Famous people from Somalia
Here is a list of famous people from Somalia. Curious if anybody from Somalia made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
Mohamed Farah
Olympic athlete
Mohamed "Mo" Farah CBE is a Somali-born British international track and field athlete in the long distance and middle-distance. He is the current 10,000 metres Olympic and World champion and 5000 metres Olympic, World and European champion. On the track, he generally competes over 5000 m and 10,000 m, but also runs the 3000 metres and occasionally the 1500 metres, over which distance Farah is the British and European record holder. He has expressed a desire to move up to the marathon at some point in the future. Farah holds the European track record for 10,000 m, 1500 m and Two Miles, the British road record for 10,000 m, the British indoor record in the 3000 m, the British track record for 5000 m, the British half-marathon record, and the European indoor record for 5000 m. In July 2010, he won Britain's first-ever men's European gold medal at 10,000 m. Farah followed this with a gold in the 5000 m, becoming the 5th male athlete to complete the long-distance double at the championships and the first British man to do so. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, he won silver in the 10,000 m and gold in the 5000 m. He became double Olympic champion at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, taking gold in both the 5000 and 10,000 metres. In 2013, he also won the double at the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, taking gold in both the 5000 and 10,000 metres, becoming only the second man in history to win a double victory in both the Olympics and World Championships in the distance events.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Politician
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-Dutch-American feminist and atheist activist, writer and politician who is known for her views critical of female genital mutilation and Islam. She wrote the screenplay for Theo van Gogh's movie Submission, after which she and the director both received death threats, and the director was murdered. The daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse, she is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA Foundation. When she was eight, Hirsi Ali's family left Somalia for Saudi Arabia, then Ethiopia, and eventually settled in Kenya. She sought and obtained political asylum in the Netherlands in 1992, under circumstances that later became the centre of a political controversy. In 2003 she was elected a member of the House of Representatives, representing the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. A political crisis surrounding the potential stripping of her Dutch citizenship led to her resignation from the parliament, and led indirectly to the fall of the second Balkenende cabinet in 2006.
Iman Abdulmajid
Actor
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid, professionally known as Iman, is a Somali fashion model, actress and entrepreneur. A pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics, she is also noted for her charitable work. She is married to David Bowie.
Waris Dirie
Novelist
Waris Dirie is a model, author, actress and human rights activist of Somali origin.
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Warlord
General Mohamed Farrah Hassan Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance. Along with other armed opposition groups, they drove out President Mohamed Siad Barre's regime from Somalia's capital Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War that broke out in the early 1990s. In 1992, Aidid challenged the presence of United Nations and United States troops in the nation. He was one of the main targets of Operation Restore Hope, the UN and US joint humanitarian operation that sought to break the military siege. After eventually forcing UN forces to abandon the country in 1995, Aidid declared himself President of Somalia for a few months until his death the following year.
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Politician
Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader. Referred to as the Mad Mullah by the British, he established the Dervish State in Somalia that fought an anti-imperial war for a period of over 20 years against British, Italian and Ethiopian forces.
Abdisalam Ibrahim
Soccer Midfielder
Abdisalam Abdulkadir Ibrahim is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Strømsgodset, on loan from Manchester City.
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
Politician
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is a Somali politician. Between 2009–2012, he was the President of Somalia. He also previously served as the Commander in Chief of the Islamic Courts Union, the group of Sharia Courts that opposed the Transitional Federal Government.
Hassan Dahir Aweys
Politician
Hassan Dahir Aweys is a Somali political figure who was added to the U.S. government's list of terrorists in 2001. Aweys was the head of the 90-member shura council of the Islamic Courts Union of Somalia and was viewed as one of the more radical leaders of the Union, which promoted shari'a and directed the militias that took control of the Somali capital of Mogadishu in June 2006. An eight-member executive committee was headed by the more moderate Sharif Ahmed, although the BBC stated that he was the "real power" of the organization. Aweys resigned from the ICU on 28 December 2006, at the end of ICU rule in Mogadishu. He hails from the Habargidir/Ayr subclan within the Hawiye clan.
