Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam: al-Shabaab’s Ideologue Shaping the Insurgent Response to COVID-19
Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam: al-Shabaab’s Ideologue Shaping the Insurgent Response to COVID-19
Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam is an ideological and spiritual leader of al-Shabaab who has done the most to shape how the Somalia-based militant group has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. His opinion on the virus is the latest missive from the 41-year-old cleric whose past pronouncements have held sway over the al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa.
For years, fighters within al-Shabaab have considered Adam their non-official mufti, an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (fatwa) on a point of Islamic law (Sharia). The fighters and supporters have also treated his opinion as compulsory and binding (Intelligence Briefs, March 23, 2015).
According to news reports, the charismatic ideologue rose to fame in 2008, a period when al-Shabaab is believed to have first started making inroads into Kenya. Around that same time, young and more militant Islamic preachers replaced the moderate ones, especially in mosques in Eastleigh, a neighborhood in Nairobi nicknamed ‘Little Mogadishu’ due to its large concentration of ethnic Somalis.
Adam is considered sharp, articulate, and a hardline cleric who knows his mission. From Eastleigh, he has issued decrees on a range of issues, including al-Shabaab’s leadership style. He has also delivered lectures, writings, and sermons justifying al-Shabaab’s war against the Somali government (Africanargument, September 25, 2013).
In 2013, the late Shaykh Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was then the emir of al-Shabaab, engaged in a purge of al-Shabaab leaders who were considered dissidents. Among those killed were American jihadist Omar Hammami and Godane’s mentor and friend, Ibrahim al-Afghani. A prominent al-Shabaab leader and founder, Shaykh Hassan Dahir Awey, narrowly escaped death and sought refuge on the government side. Taking action, Godane is said to have followed Adam’s fatwas (Wardheer News, April 2, 2014).
Adam has issued fatwas against the Federal Government of Somalia, thus giving Somali Islamists reasons to target the government and its allies. According to analysts, the fatwas have prevented meaningful dialogue between al-Shabaab and the government. His pronouncements have been widely distributed in pro-al-Shabaab channels (Intelligence Briefs, March 23, 2015).
In the last few years, Adam appeared to tone down his rhetoric, but his comments this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought attention back to the cleric. In mid-March, the cleric questioned the logic of complying with the Kenyan government’s COVID-19 social distancing measures, which required all places of worship to shut down. He questioned why imams were rushing to close mosques. According to Adam, the Kenyan government should have equipped the mosques and other places of worship with special equipment to detect the virus or its symptoms before ordering the shutdown of mosques.
Like the rest of his earlier pronouncements, this opinion was widely cheered in Somalia and shared on various al-Shabaab-friendly media outlets. It also fed into the dis-information, propaganda, and conspiracy theories the group spread about the virus. Messages from al-Shabaab leadership told supporters that the virus was Allah’s punishment of non-believers for their evil deeds against Muslims and jihadists (Nation, July 25).
Adam was born in Garissa in northern Kenya in 1979. His parents are believed to be Somali migrants who moved from Ethiopia’s Ogaden region and settled in Kenya’s northeastern region. He is Darood, a sub-clan of the Ogaden clan.
He uses several aliases, including Hassan Mahad Omar, Asan Mahad Cumar, Hassan Hussien Aden, Xassaan Xuseen Adan, and Abu Salaam. Initially, Adam served as one of al-Shabaab’s leaders and imam of Masjid Ul-Ahmar, one of the mosques affiliated with al-Shabaab. He was also allegedly recruiting for al-Shabaab. At the time, the al-Hidaya, Beit ul Mal Madrassa and Abubakar as Saddique mosques were also affiliated with the militant group.
Reports indicate he studied at a university in Saudi Arabia, where he came into contact with takfiri ideology—the theological declaration that a Muslim has become an apostate or a person is an infidel. Based on his age, it can be deduced that he attended the university in the 1990s, though the exact time of his studies is unknown. While at university, he embraced Salafism. Since then, the cleric has been the chief proponent of Salafist-jihadism in Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia.
In September 2019, the U.S. placed sanctions on Adam, describing him as a threat to the country’s security (The Sun Weekly, September, 2019). The United Nations was the first to sanction Adam, subjecting him to a travel ban, assets freeze, and targeted arms embargo in 2011 (United Nations, July 29, 2011). The U.N. Security Council accused the cleric of being a threat to peace, security, and stability of Somalia. He allegedly provided material support to al-Shabaab and facilitated youth recruitment for the group (Wardeernews, April 2, 2014).
In 2015, the cleric pledged his allegiance to Islamic State (IS) and its then-leader, the late Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also asked al-Shabaab to recognize IS as a legitimate jihadist organization and forge an alliance with it. He wanted al-Shabaab to accept the IS leader in Somalia, Shaykh Abdulqadir Mumin.
Two years earlier, in 2012, his activities enraged Somali Muslim leaders who congregated in Nairobi and issued a fatwa against the cleric. They had characterized his actions and teachings as un-Islamic, while urging all Muslims to boycott and ignore his seminars, lectures and books.
In 2014, Kenyan security agencies raided Adam’s home in Nairobi and arrested the cleric together with his wife. He was set free after a few days in custody. From Nairobi, Adam still continues his activities, which are closely followed by al-Shabaab and its supporters.
