To some he was a terrorist leader and to some he was a freedom fighter and to others he was a tribal leader. All I can say is that Sayid Ahmed Abdi Godane is the Isaac version of Darood's 19th century Sayid Abdulla Hassan (The Mad Mullah of Somaliland). Both the Dervishes and the Al Shabab share many hallmarks in common. The only difference is the weapon used due to availabilities. In the days of the Mad Mullah horses, boys & arrows and rifles were available to certain degree. Today, explosives and suicide are the go to weapon for many modern day rebels, freedom fighters and designated groups.
Sayid Abdulla Hassan's dervishes were a splitter group of the original Dervishes of Mohammad Ahmed (the so called Mahdi of Sudan). Likewise, Sayid Godane's al Shabab are splitter group of Osama Bin Laden's original Al Qaeda. Osama was inspired by the Mahdi of Sudan and built his ideology on the same principles as the Mahdi. He, however, did not declare himself as "The Mahdi" like the Mad Mullah of Sudan. Godane was inspired by Bin Laden and even ina Abdulle Hassan.
The Dervishes of Sudan and al Qaeda were one and the same thing and the only difference was time.
Originally, Dervish movement was born in Persia (Iran) in the 1870s and almost a decade later it made its way into Ottoman society before arriving in Egypt then Sudan in 1880s. Years later ina Abdulle discovered the ideology during his Hajj tours to Makkah and returned to Somaliland with the mad ideology.
We can say that Sayid Ahmed Abdi Godane is the Isaac Sayid Abdullah Hassan and so if Daroods claim that the Mad Mullah was freedom fighter then Isaac should equally promote Sayid Godane as a freedom fighter. After all Sayid Godane had more success freeing his citizens more than the failed Abdullah Hassan. 120 years on and his Ogaden remain under 2 Tigraian generals. They take turns serving tea and dhaanto. Where as Godane was able to flush out the Tigraian Woyane forces from Mogadishu and much of the south.
Equally unlike the coward Mad Mullah, Godane died in the land he was fighting to free and will be buried there. No one knows where ina Abdullah Hassan is buried and his daughters became the subjects of Galla (Oromo) warriors.
While we disagree with Sayid Godane's tactics or even getting involved in the wars of foreign lands such as famine Somalia, we can declare that Sayid Godane was a freedom fighter.
Finally, we can say that while ina Abdulla is the Mad Mullah of Somaliland, Sayid Godane is the Mad Mullah of Somalia.
Ras