George Elokobi
Soccer
George Nganyuo Elokobi is a Cameroonian footballer who plays for English club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a defender. Elokobi moved from his native Cameroon to England aged 16 and soon entered non-league football. He was signed by league club Colchester United in 2004, where he caught the attention of Wolverhampton Wanderers to whom he moved in 2008. He was part of their promotion-winning squad to the Premier League the following year, playing over fifty games in the top flight, and has remained with the club following their relegation.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Politician
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was a Somali politician. He was one of the founders of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, as well as the Puntland State of Somalia, where he served as the autonomous region's first President. In 2004, he also helped establish the Transitional Federal Government, which he led as President of Somalia from 2004 until 2008.
Islam Feruz
Soccer Forward
Islam Feruz is a Scottish professional association football player who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Chelsea. Feruz spent most of his youth career with Scottish Premier League team Celtic, but later moved to Chelsea in September 2011 after rejecting a professional contract with the Scottish club. A resident of Scotland and naturalized citizen of the United Kingdom, Feruz declared in 2009 that he would play for the Scotland national football team, and has represented the country at several youth levels.
Nuruddin Farah
Novelist
Nuruddin Farah is a prominent Somali novelist. He was awarded the 1998 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Ali Mahdi Muhammad
Politician
Ali Mahdi Muhammad is a Somali entrepreneur and politician. He served as President of Somalia from January 1991 to January 1997. Muhammad rose to power after a coalition of armed opposition groups, including his own United Somali Congress, deposed longtime President Siad Barre. However, Muhammad was not able to exert his authority beyond parts of the capital. Power was instead vied with other faction leaders in the southern half of the country and with autonomous subnational entities in the north.
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi
Politician
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi "the Conqueror" was an Imam and General of Adal who invaded Ethiopia and defeated several Ethiopian emperors. With the help of an army mainly composed of Somalis, Imam Ahmad, embarked on a conquest which brought three-quarters of Ethiopia under the power of the Muslim Sultanate of Adal during the Ethiopian-Adal War from 1529-43.
Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
Politician
Aden Abdulle Osman Daar, popularly known as Aadan Cadde, was a Somali politician. He was the first President of Somalia, serving from July 1, 1960 to June 10, 1967.
Rageh Omaar
Journalist
Rageh Omaar is a Somali-born British journalist and writer. His latest book Only Half of Me deals with the tensions between these two sides of his identity. He used to be a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq. In September 2006, he moved to a new post at Al Jazeera English, where he presented the nightly weekday documentary series Witness until January 2010. The Rageh Omaar Report, first aired February 2010, is a one-hour, monthly investigative documentary in which he reports on important international current affairs stories. From January 2013, Omaar became a special correspondent and presenter for ITV News, reporting on a broad range of news stories, as well as producing special in-depth reports from all around the UK and further afield.
Fatima Siad
Fashion Model
Fatima Siad is a Somali-Ethiopian fashion model. Raised in Boston, Massachusetts, she placed third on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10.
Mustafa Mohamed
Olympic athlete
Mustafa Hassan Mohamed is a Somali-Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Liban Abdi
Soccer Midfielder
Liban Abdi is a footballer who plays for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Académica de Coimbra. He previously played for Sheffield United in England, for Ferencváros in Hungary and for Olhanense in Portugal. Abdi was born in Somalia, but grew up in Norway and holds Norwegian citizenship.
Alexander, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau
Noble person
Alexander, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau is a German journalist, writer. He is the uncle of Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, the current head of German princely House of Thurn und Taxis.
