Cayr

Ceyr (or Ayr) is a Somali clan, part of the Habar Gidir group (itself a Hawiye subclan). Ayr is the largest subclan in Habar Gidir..cite news
title=Somalia Government Tries to Confirm Terrorist's Death
url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-01-10-voa29.cfm
publisher=Voice of America
date=2007-01-10
accessdate=2007-01-15 ]

Relations with the Islamic Courts Union

Members of the Cayr have been leaders or supporters of the Islamic Courts Union which rose to power over much of Somalia in 2006, and were defeated in December 2006 by the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ethiopia.cite web
title=Understanding Somalia
url=http://www.addisfortune.com/Understanding%20Somalia-Main.htm
accessdate=2007-01-15
publisher=Addis Fortune ]

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys helped establish the Islamic Courts Union and is one of its most influential and fundamentalist leaders, strenuously advocating for an Islamic government to end the chaos in Somalia. However, the U.S. government maintains he has ties to terrorist activities.

Ayr clan elders met June 15, 2006 with the former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, William Bellamy, in Nairobi, Kenya. Ayr clan elders made an agreement with the US ambassador to capture Al-Qaeda terrorists in their ranks if the U.S. could "tell us exactly where these men are in Somalia.".cite news
title=Islamic Courts Union's victory over U.S.-backed warlords in Somalia only brings it closer scrutiny
url=http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2005/231/24.shtml
publisher=Associated Press
date=2006-06-20
accessdate=2007-01-15 ]

Since the defeat of the Islamic Courts of December 2006–January 2007, the government remains wary of the ties and sympathies of the Ayr to the Islamic Courts. On January 15, 2007, the TFG closed the radio stations for Shabelle Radio, Horn Afrik, Holy Koran Radio (Idaa'ada Qur'aanka Kariimka - IQK), and the Al Jazeera television station in Mogadishu, without issuing a reason why.cite news
title=Somalia: Govt. closes Radio stations in Mogadishu
url=http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/6700
publisher=SomaliNet
date=2007-01-15
accessdate=2007-01-15 ] cite news
title=Somali FM radios including Shabelle and Aljazeera TV are shut down
url=http://www.shabelle.net/news/ne2087.htm
publisher=Shabelle Media Network
date=2007-01-15
accessdate=2007-01-15 ] Later, it was said the radio stations had ties to the Ayr clan, which supported the Islamic Courts, and, according to government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari, had broadcast reports about government soldiers: "They said our soldiers were looting the markets and harassing people, which was totally untrue... They are using the media to undermine the government. They have been doing this for months."cite news
title=Somalia’s Transitional Government Shuts 3 Radio Stations
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/world/africa/16somalia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
publisher=New York Times
date=2007-01-16
accessdate=2007-01-16 ]

Prominent figures

* Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, President of Trasitional National Government of Somalia from Oct.2000 to Oct.2004
* Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow", former leader of the Hizbul Shabaab, the youth movement of the Islamic Courts Union
* Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of the 90-member shura council of the Islamic Courts Union
* Magool, (Halima Khaliif Omar), Somali singer and musician
* Yusuf Mohammed Siad Inda'ade, head of security affairs for the Islamic Courts Union

Cayr Business Comapanies

* Nationlink Teleceom, Ahmed Abdi Dini, NationLink Telecom came into being on September 1997. The company provides telecommunication services throughout Somalia and is one of the leading service providers in the country. The company's focus is in the core areas of Mobile, Fixed Lines, Internet and Satellite Mobile services. The overall objective of NationLink Telecom is to provide telecommunication services to all Somalis and by doing so, change their lives positively
* Telecom Somalia, Saed Ahmed Olow
* Jubba Airways, Saed Nur qeyliye

References