Famous People Born In Mogadishu

Iman is a Somali fashion model, entrepreneur, and actress. At the peak of her fashion modeling career, Iman served as a muse for influential designers like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent. Also known for her philanthropic activities, Iman is involved in several charitable endeavors. She is closely associated with the non-profit organization, Children's Defense Fund.

Somali-American actor, Barkhad Abdi, is best known for his role in the film Captain Phillips, for which he received a British Academy Film Award. Born in Somalia, he relocated to USA after the Somali Civil War broke out. After working in a few odd jobs as a young man, he took up acting and soon found success.

K'naan is the stage name of Keinan Abdi Warsame, a Somali Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter, and instrumentalist. He rose to fame when his single Wavin' Flag was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is committed to his Somali roots and is considered a spokesperson for the Toronto Somali community. 

Somali-born Dutch-American activist, feminist, and scholar Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the founder of an organization for the defense of women's rights, the AHA Foundation. She actively opposes forced marriage, honor violence, and child marriage. A former Muslim, she now identifies as an atheist and is a vocal critic of Islam. She is a recipient of the Lantos Human Rights Prize.

Ilhan Omar became the first woman of color to serve as Minnesota's representative in the United States Congress when she was elected in 2019. A popular and influential politician, she supports universal healthcare, affordable housing, and student loan debt forgiveness. Also a human rights and LGBT rights activist, she was featured in Maroon 5's Girls Like You music video.

Sahra Noor is a Somali-American health care executive and nurse. She is best known for her service as the CEO at the People's Center Health Services which is located in Minneapolis. Sahra Noor is also known as the sister of the popular politician, Ilhan Omar.

Olympic silver medalist Canadian long-distance runner Mohammed Ahmed scripted history as Canada’s first medal winner at the 5,000m at both the World Championships and the Olympics. The Somalia-born athlete spent a part of his childhood in Kenya, before moving to Canada at age 11.

Fatima Siad is a Somali-American model best known for her appearance on the tenth cycle of the popular reality television series, America's Next Top Model where she finished third. Over the years, Fatima Siad has been featured in popular magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Elle. She has also walked the runways for designers like Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani.

Abukar Mohamed is a Finnish professional football player who plays as a midfielder. After representing the Finland national teams at the junior level, Abukar Mohamed went on to play for popular clubs like Tampereen Pallo-Veikot (TPV), Turun Palloseura (TPS), Lazio, and Football Club Karpaty Lviv.

Ahmed Said Ahmed is a Somali professional football player who plays for the Somalia national football team. He chose to represent Somalia in international tournaments in spite of having Finnish citizenship. Ahmed Said Ahmed also plays for Vantaan Jalkapalloseura (VJS).

Born to a wealthy army general in Somalia, Yasmine Allas later moved to Saudi Arabia, Belgium, and eventually to the Netherlands. Initially aspiring to be an actor, she later gained fame as an author, with books such as A Bequeathed Story and Homeless Yet Home. She writes about social issues and religious fanaticism.

Somali football player Hussein Abdikarim Mohamed presently plays for the Somalia national team (which is nicknamed the Ocean Stars) in the position of a winger. He represented the Somalia national team on September 10, 2019, in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Zimbabwe where his team had a 3–2 loss. Hussein holds Finnish citizenship as well.