today as well. The Saudi family and the state of Saudi Arabia endorse and practise Wahabism.
The most notable features of Wahabism is its "uniform". For men, that is a white thobe, untrimmed beard, and white agal or turban. For women, it is a black abaya or sometimes niqab. Wahabism is also noted for how the movement deems these manners of dress as being "required" for the religious.
In the 1970s, Wahabism spread to other regions of the world after an economic boom in Saudi Arabia due to increased petroleum exports. It did not take hold of Somalia until after the civil war began in 1990. Based on the history, one can clearly notice the economic and political elements of Wahabism. The intention behind preserving and spreading Wahabism are purely imperial, the movement helped and continues Saudi to establish cultural hegemony abroad. Gone are the days of traditional colonialism. The more intelligent would-be colonialists rely on cultural imperialism or neo-imperialism to establish dominance internationally.
Background of Religious Observance in Somalia
Islam has been in Somalia and the general Horn of Africa since the lifetime of Prophet Mohamed, when his disciples fled to Ethiopia to seek refuge from religious prosecution by the Quraysh. Somalis readily accepted Islam, likely due to its great similarities to past religions in the Horn, such as the religion of Waaq. For centuries, Islam was the religion of nearly all Somalis who prayed multiple times a day, made wudu, learned and recited the Qur'an, fasted during Ramadan, etc. Outside of wrapping one's self in the Somali gabarsaar and other traditional garments or donning the shaash after marriage, women did not wear hijabs, jilbaabs, niqaabs, or burkhas. Modesty was generally observed.
Though Wahabism only became widespread in Somalia after 1990, this notion of the religiousness of a person hinging on the degree to which they observe the strict, narrowly defined manner of Wahabi dress (described in the background provided on Wahabism) has become ingrained in the mentality of the Somali community. So much so that Somalis have discarded their traditional garments in favour of the Wahabi uniform. The Wahabi influence has not only affected the dress of Somalis but also the identity, names, and general culture of Somalis. In Somali communities throughout the world, there is a noticeable pursuit for Arabness. I purposefully use the word "Arabness" as the movement of Wahabism is not only a political movement but also cultural.
With that said, the question I would like to pose to those who believe that Wahabism has replaced our culture: to what extent do you believe Wahabism to be a religious movement or do you believe it to be a mainly cultural movement?
And to those who embrace Wahabism: do you believe that Wahabism is the true form of Islam though it was only founded in the 18th century (nine hundred years after Islam began)? Also, do you believe that Somalis did not properly follow their religion until the 1990s? And were Muslims in general were misguided up until the advent of Wahabism?
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