Abdi Bile
Olympic athlete
Abdi Bile is a former middle distance runner. He was born in Las Anod, Somalia. Abdi Bile grew up in a society where most of people were nomadic. He finished his high school in a school located in Erigavo. Abdi Bile started running when he first heard of the Somali runner Jamac Karacin who got scholarship into the US. This was when running became his hobby. When Abdi was a kid he was very interested in football or soccer. Abdi Bile was a great runner but not the only runner in his family. There were many of his other siblings who were interested in running at that time. In 1987 he became world champion in the 1500 metres, the first Somali to do so.
Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal
Politician
Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal was a Somali politician. He was the Prime Minister of Somalia during the early and late 1960s. He also served as the second President of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.
Hussein Farrah Aidid
Warlord
Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid, is a United States Marine Corps veteran. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo
Politician
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmajo" is a Somali diplomat, professor and politician. He is the former Prime Minister of Somalia and is the founder and Secretary-General of the Tayo Political Party.
Moktar Ali Zubeyr
Man
Sheikh Moktar Ali Zubeyr also known as Muktar Abdirahman "Godane", Ahmad Abdi Godane, Ahmad Abdi Aw Muhammad, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr and Muqtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr, is the Emir of Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, which currently is the most prominent insurgent group in Somalia. Godane, who received training and fought in Afghanistan, is designated by the United States as a terrorist. He succeeded Sheikh Mukhtar Robow who had held the position for several months after Sheikh Aden Ayro's death.
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
Politician
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud "Silanyo" is a Somali politician. He is a longtime member of government, having served as Minister of Commerce of Somalia, among other Cabinet positions. During the 1980s, he also acted as Chairman of the Somali National Movement. Mohamoud is the current President of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. Standing as an opposition candidate, he was elected to office during the region's 2010 presidential election.
Abdirahman Farole
Politician
Abdirahman Mohamud Farole is a Somali politician. He is the fourth and current President of Puntland.
Ali Mohammed Ghedi
Politician
Ali Mohamed Gedi was the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2007. He was relatively unknown in political circles upon his appointment as prime minister in November 2004. He is affiliated with the Abgaal subclan of Mogadishu's Hawiye clan, one of Somalia's four most powerful clan 'families'. He narrowly survived a suicide attack on his home that left at least seven people dead on June 3, 2007.
Yasmin Warsame
Supermodel
Yasmin Abshir Warsame is a Canadian model and activist of Somali origin. In 2004, she was named "The Most Alluring Canadian" in a poll by Fashion magazine.
Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse
Man
Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse (Somali: , Arabic: ) is a Somali acused of piracy, the only survivor of a group of four who allegedly attacked the MV Maersk Alabama and held the captain for ransom at gunpoint.
Abdiweli Mohamed Ali
Politician
Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is a Somali economist, professor and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Somalia from June 2011 to October 2012, and briefly afterwards as an MP in the newly formed Federal Parliament. During his time as Premier, Ali is credited with having devised the formal "Roadmap for the End of Transition", a political process which provided clear benchmarks leading toward the establishment of permanent democratic institutions in the country. In August 2013, he began a campaign to run for President of the autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia.
Ayub Daud
Soccer Midfielder
Ayub Daud is a Somali footballer who plays for Budapest Honvéd FC as a forward/attacking midfielder.
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Politician
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was Prime Minister of Somalia from July 12, 1960 to June 14, 1964, and President of Somalia from June 10, 1967 until his assassination on October 15, 1969. He was the father of Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.
Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Politician
Hassan Gouled Aptidon was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.
Maryam Mursal
Singer
Maryam Mursal is a Somali composer and vocalist.
Ahmed Ismail Samatar
Professor
Ahmed Ismail Samatar is a prominent Somali writer, professor and former dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. He is the editor of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies and brother of Abdi Ismail Samatar.
Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid
Politician
Abdi Farah Shirdon is a Somali businessman, economist and politician. He is the Prime Minister of Somalia.
Hadrawi
Poet
Hadrawi is a prominent Somali poet and songwriter. He is considered by many to be the greatest living Somali poet, having written many notable protest works. Hadrawi has been likened by some to Shakespeare, and his poetry has been translated into various languages.
