The Islamic Courts Union was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded their influence to become the de facto government of most of southern Somalia.
Prof. Ibrahim Hassan Addou, (beside a logo used by the ICU) appointed head of the Foreign Affairs department for the union. He had previously worked as an administrator at the American University in Washington, D.C., before returning to Somalia in 1999.
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,483.
19th century engraving of the 13th century Fakr ad-Din Mosque built by Fakr ad-Din the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu
Mogadishan currency
Entrance of a coral stone house in Mogadishu
Almnara Tower, Mogadishu