Osman grounded his politics in Gandhi’s philosophy of unwavering trust in adversaries.

Evidence

Osman revealed his inner strength by telling the then minister of Interior on May 9, 1961, several weeks before the election, that trust is key to success in life: “We spoke at length about the subjects of trust and mistrust. I let him read quotations from a book, where it is said that in life those who are equipped with trust have more chances of success than those who do not have trust. In these excerpts Gandhi and his philosophy of Satyagraha are quoted. A believer in Satyagraha does not fear to trust his adversary even if he cheated him 20 times, … the essence of this faith [being] an unwavering trust in human nature… . I copied this quotation with intent to send them also to Sheikh Ali Jimale, but then I only showed him and let him read.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1354

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains Satyagraha as a doctrine of trusting one’s adversary even after repeated betrayal.
• XREF: Connects Somali independence-era leadership to Gandhian nonviolent philosophy.