Welcome — Marhaba, so dhawow
Whether by random Google search or the barcode on a business card, you found me.
This space is for open-minded people interested in discussing serious global issues, with a focus on the Horn of Africa and Somalia. Some commentary is too frank for the public domain — register to access it.
Somalia · Week 19
Somali
Video
Shanta Daqiiqadood ee MI | Usbuuca 19aad | 15 Maajo 2026
Somalia, May 15th and the end of a constitutional mandate. The currency question, who holds it, who rules it, and the big-picture vision missing from the national conversation.
Books · Wk 16Somali
5taydii Daqiiqo — World Book Day and digital access
Finance · Wk 15Video
Currency, Trust and the State: Australia, Zimbabwe, Somalia
Australia · CivicVideo
Urgent call to Somali Australians: show up and vote
Finance · Wk 13SomaliVideo
Oligarchiyadda Lacagta Mobilka ee Soomaaliya
A small group of telecom-finance companies holds extraordinary sway over Somalia's payment infrastructure. Innovation without competition damages cross-border finance.
Somalia · Wk 12SomaliVideo
5taydii Daqiiqo — Usbuuca 12, 2026: Baydhabo
Baydhabo is not an ordinary Somali city. It became a symbol of the Somali crisis in 1992, drawing Operation Restore Hope. Today it is a mirror of Somalia's unresolved political fractures.
Somalia · Wk 11SomaliVideo
5taydii Daqiiqo — Usbuuca 11, 2026: Lamu & Strait of Hormuz
Somalia moves toward its most dangerous political phase. Meanwhile, disruption at Hormuz is redirecting maritime trade to Lamu — geography without governance produces nothing.
Somalia · Wk 10SomaliVideo
Doorashadan soo socota ee Soomaaliya — the rules must still mean something
Somalia's upcoming elections are no longer only about who wins. They are about whether the rules still mean anything. The balance among three possible paths has shifted.
Somalia · Wk 9SomaliVideo
Anshaxa Hoggaaminta Dalka Somalia — restoring trust through honesty and respect
A call to return confidence through integrity, honour and mutual respect. These are not optional extras — they are the foundation of accountable leadership and genuine political renewal.
Somalia · Wk 8SomaliVideo
Dastuurka Soomaaliya — incomplete, indispensable, still coming
Constitutions are not sacred texts. They are political agreements. The Somali Federal Parliament's latest amendments are part of a process that was always expected to evolve.
Finance · Islamic finance
Islamic Finance in Fintech
A US$3 trillion Shariah-compliant industry and the question of whether cryptocurrencies are halal. How do Islamic jurists adapt 7th-century law to 21st-century fintech?
Somalia · Politics
Somalia… plus les choses changent…
One person, one vote, miyaa? It is that time of the Somali political season. My leaders are saying the right things. I want to believe them.
Members-only posts
Some analysis is too frank for the public domain. Register for access to restricted political commentary on Somalia.
Somalia
Week 19SomaliVideo
Shanta Daqiiqadood — Usbuuca 19aad | May 15, 2026
Constitutional mandate ends. The currency question and missing big-picture vision.
Week 16Somali
5taydii Daqiiqo — World Book Day and reading in Somalia
Digital access, the reading gap, and a project to bring books to Somali communities in Victoria.
Week 12SomaliVideo
5taydii Daqiiqo — Usbuuca 12: Baydhabo
Baydhabo: from 1992 humanitarian symbol to 2026 mirror of political fracture. Australia's role, Lance Corporal McAliney, and what it means today.
Week 11SomaliVideo
5taydii Daqiiqo — Usbuuca 11: Lamu is ahead of you
Somalia's most dangerous political phase, Hormuz disruption, and the Lamu port opportunity that geography alone cannot capture.
Week 10SomaliVideo
Doorashadan soo socota ee Soomaaliya — the rules must still mean something
Three possible paths for Somalia's elections. The balance has shifted; the third road is getting closer.
Week 9SomaliVideo
Anshaxa Hoggaaminta Dalka Somalia
A call to restore confidence through integrity, honour, and mutual respect — the foundation of accountable leadership.
Week 8SomaliVideo
Dastuurka Soomaaliya — incomplete, indispensable, still coming
Constitutions are political agreements, not sacred texts. Somalia's 2012 provisional constitution was always designed to evolve.
Politics
Somalia… plus les choses changent…
One person, one vote. The Somali political season, and whether to believe what the leaders are saying.
Finance
Week 15SomaliVideo
Wk15 — Currency, Trust and the State: Australia, Zimbabwe, Somalia
Three monetary paths. The holey dollar, the ZiG, and Somalia's unplanned dollarisation. Currency only works when people trust the institutions behind it.
Week 13SomaliVideo
Oligarchiyadda Lacagta Mobilka ee Soomaaliya
Somalia's mobile money success story conceals a structural problem: a small oligarchy controls the payment infrastructure, SWIFT connections and all.
Islamic finance
Islamic Finance in Fintech
A US$3 trillion industry and the question of whether crypto is halal. Dr Ryan Calder and Hassan Jivraj probe the intersection of Shariah law and emerging technology.
Australia
Week 14 · CivicVideo
Baaq Daggan oo ku Socda Soomaalida Australia — show up and vote
Voting turnout among Somali-Australians is below where it should be. An urgent call ahead of Victoria's November 2026 election and the Nepean and Farrer by-elections.
Week 12 · History
Australia in Baydhabo — Operation Solace and the 1RAR
Australia's often-overlooked role in Somalia in 1993. David Hurley led troops to Baydhabo. Lance Corporal Shannon McAliney was the only Australian killed in the operation.
Week 15 · Finance
The Holey Dollar — Australia's first currency, engineered for trust
Governor Macquarie punched 40,000 Spanish dollars in 1812 to stop coins leaving the colony. A monetary lesson that still applies to Somalia today.
Videos — MI's 5 Minutes of Fame
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Somalia · Week 19
May 15th, constitutional mandate, and the currency question
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Books · Week 16
World Book Day, digital access, and reading in Somalia
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Finance · Week 15
Currency, trust and the state: Australia, Zimbabwe, Somalia
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Australia · Week 14
Somali community in Australia: show up and vote
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Finance · Week 13
Mobile money oligarchy in Somalia
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Somalia · Week 12
Baydhabo — from humanitarian symbol to political mirror
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Somalia · Week 11
Lamu is ahead of you — Somalia's most dangerous political phase
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Somalia · Week 10
Somalia's coming elections — the rules must still mean something
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Somalia · Week 9
Anshaxa Hoggaaminta — leadership ethics for Somalia
Mohamed Ibrahim
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Analyst and commentator on Somalia, the Horn of Africa, fintech, and civic life in the diaspora. Writing in Somali and English since 2018.
Ayuub is a space for open-minded people who are interested in discussing serious global issues, with a particular focus on the Horn of Africa and Somalia. Some commentary is too frank for the public domain — register to access it.
Mohamed is also co-author of Somalia's Diplomatic Struggles and Somalia: A Financial Puzzle — Struggle for Economic Stability (with Hussein Mohamed and Ahmed Nur), both available in paperback.
Members-only posts
Some analysis of Somalia and the Horn of Africa is too frank for the public domain. Register for a free account to access restricted political commentary.