Without Al-Ictisaam b'il Kitaab wa Sunna (Al-I'tisaam), you cannot understand Al-Shabaab. The shadowy neo-Salafist movement is the 'big brother' of the violent Al-Qaeda affiliate, and it is no exaggeration to refer to it as the single most important, least understood force in Somali politics. The legitimate and licit ideological twin to Al-Shabaab, Al-I'tisaam is the silent partner that has peacefully advocated the jihadists' objectives for over two decades. At times, the two movements have clashed —particularly in the early 2010s —but today, they are engaged in a prickly competition for the same end goal: "to establish [in the words of Al-I'tisaam] the Religion of Allah on the earth and to rule by His Legislation." And while Al-Shabaab may have seized the headlines with its armed struggle, it is Al-I'tisaam's version of jihad that has earned the movement its place as the most influential neo-Salafi group in Somalia, operating a vast array of businesses, charities, madrassas, mosques, universities and much more besides. And with such wealth has come legitimacy and influence; Al-I'tisaam's sway extends to Hargeisa, Garowe, Mogadishu, and even Nairobi.
This week, Somaliland President Abdirahman 'Irro' travelled to Qatar for what was billed as a "historic visit," the first sitting leader of the unrecognised polity to be received in Doha. It certainly proved historic, but unlikely in the way that the Waddani administration hoped for, with the Qatari PM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani springing a chastening press release following their meeting. The last lines of the Qatari PM's statement were particularly toe-curling for Hargeisa, asserting that "Qatar's belief that Somalia's future is built through openness and constructive communication among all its components, to ensure respect for the sovereignty and national unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia." Though the Somaliland government has tried to brush it off, it may prove a wake-up call for the complexities of navigating relations with Doha and others.