The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) with Website www.persecution.org told BosNewsLife that it learned this week that two church elders were injured when a Muslim mob attacked the church in Tayeglow, 200 miles (320 miles) outside the capital Mogadishu.
"Dozens of Muslims, including children and women, demolished the church and attacked the Christians worshipping at the church with spears, machetes, sticks and stones. Two elders of the church, suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack," the group told BosNewsLife in a statement.
It said the violence was apparemtly in response to the Christian conversion of the only son of a prominent Muslim religious leader in the district. "This is the second time that Muslim extremists targeted the church for attack. In the first attack, which took place in 2007, a Muslim gunman opened fire on the Christians at the church and seriously wounded the pastor," ICC said.
PASTOR STILL SUFFERING
The pastor of the church has reportedly not yet fully recovered from the injuries, and his father, who was slightly injured, is currently leading the church.
The incidents underscore growing pressure on Christian concerts in the country, ICC suggested. "When Muslims convert to Christianity in Somalia, they face death. In the past twelve months alone, five Somali converts to Christianity have been killed," it said
Even Somalis living in neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya apparently face persecution from fellow Somalis, said ICC’s regional manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho. "Christians in Somalia are faced with unprecedented persecution from Islamic extremists who are hell-bent on destroying them." He said he had urged supporters to "pray for Christians in Somalia and to help them…"
ATTACKS IN KENYA
There have also been attacks against Christians across the border in Kenya, where a longstanding effort to replace a church with a mosque in Kenya’s northern town of Garissa culminated in an attack by 50 Muslim youths last month that left the worship building in ruins, Christians said.
A Muslim mob allegedly stormed the building of Redeemed Gospel Church on September 14 and pelted the congregation with stones, sending many Christians fleeing while others became embroiled in fistfights.
Ten Christians reportedly received hospital treatment for minor injuries and were released. Church leaders said the Muslim mob also destroyed pews, damaged the church building’s walls of corrugated iron, smashed the glass-mounted pulpit and burned the church banner with its stand.
Missionaries have said that Muslims plan to destroy all churches in the area, but there has not yet been an official reaction from Muslim groups. Rights groups have expressed concerns however over the rise of Islamic extremism in several African countries.
