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Somalia

“Stop your harmful ideologies and preaching to the Muslims. Some Somali Muslims are already affected by this cancer of Christianity… they will be under the sword of the mujahedeen [“holy warriors”]… we know where you are”. Christians in Somalia live constantly under threats such as this one, which was sent by the militant group al-Shabaab to a Somali Christian in December 2011.

Somalia_Liban
Liibaan Ibraahim Hassan,
a Somali Christian convert
from Islam, was executed by
Muslim extremists in 1994.
In 2008 at least three converts
to Christianity were murdered

Somalia has lacked an effective government since the fall of former dictator Siad Barre in 1991. The country is ruled by various insurgents, warlords and clan-based militias. Even the relatively moderate Transitional Federal Government, which controls only very limited areas, prescribes the death penalty for apostasy. As there are no non-Muslim places of worship, the tiny and unprotected minority of Christian converts from Islam must meet secretly or follow Jesus alone.

Christianity is often associated with the oppression of the country by European colonial rulers. Al-Shabaab said in the aftermath of an anti-Christian attack in 2010 that “we aim to get rid of the barbaric and non-Islamic culture in the country.” Although the group’s insurgency was successfully challenged in 2012, its continued strength means that the country’s small Christian minority remains in jeopardy. Al-Shabaab, which has claimed affiliation with al-Qaeda since 2007, has committed many anti-Christian atrocities. On 16 November 2012, Christian convert Farhan Haji Mose was beheaded by al-Shabaab militants in Barawa in front of a crowd. The extremists accused him of being a spy for foreigners and embracing the “foreign religion of Christianity”. Before his brutal execution, Farhan’s movements had been monitored for six months after he returned from Christian-majority Kenya.

The bodies of two more Christian men, who were beheaded after being kidnapped by al-Shabaab, were found in separate incidents in 2011. The chaotic nature of Somalia means that reports of murders that reach us may not reflect the actual number of such incidents.

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christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

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Daily prayer

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  • An upsurge of arrests and deportations of Christians in Sudan has further unsettled the country’s vulnerable Christian minority. In January three Christians of South Sudanese origin were detained and then ordered to leave the country because of their involvement with churches and a Christian radio station. The following month a group of at least 55 Christians were detained without charge, falsely accused of receiving money from foreign countries. Dozens of expatriate Christians have also been deported. Pray that this frequent and severe harassment will stop, and that the churches of Sudan will be allowed to worship and serve the Lord in peace. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 14 hours ago

  • “We have reached here with the help of God. We shall live well with God’s help in our land.” A Christian woman gave thanks as she arrived in South Sudan after escaping from discrimination and oppression in Muslim-majority Sudan, thanks to the Exodus project sponsored by Barnabas Aid. Give thanks to the Lord that more than 3,500 Christians have already reached the safety of the Christian-majority South by plane and bus. Pray for His blessing upon them as they settle into their new lives, and pray too that others will be able to join them soon. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Fri, May 2013 00:00

  • Pray for 14 Christians in Nghe An, Vietnam, who were sentenced in January to between three and 13 years in prison on charges of subversion against the state. Their lawyers complained that the Christians had been subjected to torture, including sleep deprivation, and coerced into confessing crimes that they had not committed. Some of them had apparently been detained by police at random, some at a church service. During the two-day trial, thousands of Christians staged a protest against the arbitrary and illegal arrest of innocent people. Pray that the sentences will be revoked and the Christians released, and that the authorities will stop harassing and bullying the Christian community. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, May 2013 00:00

  • “The decree is intended to provide the tools to end the house-church movement entirely.” Nguyen Van Dai, a Christian lawyer in Vietnam, added his voice to a chorus of concern among church leaders about Decree 92, which provides new guidelines for regulating religious practice in the country. The decree imposes harsh and complex new criteria that churches must fulfil if they are to obtain legal status; these will make it almost impossible for unregistered groups such as house churches (which have not been recognised by the government since 1975) to do so. Even if a congregation manages to fulfil all the conditions, the minimum period it will have to wait for recognition is 23 years. Pray that the churches in Vietnam will withstand this attempt to stifle their witness and will not only survive but thrive. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Wed, May 2013 00:00

  • Pray for five Christian families in Vietnam who have endured repeated violent attacks by their fellow villagers since becoming Christians. The families, who came to Christ in 2012, have since suffered three waves of violence, the most recent taking place between 18 and 22 February. During this period, their homes and belongings were vandalised in successive night raids. On 22 February, a number of the believers were physically assaulted, leaving several of them with serious injuries. One family fled into the jungle after receiving death threats. Pray that the Lord will be the strength and shield (Psalm 28:7) that our brothers and sisters need as they endure persecution in His name. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, May 2013 00:00

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