Sayyid Muhammad

Sayyid Muhammad (also known as Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, the “Mad Mullah”) was a Somali religious and nationalist leader who led the Dervish movement against British, Italian, and Ethiopian colonial powers in the Horn of Africa during the early 20th century. He became a pan-Somali Muslim national figure and his memory inspired later Somaliland nationalism.

Claims that use this term

• Sayyid Muhammad died in December 1920 still evading British capture.
• Sayyid Muhammad transcended clan politics as a pan-Somali Muslim national figure.
• Sayyid Muhammad turned Ogaden resentment of Ethiopian raids into Dervish recruits
• Sayyid Muhammad died in exile in 1920 after his forces collapsed
• The memory of Sayyid Muhammad inspired early Somaliland nationalism.