Abdihakem Abdirahman
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Abdihakem Abdirahman is a Somali-American long-distance runner. He has competed in the Olympics for the United States in the 10,000 meters and the marathon.
Nur Hassan Hussein
Politician
Nur Hassan Hussein Adde, was the Prime Minister of Somalia from November 2007 to February 2009. He is from Mogadishu and is part of the Abgaal sub-clan of the Hawiye.
Muhammad Ali Samatar
Politician
Muhammad Ali Samatar is a Somali politician and Lieutenant General. A senior member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, he also served as the Prime Minister of Somalia from 1 February 1987 to 3 September 1990.
Samia Yusuf Omar
Olympic athlete
Samia Yusuf Omar or Samiyo Omar was a sprinter from Somalia.
Dahir Riyale Kahin
Politician
Dahir Rayale Kahin was the third President of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as a part of Somalia. He became the third president of Somaliland on May 3, 2002, after the death of Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal. He won elections on April 14, 2003, representing the Ururka Dimuqraadiga Umada Bahawday, or United Democratic People's Party, and was sworn into office on May 16, 2003.
Magool
Musician
Magool, born Halima Khaliif Omar, was a Somali singer.
Mohamed Osman Jawari
Politician
Prof. Mohamed Osman Jawari is a Somali attorney and politician. He is the current Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia. He also briefly served as acting President of Somalia in August and September 2012.
Abdiqasim Salad Hassan
Politician
Dr. Abdiqasim Salad Hassan is a Somali politician. He was President of Somalia from 2000 to 2004, and previously served as Interior Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Mohamed Siad Barre.
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden
Politician
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan is a Somali politician. He is a former Finance Minister of Somalia, and the current Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament. He hails from the Adan Mirifle Ashraaf sub-clan of the Rahanweyn major clan.
Nadifa Mohamed
Novelist
Nadifa Mohamed is a Somali-British novelist.
Asha Haji Elmi
Politician
Asha Haji Elmi is a Somali politician and peace activist. As of August 2012, she is a member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia.
Ali Khalif Galaid
Politician
Ali Khalif Galaydh was the Prime Minister of Somalia from October 8, 2000 to October 28, 2001. Galaydh has extensive experience in public policy, diplomacy, public administration and business. He has taught these subjects at public universities in the United States.
2010 Portland car bomb plot
Musical Artist
The 2010 Portland car bomb plot involved an incident in which Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-American student, was arrested in an FBI sting operation on November 26, 2010, after attempting to set off what he thought was a car bomb at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon. He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. An attorney for Mohamud argued that his client was entrapped. On January 31, 2013, a jury found Mohamud guilty of the single charge against him. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2013.
Ahmed Mohamed Islam
Politician
Ahmed Mohamed Islam aka Sheikh Ahmed Madobe or Madobe is the Chairman of Raskamboni movement. On 15 May 2013, he was elected president of Somalia's southern Jubaland region.
Sheikh Mukhtar Robow
Politician
Sheikh Mukhtar Robow is a Somali rebel leader and spokesman for Somalia's Al-Shabaab.
Afdhere Jama
Journalist
Afdhere Jama is an American writer and filmmaker of Somali origin. Jama was born and raised in Somalia. He moved to America when he was a teenager. Between the years 2000 and 2010, he was the editor of Huriyah, a magazine by and for LGBT Muslims. Jama identifies as queer and Muslim.
Abdullahi Sudi Arale
Man
Abdullahi Sudi Arale is a citizen of Somalia who was held for two and a half years in extrajudicial detention by the United States. Arale's transfer to the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba, was confirmed on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. Arale's capture was said to have occurred "in recent weeks". Arale was alleged to have helped courier weapons and explosives between al Qaeda elements in Pakistan and the horn of Africa. Bryan Whitman, a Department of Defense spokesman, said: "We believe him to be an extremely dangerous member of the al-Qaida network," Xinhua reports that American officials claimed Arale had held a leadership position in the Somali Council of Islamic Courts. Xinhua also reported American officials claimed Arale had been living in Pakistan until a return to Somalia, "eight months ago". On November 3, 2008, the New York Times published a page summarizing the official documents from each captive. The New York Times stated that no further official records of his detention—no Combatant Status Review Tribunal had been published.
