Qutubism
The other main counter-current to Salafism in Somalia is Qutubism. As the name suggests, this ideology owes its birth to the Egyptian Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutub, executed in 1966. The principle text of Qutubism is the political commentary of the Holy Koran which Sayyid Qutub wrote in prison called "Fi Zilal al-Quran" (In the Shade of the Koran). This commentary and other writings by Qutub form the theoretical basis for the ideology which seeks to reconcile Islam and modernity. Qutub's vision is less atavistic than the Salafist vision and his critique of modern Western civilization is, in the main, not too extreme.
His followers have since refined the ideology, drawing on the works of many Sunni Islamist thinkers like Abul Ala Maududi of Pakistani. Islamist groups that embrace moderate versions of Qutubism, like the Islamic Brotherhood of Egypt, favour engagement, compromise and moderation to achieve their goals.
In the last few years, Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad, an Abgal cleric, has emerged as the principle proponent of Qutubism in Somalia. He has spoken in favour of engagement with the West and with the transitional government based in Baidoa. He has stated he is opposed to the creation of a Taleban-style government. In many of the interviews, Sharif has made it clear he favours a gradual approach in consolidating the power of the Islamic courts rather than the Islamization blitzkrieg favoured by Aweys.
In an interview with the pro-Islamist Somali website Goobjoog on 20 May, Sharif was clear he favoured dialogue with the interim government and a democratic settlement to the crisis in Somalia.
He is widely respected in the country for his keen intellect and piety, but in a militaristic society where power still flows from the barrel of the gun, it is difficult to see how he can become a powerful player in the new dispensation. Although regarded as the spokesman of the Islamic courts, everyone knows that the real power lies with Hasan Dahir Aweys.
http://www.ogaden.com/Islamistmovement.htm
