“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness.” Revelation 6:9 [NLT]Somalia

Christian killed and his children kidnapped

Open Doors recently received confirmation that a Christian man named Abdullah had been murdered on 21 July in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Suspected al-Shabaab rebels entered Abdullah’s house and gunned him down in front of his wife and children. 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 extremist al-Shabaab movement has vowed to topple Somalia’s shaky transitional government and impose a strict version of Islamic law.

Sources in Somalia reported 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.

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, apparently because of the country’s participation in peace-keeping operations in the war-torn Horn of Africa.

Source: Open Doors, Reuters News Agency