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
Politician
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke is a Somali diplomat and politician. He is the former Prime Minister of Somalia.
Hassan Abshir Farah
Politician
Hassan Abshir Farah is a veteran Somali politician. He has served as Mayor of Mogadishu and Interior Minister of Puntland. From November 12, 2001 to December 8, 2003, he was also Prime Minister of Somalia. He is currently an MP in the Federal Parliament of Somalia.
Hawa Abdi
Physician
Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe is a Somali human rights activist and physician. She is the founder and chairperson of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, a non-profit organization.
Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki
Man
Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, also known as Hassan Al-Turki, or "Al-Turki"–"The Turk", is a Somali Islamist and military leader in the Islamic Courts Union and previously Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya.
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar
Author
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar is a Somali scholar and writer.
Amal Aden
Woman
Amal Aden is the pseudonym of a Somali-Norwegian writer. She has been noted in Norway because of her strong criticism of the Norwegian integration and immigration policy, and is the author of several books regarding issues related to this.
Saba Anglana
Musical Artist
Saba Anglana is a Somali-Italian actress and international singer.
Edna Adan Ismail
Politician
Edna Adan Ismail is the former Foreign Minister of the autonomous Somaliland region in northwest Somalia. She held this office from 2003 until 2006, and had previously served as Somaliland's Minister of Family Welfare and Social Development. She is the director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa and an activist and pioneer in the struggle for the abolition of female circumcision. She is also President of the Organization for Victims of Torture. She was married to Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal who was Head of Government in British Somaliland five days prior to Somalia's independence and later the Prime Minister of Somalia and President of Somaliland.
Mohamed Afrah Qanyare
Politician
Mohamed Qanyare Afrah is a Somali warlord and politician who was based south of Mogadishu in the Daynile District. He served as Minister of Security in 2006 but was dismissed after ignoring calls by the Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi to stop fighting forces of the Islamist Courts.
Abdirizak Haji Hussein
Politician
Abdirizak Haji Hussein was Prime Minister of Somalia from 14 June 1964 to 15 July 1967.
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye
Military Person
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, also known as Salah Gaveire Kedie, was a Somali senior military official and a revolutionary.
Mohamoud Ali Shire
Noble person
Mohamoud Ali Shire was a Somali ruler. He was the 26th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate, reigning from 1897 to 1960.
Yusuf Garaad Omar
Journalist
Yusuf Garaad Omar is a Somali political figure and former journalist.
Eise Aden Abshir
Soccer
Eiise Aden Abshir, is a much-travelled Somalian football striker who has played in Norway, Malta and Tanzania in addition to his exploits in his homeland. He is currently contracted to Norwegian minnows Eidsvold Turn. He is the only player in the Somalia national football team to have scored more than 30 goals.
Zahra Bani
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Zahra Bani is a Somali-Italian javelin thrower.
Abdullahi Issa
Politician
Abdullahi Issa Mohamud was a Somali politician. He was the first Prime Minister of Somalia during the trusteeship period, serving from February 29, 1956 to July 1, 1960.
Hirsi Magan Isse
Politician
Hirsi Magan Isse was a scholar and one of the leading figures of the Somali revolution. A part of Somalia's political elite, he was a leader in the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, one of the earliest and most influential factions in the Somali Civil War that broke out in 1991. Magan Isse was a comrade-in-arms of erstwhile President of Somalia, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, and the father of the former Dutch MP and critic of Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Mohammed Ahmed
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Mohammed Ahmed is a Canadian long-distance runner. On June 27, 2012, Ahmed qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in the 10,000 metres event with a first place finish at the 2012 Canadian Olympics field & Track in Calgary.
