Christians Under Attack

year-old primary school teacher and father of three, Yusuf Ali Nur.

Al-Shabaab had placed Nur on a list of people suspected of being Christians. After a two-hour battle with rival rebel group, the Ahlu Sunna Waljamer, Al-Shabaab took control of Xarardheere, the town where Nur had lived with his family since July of 2009. The militants searched from house to house. When they came to Nur's house, one of them said, "Oh! This is Yusuf, whom we have been looking for," and they killed him with a shower of bullets.

Nur is survived by his wife and three children, ages 7, 9, and 11. He was the head teacher and taught English at Ganane Primary School, a private school owned by wealthy Somali proprietors. Al-Shabaab objects to Somali use of the English language. It has also banned radios from playing music and schools from ringing bells, simply because school bells sound like church bells.

At least 15 Christians, including women and children, were murdered by Somali militants in 2009. Several more have already died this year. The president of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TF), Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed, offers little protection for Christians. He has embraced a version of sharia law that mandates the death penalty for those who leave Islam. Pray for comfort and protection for believers, and for the spread of the Gospel despite persecution.