Bid for Islamic rule in Somalia

2005-10-13 23:05

Nairobi - An influential religious leader and alleged al-Qaeda collaborator has vowed to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, a lawless Horn of Africa nation the United States fears could grow into a major base for Islamic terrorists.

"The Western world should respect our own ideas in choosing the way we want to govern our country, the way we want to go about our own business. That is our right," said Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, a key figure in a growing religious camp vying for control of Somalia with two secular factions.

The US linked Aweys to al-Qaeda shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Last week, the United Nations reported that he was arming hundreds of men to keep a Western-backed transitional government from taking power in Somalia after years of clan fighting.

Concern about terrorism

US officials have repeatedly expressed concern that Somalia, which has not had a central government since warlords ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1992, could become an Islamic terrorist haven. Investigations have shown that terrorist attacks on Kenyan soil in 1998 and 2002 were launched from Somalia.

In a report earlier this year, the International Crisis Group, a Belgian-based think tank, said the threat of terrorism inspired by an extremist interpretation of Islam "in and from Somalia is real" and identified Aweys as an important Islamist leader.

Aweys said on Wednesday that allegations he is a terrorist were invented by his enemies. Aweys said non-Muslims too often think that all fundamentalist Muslims are terrorists.

"I would advise the Western world to change their mind, because all of the time they call the Islamic countries, the Islamic people terrorists, which is not true," he said. "That is one of the things that has been pulling Islamists and the Western world apart.

Bid to establish an Islamic government

He said he and his followers, who include armed militiamen, would not rest until they had established an Islamic government in Somalia. He said he opposed efforts to install a Western-style democracy and called for the international community to leave Somalis alone to choose their own future.

Aweys said he would wage holy war on any foreign forces that enter Somalia. He said he plans to have an important role in the country's future.

"I can influence all of my people with the faith and our religion," Aweys said. "The existing government is not an Islamic one and we will be having our own Islamic faith and we will be very strong in influencing our people."

Aweys did not answer directly when asked whether he has ever had contact with al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden or whether he has been accepting funding and weapons from Eritrea, neighbouring Ethiopia's longtime rival. But he said he has the right to make contact with and have relations with anyone he wants.

- AP