By BosNewsLife Africa Service with additional reporting by BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (BosNewsLife)– Islamic militants have shot and killed a long-time underground Christian in Somalia after finding Bibles in his possession, BosNewsLife learned Sunday, September 20.
Well-informed Christian news agency Compass Direct News said 69-year-old Omar Khalafe was killed by al-Shabab fighters Tuesday, September 15, at a check-point near the port city of Merca, 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the capital Mogadishu.
Shalafe carried 25 Somali Bibles he hoped to deliver to an underground congregation, Christians said. “By 10:30 a.m. he had arrived at the checkpoint controlled by al Shabab, a rebel group linked with al Qaeda that has taken over large parts of the war-torn country,” said Compass Direct News, which has close contacts with Christians in the region.
The news agency cited a source as saying that “the passengers were ordered to disembark from the bus for inspection.”
“The Islamic militants found 25 Somali Bibles in one of the passengers’ bags; when they asked to whom the Bibles belonged, the passengers responded with a chilled silence. The militants found several photos in the bag and saw that the elderly Khalafe resembled a face in one of them,” source was quoted as saying, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
“They asked Khalafe if he was the owner of the Bibles; he kept quiet. They shot him to death,” the source said.
ISLAMIC LAW
Al-Shabab, has campaigned to establish Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout Somalia and to topple the government. Shalafe’s was the latest in a series of incidents against the Christian minority in the lawless nation, BosNewsLife established.
Last month, the group killed 41-year-old Ahmed Matan in the Bulahawa area, near the Somali border with Kenya, for converting from Islam to Christianity, several Christian sources told BosNewsLife earlier.
In July al-Shabab militants beheaded four Christian aid workers for refusing to renounce their faith in Christ.
Fatima Sultan, Ali Ma’ow, Sheik Mohammed Abdi and Maaddey Diil after kidnapping them on July 27 near in Merca, Christian advocacy groups said.
It has become increasingly difficult for international peacekeepers to prevent these attacks.
PEACEKEEPERS KILLED
On Thursday, September 17, at least 21 African Union troops, including the mission’s deputy commander, were reportedly killed in suicide bombings at military headquarters at Mogadishu airport.
Al Shabab said it had carried out the attack “to avenge the death” of one of its leaders.
The rebel Islamic group has also threatened neighboring Djibouti that a similar fate awaits its troops should they be sent to Somalia.
The country has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease in Somalia are believed to have led to the deaths of up to one million people.
Somali People are a Muslim society. There is no way whatsoever we as Somali can accept a converted Christian to mislead our community, to lead them astray and call them to the wrong path. Therefore, Al Shabab is commended for their bravery act to have shortened the life of that astray Muzei (Old Man). It is our dignity to protect our honourable Islamic religion with whatever appropriate.
Ahmed Hassan,
Nairobi, Kenya
Be sure that I not an Al-Shabab suppoter , but the notice published in this article not true, because I am a relative of some of the persons you mentioned in your notice, and surely they are not Christians, and your notice makes us very sad, because, yes they are kidnaped for long time, but the fact you abused for their faith is un-dmisible, so whould you please make the necessary correction and give your apologize. I woud be happy receive your answer.
Musse A. Abdi
Poor mister Ahmed Hassan,
You don’t seem to realize that life was given by God and that it should not be taken by people who wish to follow God in a way that is not your way. You (or the people you defend) take God’s place. Mercy seems to be unknown to these people. What you call dignity is bloodshed to others, your way of defending this kind of decisions is primitive. Even the Old Testament of the Jews knows more mercy than Al Shabab and their distorted view of Islam.
I feel sorry for you.
John Marius
If the International Faith Communities know about Somalia’s strong extremism and denaials of other faiths, then why they don’t Stop funding its government knowing that they are the fathers of all Islamist?
Why the Christian Communities have never mentioned about the genocide committed by the Militias led by most of Somali Clans in the Jubba Regions , Yoontoy, Kamsuma , Mogambo and Jilib?
We hope that this must be considered as emergency and imminent actions to be taken.
i am somali teenager and i am having the same problem i get away from somalia for the same reason and now i am in muslim country and the same thing i still get a warnings theres no way for me to stay safe here only i am waiting some one to kill me, any way i would day the way of jesus died and he will come back to safe us from those who hurt us..
Ahmed, we see or hear about many people like you all the time. Some are true and honest and many are simply fake as you are being. You’re just stating this becouse you would like to come to our hard fought freedom country, and abondon us after coming here as many of you did before. The innocent die unnoticed unfortunately. Do you think many of us would buy that from you? That will be no incase you do not realize.