Place of birth: nomadic area of Burao, Togdheer region.
Age: Estimated to be born in 1970.
Formal education: No. Currently in Quranic school in Hargeisa.
Job: Advisor to the House of Representatives, Somaliland Parliament. He also
works for the Ministry of Education of the Federal Government of Somalia as a
member of a committee on the Somali language.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Abw.YuusufShaacir
Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/yuusuf.shaacir1
Contents
About
profiling. 3
Self-appointed
“fighter” for Islam.. 3
Advisor to the House of
Representatives. 4
Antisemitism.. 4
Formal
education is secular and forbidden. 5
Links. 5
About
the Centre for Peace and Tolerance
Profiling is a system to provide critical
information about individuals who propagate publicly violent extremism in the
Horn of Africa. It is based on research and objective information gathering. It
aims to give all stakeholders the necessary information to come up with a
strategy to counter violent extremisms and tackle terrorism. Terrorism cannot
be stopped unless all stakeholders genuinely address those who use social media
to recruit the youth and to spread false information that is aimed to incite
violence and silence counter extremism.
We include the sources in the briefs to allow readers to verify the
claims and information.
The objective of
this profile is to include all available information about Yusuf, who is using
a dangerous tactic to label civil society organisations, women rights activists
and civil society leaders as being anti-Islamic and atheists, allegations that
might lead to the killing of the marked individuals. The information is primarily
gathered from his speeches and Facebook posts which are all online and can be easily
accessed from the below links.
Here is his latest
speech titled Yuusuf Shaacir said he is at war with a group that is a threat to the
religion of Islam.
Yusuf is an
uneducated man who used to work with Hargeiya Cultural Centre (HCC) before he
was dismissed. Angry and jobless, he somehow became radical. He had no formal
position in the HCC but worked on coordinating with poets and received stipends
in return. He was fired after the poets complained about him and threatened to
cut ties with HCC.
After he left the HCC,
he started criticising it and calling it a place
that spreads values that are against Islam. A person close to him told us that
he was radicalised by individuals who offered him money and job to recruit the
youth. They took advantage of his economic situation and used it as a weapon
and propaganda machine.
In his speeches
and social media posts, particularly on Facebook, Yusuf attacks the Hargeysa
Cultural Centre, the Hargeysa International Book Fair, and authors and human
rights defenders in Somaliland. He calls these institutions and individuals a
coordinated conspiracy that fights Islam. He also calls them seculars who want
to eradicate Islam from Somaliland. He does not produce evidence proving his
wild allegations. Yusuf also spreads
anti-Semantic views.
A security expert
who is close to security officials in the region told us that intelligence
agencies are investigating him, and there is a strong belief that he is
connected to Al Shabaab. Al Shabaab is capable of making attacks in many parts
of the region. In July this year, clashes between Ethiopian forces, al Shabaab left scores dead. Al Shabaab
is an Qaida affiliate.
Hargeisa International Book
Fair levelled up security since these social media and mainstream media attacks
were waged. The individuals named in his smear campaigns and
extremist views feel threats because, in this part of the world, such labelling
can make you killed.
A woman rights
activist said, “I am afraid that I might be killed on the streets of Hargeisa.
You know, when you are called anti-Islam and apostate, you become an easy
target for every fanatic. It is not only from an organised entity. Someone walking beside you can knife stab you. Women are particularly at
higher risk,” she added.
“I believe
something has changed him, and strong people with bigger agendas are behind
him. I don’t think he is alone. So, we are taking his threats seriously,” says another
person who does not want his name published due to security reasons.
In the UK extremism is
defined:
“Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to our
fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty,
and respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs. We also regard
calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.”
The U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called extremism a threat to universal values and social cohesion.
Article 10 of the Constitution of Somaliland prohibits all forms of extremism
irrespective of the motive.
The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Abdirisak Khalif Ahmed, appointed Yusuf as advisor to
the House. His role is to advise the House on the Somali language.
Yusuf is a
self-appointed warrior and fighter who is dedicated to fighting what he called
atheists and seculars in Somaliland. His attacks on Facebook and mainstream
media put many people's lives at risk. By making unproven claims, he named
individuals whom he called fighters against Islam. It is not clear why the
House of Representatives employ a person with such extremist ideas. The Speaker
did not distance himself from the fanatic narratives of this man who is called
a dangerous person by many victims of his attacks.
The Ministry of Education
of the Federal Government of Somalia also included a committee that is part of
a curriculum review. It is a dangerous move to include a person with such views
on reforms in the education sector. The committee is particularly focused on the
Somali language. Although he has no formal education, he is a member as a poet.
Yusuf is a fanatic
and extremist who attacked many people in Somaliland whom he calls
anti-Islamic, atheists and secular. Antisemitism is defined as follows:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may
be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of
antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their
property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Yusuf has hatred
toward Jews. See this latest Facebook post. His posts against the Jewish people who visited Hargeisa forced them
to run away before they were attacked because he manifested them as dangerous
individuals that should not be allowed to be in Somaliland. His marking and naming
put them as a target for extremist groups such as Al Shabaab.
Al Shabaab is
capable of making attacks in many parts of the region. In July this year, clashes between Ethiopian forces, al Shabaab left scores dead.
Because he uses
popular social media, his hatred and inciting to
violence reach people outside Somaliland and might cause harm in Europe and
North Africa.
Yusuf also publicly appealed
to the government to arrest someone who had posted something about the science
of human biology. He misrepresented the post and labelled it against Islam and
Somali culture. His ideas about science and knowledge and similar to the
Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden. He sees education as Western and Haram. That is why he also
attacks schools and universities, particularly those that enrol girls.
Here are the links
to his speeches which prove his role. The links are in Somali language and are
his own speeches and posts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FPU378r8U8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzH2XpLzwrY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX79NxeIryE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkj3SMrnrFs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7SWtWrlVKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOQGCnQsIxI
https://www.facebook.com/Abw.YuusufShaacir
https://www.facebook.com/yuusuf.shaacir1
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=269075144397397&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C-GK2C&ref=sharing
The Centre aims to
promote peace and tolerance and to counter extremism and terrorism in the Horn
of Africa. It focuses on Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia. We
envisage the Horn to become a place that is peaceful and tolerant.
Contact
Asma Mohamed
Communications
Director
Email: asmatimohamed5@gmail.com