Abdirizak Waberi
Politician
Abdirizak Waberi is a Swedish Moderate Party politician. He is member of the Swedish parliament since the 2010 election, representing the Gothenburg Municipality constituency.
Aar Maanta
Musical Artist
Aar Maanta is a Somali singer, composer, songwriter, instrumentalist and music producer.
Jama Musse Jama
Author
Jama Musse Jama is a prominent Somali ethnomathematician and author. He is notable for his research on traditional Somali boardgames such as Shax.
Abdulqawi Yusuf
Judge
Dr. Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf is a prominent Somali international lawyer and judge. As of February 6, 2009, he is a judge at the International Court of Justice.
Faarax Maxamed Jaamac Cawl
Novelist
Farah Mohamed Jama Awl, usually credited as Faarax M.J. Cawl, was a Somali writer. His surname Cawl means "gazelle", which was the nickname of his great-grandfather who was the Sultan of the Warsangali clan. The Awl family also includes the Warsangali Sultan Mohamoud Ali Shire.
Ali Maow Maalin
Cook
Ali Maow Maalin was a Somalian hospital cook and health worker from Merca who is the last person known to be infected with naturally occurring Variola minor smallpox in the world. He was diagnosed with the disease in October 1977 and made a full recovery. Although he had many contacts, none of them developed the disease and an aggressive containment campaign was successful in preventing an outbreak. Smallpox was declared to have been eradicated globally by the World Health Organization two years later. Maalin was subsequently involved in the successful poliomyelitis eradication campaign in Somalia, and he died of malaria while carrying out polio vaccinations after the reintroduction of the virus in 2013.
Mohamed Abdi Mohamed
Politician
Mohamed Abdi Mohamed is a Somali geologist, anthropologist, historian and politician. He is the former Minister of Defense of Somalia, and the former President of Azania.
Hassan Mead
Athlete
Hassan Mead was a Cross Country and track and field athlete for the University of Minnesota. An eight-time All-American in his Minnesota career, four in cross country and five in track. He is a nine-time Big Ten Conference Champion winning two in cross country, and seven in track, sweeping all distance events in the 2009 indoor and outdoor seasons. Hassan is currently running with the Oregon Track Club in Eugene, Oregon.
Fuad Qalaf
Politician
Fuad Mohamed Qalaf, also known as Fuad Shangole, is a Somali-Swedish militant Islamist. He was a senior leader of the now defunct Islamic Courts Union, and is currently a senior leader of its successor al-Shabaab.
Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf
Man
Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf, also spelled Hagi Bashir Ismail Yousuf, was a Somali politician. He was the first President of the Somali National Assembly during Somalia's early civilian administration.
Hawa Ahmed
Model
Hawa Ahmed is a Swedish fashion model of Somali origin and winner of Cycle 4 of Sweden's Next Top Model.
Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed Timacade
Poet
Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed 'Timacade' was a Somali poet. He was among the most prominent bards of his day.
Gaarriye
Author
Gaarriye was a poet from Somalia. Gaarriye was born in Hargeisa. He was a member of the Somali National Movement. He composed one of the best known Somali poems on the theme of reconciliation, "Hagarlaawe". Gaarriye died at a hospital in Norway on 30 September 2012.
Shire Jama Ahmed
Author
Shire Jama Ahmed was a Somali linguist who is credited with having devised a unique Latin script for transcribing the Somali language. Shire Jama's winning Somali Orthoraphy was chosen from eighteen competing new orthographies in 1972 by the Language Committee and the ruling party. The committee commenced its work back in 1960. In the late 1960s, Shire and a few other Somali linguists presented before the Somali Language Committee, an organization in charge of settling Somalia's outstanding language issue, and eventually deciding between several prospective orthographies. These scripts ranged from Arabic to some resembling Ge'ez, an ancient Ethio-Semitic writing system. Among those proposed was the Osmanya script, an orthography invented in the early twentieth century by the Majeerteen poet and ruler, Osman Yusuf Kenadid, which had enjoyed a strong following. Shire's competing orthography, for its part, was derived from Latin characters, and it omitted a few letters to accommodate the unique sounds of the Somali language. Shire also introduced combination letters, which were in many ways exclusive to the language. In 1972, his proven orthography was selected as Somalia's national writing script for Af Soomaali.
