Christians Under Attack

In a release by the Open Doors Prayer Communications team, www.opendoorsuk.org/pray/loik, it noted that one Abdullah – Christian man had been murdered on 21 July in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

It said that suspected al-Shabaab rebels entered Abdullah's house and gunned him down in front of his wife and children adding that when the attackers left, they took the wife, who was later released, and the children with them.

“It appears that Abdullah was killed for his faith. Sources described him as an influential member of his community. Over recent years a number of Somalis suspected of leaving Islam to follow Christ have been murdered,” the release said.

According to the release, the extremist al-Shabaab movement has vowed to topple Somalia's shaky transitional government and impose a strict version of Islamic law stressing that the situation in the country had been very tense in the lead up to Ramadan, the month of Muslim fasting which started on 11 August.

“Al-Shabaab rebels were said to have ordered residents to hand over their televisions and satellite dishes in preparation for Ramadan. Anyone who refused would be considered a spy – an accusation al-Shabaab rebels deem deserving of death,” it also noted.

Further to that, it observed that the Al-Shabaab are known for their reign of terror in the areas under their control: amputating the legs of youngsters for theft; decapitating Christians for ‘espionage'; and claiming responsibility for blowing up a nightclub in the Ugandan capital Kampala in July, killing more than 70 people. This is apparently because of the country's participation in peace-keeping operations in the war-torn Horn of Africa.

“Please pray for God's comfort for Abdullah's family, and for the release of the children who appear to still be in the custody of their father's murderers. Also pray for the protection of Christians in Somalia and the Somali-dominated regions of the neighboring countries - Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya - during this time of Ramadan.”

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