EAJ partner, ADAM, promotes messages from prominent local Sheikh extolling anti-discrimination lessons from Shariah to support minority rights in Somaliland : During the past week, the Academy for the Development and Advancement of Minorities (ADAM) developed and aired a legal education TV program concerning the use of Shari'a forums in dispute resolution. The program featured a prominent sheikh and judge of a Hargeisa Ma'dun office, Sheikh Mohamed Ali Gadhle. On the program, Sheikh Mohamed described the justice pathways in Somaliland, including State courts, customary law, and shari'a, and he noted how they interlink. Sheikh Mohamed explained Shari'a forum’s role, services, and approach to justice, noting also that shari’ah forums are not officially called courts but rather Ma'dun offices. Their mandate is to adjudicate cases that both parties present and agree to settle in the Ma’dun offices, which are most often cases concerning family inheritance and interpersonal disputes. Sheikh Mohamed discussed principles of equality under sharia and addressed intermarriage cases between Gabooye members, a minority in Somaliland, and members of other clans. Sheikh Mohamed said it's prohibited to deny someone’s rights, such as employment or marital rights, on the basis of their clan identity and he encouraged anyone who experiences such discrimination to seek redress at the formal courts because both the government and sharia guarantee their rights.
In addition, ADAM supported the broadcast of a TV program that focuses on the structure, services, and jurisdiction of Somaliland courts. The two programs can be found at the following links:
