British naming the Sayyid ‘The Mad Mullah’ opened the colonial expeditions
Evidence
In the circumstances, the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik proposed joint action and Lt-Colonel E. J. E. Swayne who with his brother (H. G. C. Swayne) had had considerable experience in the Protectorate was appointed to organize a British expeditionary force. The onset of the rains delayed preparations, but on 22 May, 1901, Swayne’s force consisting of a Somali levy 1,500 strong with twenty-one officers of the British and Indian armies set out from Burao which at this time was still unadministered. The operations against Sayyid Muhammad, who was soon dubbed ‘The Mad Mullah’, had begun. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 216
Categorization
- DEFINE: Pins down the origin of the enduring dismissive label ‘The Mad Mullah’ that framed the whole campaign.
- XREF: connects to: A disputed rifle incident in 1899 triggered the Sayyid’s open defiance of the British.; The Sayyid formally challenged the British to war or tribute in 1899 — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 212; The British proclaimed the Sayyid a rebel who was not clearly their subject
Related
- A disputed rifle incident in 1899 triggered the Sayyid’s open defiance of the British. (similarity 0.88)
- The Sayyid formally challenged the British to war or tribute in 1899 (similarity 0.83)
- The British proclaimed the Sayyid a rebel who was not clearly their subject (similarity 0.81)
- British designation of the Sayyid as rebel exceeded their actual jurisdiction over him (similarity 0.79)