Evangelical Mission only answer to al-Shabaab violence

The following article is taken from AsiaNews.it, the full article can be read here from its original source. In the light of recent events, the urgence of finding a lasting and effective solution to the ever growing threat of Islamic extremism becomes ever more important. As human methods seem to provide no solution, the answer becomes more and more clear- the only real way to deal with Islamic extremism, the only real way to stop terrorism, is to preach the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the True Prince of Peace. Please pray for Somalia, for the persecuted Christians in this land, for all the long suffering peoples of this nation, and please pray for the conversion of al-Shabaab and all other Islamic extremists.-RCMS 

Somali Christians in Mogadishu

"Evangelical Mission only answer to al-Shabaab violence:

by Simone Cantarini

Bishop Giorgio Bertin talks about the Church's witness in the land where al-Qaeda's most violent terrorists are born. For the prelate, "bearing witness to the Gospel means giving oneself to God's initiative, participating with Christians in the hopes and the suffering of the whole population."

Rome ( AsiaNews) - "From Somalia to Iraq, including Egypt and Syria, Christians are often persecuted and flee. Many consider them as something alien from the Muslim majority. Several extremist religious leaders try to hinder their presence and existence in these countries, which are often the only opposition to the hatred and violence imposed by the ideologies of Islamic extremists," said Mgr Giorgio Bertin, bishop of Djibouti and apostolic administrator of Mogadishu. For years, the bishop has cared for the small Catholic communities in the two countries, who live in an environment dominated by Islamic extremism, anarchy and terrorist violence.

"In Somalia," he said, "the population is victim of the chaos and cruelty caused by Islamic courts and the al-Shabaab movement, which exports terrorists all over the world."

On Saturday, the terrorist group fighting to establish an Islamic state in the Horn of Africa attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi ( Kenya), taking hundreds of hostages for three days. The assault by at least 20 terrorists ended with over 60 people dead and hundreds injured.

"From Somalia to Iraq, Christians are often considered something alien from the Muslim majority and experience strong social pressure because of their presence," Mgr Bertin noted.

"We fear," he explained, "fanatical groups that pursue a religious ideology that does not represent the thoughts and ideas of the majority of the population. Somalia is an example of how some areas of the Middle East could become in the event of a collapse of the government. If central authorities do not exert their power, they [the al-Shabaab] are free to do whatever they want justify their belligerence by pointing to the Christian presence."

For the prelate, people usually wonder what is the sense of the mission in these countries, where Christians risk their life, places like "Somalia where there are less than 100 Christians" or "Djibouti, which has about 5,000."

"In the West, people are often amazed by these places' numbers: no priests, less than 100 Christians, inability to convert to Christianity. Such figures apparently discourage the Church's mission. However, bearing witness to the Gospel in countries like Somalia means giving oneself to God's initiative, participating with Christians in the hopes and the suffering of the whole population."

"The mission is addressed primarily to Muslims who thanks to the Christian presence often find a new way of life, one that responds with love to the hatred and violence imposed by the ideologies of Islamic extremists," Mgr. Bertin noted.

"Unfortunately," he said, "this approach cannot be measured. Only with faith and hope can we measure the meaning of our presence."