On 25 January 1930, Hamoudi Ahmed, the richest Yemeni merchant in colonial Djibouti, died. His two wives, residing in Djibouti, Fatima Gayed and Hamda, and his daughter Sultana Bint Hamoudi, went to Shamsan Ismail, the Qadi of Djibouti (also of Yemeni origin), to gain access to their inheritance, which amounted to 2,000,000 francs, a staggering amount in the context of Djibouti in the 1930s. Shortly afterwards, however, the three women withdrew their case from the Qadi court, which, at that time, was part of the “native court” system established by the French, who were the colonial power in Djibouti. Represented by a certain Said Hassen Safi, the three women accused the Qadi of Djibouti and some of the richest Yemeni traders in the town of attempting to divert part of their inheritance. This claim led to riots and the total collapse of the colonial judiciary.
By documenting the case and the dynamics that it catalyzed, the present article aims to conceptualize how racial and religious...