Muktar Said Ibrahim
Man
Muktar Said Ibrahim, also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, has been found guilty of involvement in the attempted July 21 attacks on London's public transport system. He attempted to detonate a device on a London bus and was arrested sharing an apartment with the also guilty Ramzi Mohammed on 29 July 2005. During the arrest, which culminated in Ramzi and Ibrahim standing near-naked on their balcony to avoid tear gas that police had used, Ramzi is reported to have repeatedly shouted "I have rights, I have rights!" to the media covering the event. He was originally from Somalia and arrived in the UK as a child dependent of asylum seekers in 1990, and was granted residency in 1992. It has been reported that he applied for naturalisation as a British citizen in November 2003 and was issued with a British passport in September 2004. He had been living in Stoke Newington, London. Ibrahim was convicted of robbery and jailed for five years in 1996 for committing the crime and also carrying a knife. His family were apparently unaware of any possible involvement in terrorist activities and have publicly distanced themselves from him since the bombing attempts. He was arrested on 29 July 2005 and was tried alongside five other suspects for his part in the bombings.
Umar Arteh Ghalib
Politician
Umar Arteh Ghalib or Omer Carte Qalib is a prominent Somali politician. He was Prime Minister of Somalia from January 24, 1991 to May 1993.
Osman Yusuf Kenadid
Teacher
Osman Yusuf Kenadid was a Somali poet, writer, teacher and ruler.
Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur
Teacher
Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur was a Somali religious leader and the inventor of the Borama script for the Somali language.
Mohammed Warsame
Man
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia Mohammed Abdullah Warsame is a Canadian citizen who was arrested in 2003 by American police in Minneapolis who accused him of attending an Afghan training camp and fighting alongside Taliban forces in the country, and charged him with conspiring to provide support to terrorists.
Abdirashid Duale
Businessperson
Abdirashid Duale is a British Somali entrepreneur and the CEO of Dahabshiil, an international funds transfer company.
Mohammed Ahamed
Football player
Mohammed Ahamed Jama, commonly known as Mohammed Ahamed or just Mo, is a Norwegian-Somalian footballer currently plays for Tromsdalen. He plays as a Center Forward, and have previously played for Tromsø in Tippeligaen.
Zahra Abdulla
Politician
Zahra Abdulla is a Somali-born Finnish politician. She is a member of the Helsinki City Council, representing the Green League.
Ramzi Mohammed
Man
A Somali National, Ramzi Mohammed is a convicted bomber in the attempted London bombing of July 21st 2005. Ramzi is currently serving 40 years for conspiracy to murder on the Oval tube station train. He was arrested sharing an apartment with Muktar Said Ibrahim on 29 July 2005, amid allegations that he was the so-called 'bus bomber'. During the arrest, which reportedly culminated in Ramzi and Ibrahim standing near-naked on their balcony to avoid tear gas that police had used, Ramzi is reported to have repeatedly shouted "I have rights, I have rights!" to the media covering the event. Later, it was discovered that Ramzi had tried to have the local imam at Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in North Kensington removed over religious disagreements. Together with his brother Whabi Mohammad, Ramzi used to set up a table with Islamic literature at local football games. His brother Whabi Mohammad was also arrested in a separate raid outside Notting Hill In February 2007 he stood trial along with 5 others for his part in the bombings. On the 24th of January, the court released dramatic video of Ramzi Mohammed attempting to detonate his device. The carriage quickly emptied, apart from one man who stayed behind to reason with him, an off-duty fireman named Angus Campbell.