Scholars and religious figures

Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi (Maxamed Diiriye Cabdullaahi)

Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi (born 1958) is a Somali-Canadian linguist, writer and translator. A former journalist in Somalia, he earned a PhD in linguistics from the Université de Montréal, where he teaches, and wrote Culture and Customs of Somalia (2001).

Last checked 2026-11-12 1 source Reading time: 1 min

Mohamed Diriye AbdullahiMaxamed Diiriye Cabdullaahi

Lived
1958 to today
Era
Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
Sources
1 sources

Who is he?

Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi is a Somali-Canadian scholar, linguist, writer and translator born in 1958 (Wikipedia, Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi). He worked as a journalist in Somalia before moving to Canada (same source). See Somali Canadians in public life.

Study and research

He earned a master's degree and a PhD in linguistics at the Université de Montréal, and a diploma in teaching French as a second language at the Université de Franche-Comté in Besançon (Wikipedia). He speaks Somali, Arabic, English and French (same source).

His research covers the Afro-Asiatic languages, especially the Cushitic branch, and Somali history and culture (same source). His papers include work on how the Somali words for the four directions developed and on the progressive tense in Somali (same source).

Writing and teaching

His best-known book is Culture and Customs of Somalia, published by Greenwood in 2001, which discusses the origins of the Somali people among other topics (Wikipedia). He teaches linguistics at the Université de Montréal and works as a translator and language consultant (same source).

In short

A Montreal-based linguist who studies the Somali language and wrote a standard English guide to Somali culture.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi · en.wikipedia.org

Mohamed Diriye AbdullahiMaxamed Diiriye Cabdullaahi

Lived
1958 to today
Era
Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
Sources
1 sources

Toosoo!

Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.

Can you help with Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi (Maxamed Diiriye Cabdullaahi)? Tell us what you can give.

I want to help with this
What you can give

Only the core team sees your answer. We never share or publish it. Privacy · or email hello@calankii.com.

All the ways to help

Same era

Keep reading