Sheekhaal

Sheekhaal (Fiqi Cumar)
(فقيه عمر (شيخال
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Somali and Arabic
Religion
Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Siddiquis, Qallu and other Somali clans

The Sheekhaal (var. Sheikhaal, Sheikal, Shikal) (Arabic: شيخال‎), also known as Fiqi Omar, is a Somali clan. Group members inhabit Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, with considerable numbers also found in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) in Kenya.

Overview

Sheikh Abadir Umar Ar-Rida (Fiqi Omar), founder of the Sheekhaal clan.

The Sheekhal clan traces its ancestry to Sheikh Abadir Umar Ar-Rida, also known as Fiqi Umar, who in turn traced his lineage to the first caliph, Abu Bakr (Sayid Abubakar Al-Sadiq). According to the explorer Richard F. Burton, Fiqi Umar crossed over from the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa with his six sons: Umar the Greater, Umar the Lesser, the two Abdillahs, Ahmad and Siddik.[1] Sheikh Ar-Rida is also regarded as the saint of Harar.[2]

Some Sheekhal clans, specifically members of the Ahmed Loobage sub-lineage, consider themselves to be members of the larger Hawiye clan. However, others within the Ahmed Loobage subclan would argue that while they are politically aligned with the larger Hawiye clan, this does not mean that they are descendants of Hawiye.[3] This view is shared by the Aw-Qutub, one of the major Sheekhal subclans; they too totally reject the notion that the Sheekhal are part of the Hawiye clan in terms of descent. UNHCR considers the Sheekhal as a separate group, with four sub-clans: Lobogay (Loboge), Aw Qudub, Gendershe and Aw Hassan (Reerow-Xassan).[4] Lewis (1982) mentions that the largest clan of the Sheikhal is the Reer Fiqi Omar, whose most important lineage, the Reer Aw Qutub, inhabit Somali region of Ethiopia.[5] The Sheekhal clans were reportedly not considered as part of the Hawiye until after the civil war.[3]

Sheikhaal sub-clans

Prominent figures

See also

References

  1. ↑ Richard Burton, First Footsteps in East Africa, 1856; edited with an introduction and additional chapters by Gordon Waterfield (New York: Praeger, 1966), p. 165
  2. ↑ Siegbert Uhlig, Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: He-N, Volume 3, (Otto Harrassowitz Verlag: 2007), pp.111 & 319.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hassan Ali Jama (2005). Who Cares About Somalia. Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. p. 140. ISBN 3-89930-075-0.
  4. ↑ Joint British, Danish and Dutch fact-finding mission to Nairobi, Kenya (2000-11-24). "Report on minority groups in Somalia" (PDF). Nairobi, Kenya. p. 55. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  5. ↑ Lewis, I.M (1982). A study of pastoralism and politics among the northern Somalis of the Horn of Africa (PDF). New York: Africana Publishing Company. pp. 10–11.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 Aves Osman Hagi; Abdiwahid Osman Hagi (1988). Clan, sub-clan, and regional representation in the Somali government organization, 1960-1990: statistical data and findings. Washington DC: Aves O. Hagi & Abdiwahid O. Hagi. p. 156.
  7. ↑ Dr. Omar Ali. Qabaa ilka Soomaalida1988. Mogadishu, Somalia: Banaadir Press. p. 27.