DEATH IMMINENT FOR PROTECTORS

OF CHRISTIAN BLASPHEMY GIRL

YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK

Read how your donations have provided

for the family of an imprisoned pastor.

AL-SHABAAB’S REIGN OF TERROR OVER CHRISTIANS

IN SOMALIA

Issue4/4

IN THIS ISSUE:

Your Bridge to the Persecuted Church

page 3

page 1

International Christian Concern | February 2013

PERSECUTION

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AFRICA

CHRISTIANS IN SOMALIA ARE AMONG THE MOST PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS ON THE PLANET. LIVING IN A FAILED STATE WHERE AN ISLAMIC TERRORIST

GROUP HOLDS SWAY, MANY OF THESE CHRISTIANS HAVE TO DAILY RISK DEATH TO WORSHIP

JESUS CHRIST.

A crowd gathers in a city on Somalia’s coast. Militants from the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab have dragged a pris-oner into public to make a brutal example of why Somalis should not follow any religion other than Islam. Farhan Haji Mose, a 25-year-old Christian man, is accused of being a spy and a Christian. Without hesitation, the militants behead Mose, cut him in two and dump his body on a beach outside of town.

Mose is one of scores of Christian leaders killed by Somalia’s Muslims and the fourth Christian beheaded in Somalia since September 2011. Juma Nuradin Kamil, Guled Jama Muktar and Zakaria Hussein Omar met the same gruesome fate prior to Mose’s execution. Omar, the most recent victim, convert-ed from Islam to Christianity in Ethiopia in 2005. Four years

after his conversion, he decided to return to Somalia to com-plete his university education.

While completing his education, Omar was abducted by al-Shabaab, but unlike Mose’s execution, the details of Omar’s murder remain unknown. Only his decapitated body was discovered the day after he disappeared.

THE PERSECUTORS

In 2006, a group of young Islamic militants broke off from the Islamic Courts Union, which controlled most of Somalia after civil war broke out in the early 1990s. The hardline youth splinter named itself “al-Shabaab” which, when trans-lated from Arabic, means “the Youth” or “the Boys.” Since then, al-Shabaab has waged a bloody campaign against ev-eryone and everything it considers to be an enemy of Islam, including Christianity. Through its military operations, al-Shabaab was able to assert its control over most of southern Somalia, including major cities like Kismayo, Beledweyne and the capital Mogadishu.

AL-SHABAAB’S

OVER CHRISTIANS IN SOMALIA

REIGN OF TERRORAl-Shabaab and its militants have waged

Jihad against everyone and everything they consider to be an enemy of Islam,

including Christianity.

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According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a strict interpretation of Sharia is imposed in areas controlled by al-Shabaab. The group or-ders individuals to stop any “un-Islamic” behavior and to “cleanse” the Somali so-ciety of anything it considers “moral pollution.” To insure these orders are followed, harsh punishments are pre-scribed for those accused of unacceptable behavior. Stoning for adultery, ampu-tation for theft, floggings, detentions and executions are all part of al-Shabaab’s policy to eradicate anything it finds against the teachings of Islam.

As another part of its policy to “cleanse” Somali culture of anything un-Islamic, al-Shabaab targets Christians. Because al-Shabaab believes Somali culture is, by default, Islamic, any Somali caught believing in Christianity is automatically guilty of the greatest blasphemy against Islam: apostasy.

THE LEGALITY OF MURDER

Apostasy in Islam is the rejection of Islam in either word or deed by a person who was formerly a Muslim. Converting from Islam to Christianity is the quintessential apostasy because it ultimately is a denial of the authenticity of the Prophet Muhammad and Allah. Because of this, apostasy is dealt with by al-Shabaab very harshly. While the Quran itself does not explicitly prescribe execu-tion for apostasy, the Hadiths (a collection of Muhammad’s words and acts) do.

Therefore, al-Shabaab is justified, even compelled, to exe-cute Christian converts. When this interpretation of apostasy is added to al-Shabaab’s warped view of Somali culture, this is the result.

All Somalis, who according to al-Shabaab are by default Muslim, caught practicing Christianity are automatically guilty of apostasy and must be punished severely. An ICC contact in East Africa put it best: “To be Somali is to be Muslim. There is no alternative.”

A POLICY OF INTOLERANCE

Conditions under the UN-backed transitional govern-ment would not improve the situation for Christians in Somalia. Under the govern-ment’s proposed constitu-tion, the freedom of religion would be significantly cur-tailed. Article 29 states:

“Every person shall have the right to freedom of con-science and freely to pro-fess his own religion and to worship it subject to any limitations which may be prescribed by law for the purpose of safeguarding morals, public health or or-der. However, it shall not be

permissible to spread or propagandize any religion other than the religion of Islam.”

According to Article 1 Section 3 of the constitution:

“Islam shall be the religion of the state.”

These articles, in combination, seem to put the transitional government into agreement with al-Shabaab as to the reli-gious identity of the Somali people. Based on the constitu-tion, it seems that a purely Islamic society in Somalia would be desirable to both al-Shabaab and the transitional govern-ment.

This puts Christians living in Somalia in a lose/lose situa-tion. They can continue to live under the regime of terrorists or hope for the installation of a government that will prob-ably, albeit not as brutally, pick up persecuting them where al-Shabaab left off.

The international community has yet to effectively confront al-Shabaab and its persecution of Christians in Somalia.

Until confronted, al-Shabaab will continue its brutal rule in Somalia. Without assistance, Christians will continue to be targeted and eventually al-Shabaab may effectively exter-minate all evidence of Christianity in Somalia and Somali culture.

Recently, African Union forces have scored major victories against the terrorist group in Somalia.

Unfortunately, as al-Shabaab loses ground on the conventional battlefield, it relies more to acts of

terror off the battlefield to further its cause, often targeting Christians.

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YDAW

YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK

When Pastor Aamir* (name changed) told the be-reaved family at a funeral about Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection, he was imme-diately reported to the local police and arrested

for blasphemy.

Today, his family is forced to start a new life in a new lo-cation where their identities are not known. Full of grief, they do not know if or when Aamir will be released, or how they will build a new life with no resources. ICC was able to bless the family with funds to pay for rent and food for four months, allowing the sons enough time to find new jobs and resettle. They could not have been more thankful upon receiving the money, which they saw as a glimmer of hope.

PASTOR AAMIR IN PAKISTANHand of Hope: Middle East

YDAW

Pastor Aamir’s wife and one of their four sons say, “Thank You” to

donors who have helped them.

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