Islamic Courts Union: Difference between revisions

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The Islamic Court Union (ICU), also known as the Joint Islamic Courts, is a group of Islamic leaders banded together in a self-appointed court system with Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as overall leader. Currently they are in control of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

After the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, a system of sharia based Islamic courts became the main judicial system. It is funded by fees paid by litigants and by international Islamic charities. Over time the courts began to offer other services such as education and health care. The courts also acted as local police forces, being paid by local businesses to reduce crime. Somalia is almost entirely Muslim, and these institutions had wide public support. Supporters of the Islamic courts and other institutions united to form the ICU, an armed militia. In 1999 this group began to assert its authority. In April they took control of the main market in Mogadishu and in July captured the road from Mogadishu to Afgoi. [1]

However, as the courts began to declare themselves to be the sole rightful dispensers of justice, they came into conflict with the secular warlords who controlled most of the city. In reaction to this and the growing power of the ICU, a group of Mogadishu warlords formed the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. This was a major change as these warlords had been fighting each other for many years. By the beginning of 2006, these two groups have repeatedly clashed, and in May of that year this escalated into the street fighting in the capital, claiming the lives of more than 80 people. On June 5 2006, the ICU claimed that they were now in control of Mogadishu. [2].

The ICU is alleged to have links to Al-Queda. Suspects from the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings are believed to be hiding in Somalia, and to be being aided by the ICU. There have also been reports of foreign mujahideen fighting alongside the ICU. On the other hand, it is widely believed that the United States has supported the warlord alliance, who themselves explicitly claim the ICU to be Islamist terrorists. However, Somalia has little history of radical Islam and the ICU has not embraced the most extreme forms of Islamic law, such as amputation of thieves' hands.

On June 6 2006 the ICU claimed they were in control of the entire city of Mogadishu, and all the lands up to 100 kilometers inland. The warlords were reported to have either been captured or to have fled the city, abandoning most of their weapons, and the majority fleeing to Jowhar. The ICU now has control of much of the weaponry in the country, which makes a resurgence by the warlords unlikely. The ICU also contains a significant territory outside the capital, including the important town of Balad.

The two other major power centres in the country are the governments of Puntland and Somaliland, both of whom assert their autonomy. In the late 1990s the government of Puntland forcibly evicted the Islamic courts from their regions. The rest of the country is controlled by other warlords.

External links

Somali deaths in fierce clashes, BBC News, 24 March 2006
Death toll climbs as Mogadishu fighting intensifies, AFP, 9 May 2006
Despite ceasefire call, fighting continues in Mogadishu, Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2006
From Clan Fighting to Ideological Battleground, UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 11 May 2006
Illegal Arms Continue to Fuel Factional Fighting, UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 12 May 2006
Bloody street battles in Somalia, CNN, 13 May 2006
Warring Somali ministers warned, BBC News, 13 May 2006
Islamic Courts Accept Ceasefire, Shabelle News Network, 15 May 2006
Somali PM Plans to Fire Two of His Cabinet, Shabelle News Network, 15 May 2006
Security Council Calls for Ceasefire And End to Violence in Capital, UN News Service, 16 May 2006
U.S. Secretly Backing Warlords in Somalia, Washington Post, 17 May 2006
Renewed Fighting Claims 11 in Mogadishu, UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 25 May 2006
Islamic Force, Warlords Clash in Somalia, Associated Press, 27 May 2006
Violence Flares in Somalia (VIDEO), ogrish.com, updated 28 May 2006
Large Rally Against United States Staged in Mogadishu, Shabelle Media Network, 2 June 2006
New power emerges from the south, Somalinet.com, 4 June 2006
Islamists seize key Somali town, BBC News, 4 June 2006
Islamists claim control of Mogadishu, Al Jazeera News, 5 June 2006

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 After the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, a system of ''[[sharia]]'' based Islamic courts became the main judicial system. It is funded by fees paid by litigants and by international Islamic charities. Over time the courts began to offer other services such as education and health care. The courts also acted as local police forces, being paid by local businesses to reduce crime. Somalia is almost entirely Muslim, and these institutions had wide public support. Supporters of the Islamic courts and other institutions united to form the ICU, an armed militia. In 1999 this group began to assert its authority. In April they took control of the main market in Mogadishu and in July captured the road from Mogadishu to [[Afgoi]]. [http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?/durable/1999/07/13/text/p1s2.html]
-However, as the courts began to declare themselves to be the sole rightful dispensers of justice, they came into conflict with the secular [[warlord]]s who controlled most of the city. In reaction to this and the growing power of the ICU, a group of Mogadishu warlords formed the [[Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism]]. This was a major change as these warlords had been fighting each other for many years. By the beginning of 2006, these two groups have repeatedly clashed, and in May of that year this escalated into the [[Second Battle of Mogadishu|street fighting in the capital]], overall claiming the lives of over 80 people. On [[June 5]] [[2006]], the ICU claimed that they were now in control of Mogadishu. [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/05/africa/web.0605mogadishu.php].
+However, as the courts began to declare themselves to be the sole rightful dispensers of justice, they came into conflict with the secular [[warlord]]s who controlled most of the city. In reaction to this and the growing power of the ICU, a group of Mogadishu warlords formed the [[Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism]]. This was a major change as these warlords had been fighting each other for many years. By the beginning of 2006, these two groups have repeatedly clashed, and in May of that year this escalated into the [[Second Battle of Mogadishu|street fighting in the capital]], claiming the lives of more than 80 people. On [[June 5]] [[2006]], the ICU claimed that they were now in control of Mogadishu. [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/05/africa/web.0605mogadishu.php].
 The ICU is alleged to have links to [[Al-Queda]]. Suspects from the [[1998 U.S. embassy bombings]] are believed to be hiding in Somalia, and to be being aided by the ICU. There have also been reports of foreign [[mujahideen]] fighting alongside the ICU. On the other hand, it is widely believed that the United States has supported the warlord alliance, who themselves explicitly claim the ICU to be Islamist terrorists. However, Somalia has little history of radical Islam and the ICU has not embraced the most extreme forms of Islamic law, such as [[amputation]] of thieves' hands.
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 On [[June 6]] [[2006]] the ICU claimed they were in control of the entire city of Mogadishu, and all the lands up to 100 kilometers inland. The warlords were reported to have either been captured or to have fled the city, abandoning most of their weapons, and the majority fleeing to [[Jowhar]]. The ICU now has control of much of the weaponry in the country, which makes a resurgence by the warlords unlikely. The ICU also contains a significant territory outside the capital, including the important town of [[Balad, Somalia|Balad]].
-The two other major power centres in the country are the governments of [[Puntland]] and [[Somaliland]], both of whom assert their autonomy. In the late 1990s the government of Puntland forcibly evicted the Islamic courts from their regions. Rest of the country is controled by other warlords.
+The two other major power centres in the country are the governments of [[Puntland]] and [[Somaliland]], both of whom assert their autonomy. In the late 1990s the government of Puntland forcibly evicted the Islamic courts from their regions. The rest of the country is controlled by other warlords.
 ==External links==