Persecution Update: Christian Convert publically executed in Somalia

Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ sufferred cruelly for our sins, may His glorious Passion and Death be a source of strength and comfort to our persecuted brethren. Lord have mercy on us!

Yet another attack against the small Christian minority in Somalia. What is worrying about this incident is that it occurred in the capital city of Mogadishu, which seems to corroborate the fact that the security situation is in fact getting worse. But what is also disconcerting is the silence of the government on this particular attack, why is this Christian woman's death ignored, when she was blatantly executed in front of a crowd in government controlled territory? We know that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, may the blood shed by this heroine of the Faith serve to be a pledge of grace and mercy for her countrymen. Please continue to pray for the persecuted Church in Somalia and for her persecutors, but also for lasting peace and stablity in this country. This article is taken from Charisma News and can be read from the original source here.-RCMS

"Suspected al-Shabab militants have murdered a woman professing the Christian faith earlier this month after breaking and entering into her home in Mogadishu.

Sufia was at home with her parents when a group of armed men burst into her home. Leaving her parents untouched, the men grabbed Sufia, forcefully dragged her from the home at gunpoint, and then publicly shot her, firing into the on-looking crowd as friends and neighbors attempted to save her.

Immediately following the execution, Sufia's killers fled the scene. Despite ongoing efforts by police to locate them, Sufia's murderers remain at-large as of this release. The suspected work of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network in Somalia, Sufia's death could be the third al-Shabaab murder this month.

On April 22, Mogadishu Parliamentarian Abdiaziz Isaaq Mursal was the second Somali lawmaker killed by al-Shabab militants in less than 48 hours for allowing the "invasion of the Christians into Somalia," referencing lawmakers' vote to accept financial support from Western governments and members of the African Union who have sent troops into Somalia to oppose Islamist rebel groups.
 
Isak Mohamed Rino, a fellow Parliamentarian, was the victim of an exploded bomb placed beneath his car on the morning of April 21. In response to the attacks, al-Shabab's spokesperson, Ali Dhere, was recorded on al-Shabab's Andulus radio in Barawe town saying, "We are on war against the apostates in Mogadishu. We will keep carrying attacks, targeting their lawmakers."

According to al-Shabab, all Somalis are born Muslims by default. Somalis found practicing other religions are considered guilty of apostasy. According to the fundamentalist brand of Islam al-Shabaab adheres to, apostasy occurs when a Muslim leaves Islam for another faith and should be put to death.

Several of the nation's leaders have publicly condemned the attacks on the two murdered Somali Parliamentarians; however, a public condemnation of the systematic execution of Somali Christians has yet to be heard. Speaking on the deaths of the two parliamentarians, president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said Sunday the "culture of lawlessness that has plagued Somalia for the last 23 years is coming to an end." Though similar calls to action have been made in the past, al-Shabaab continues to enjoy complete freedom in its sustained push to eradicate Somalia of its Christian population.

"Al-Shabab is an Islamic extremist group that has vowed to make Somalia 'purely Islamic,' " says International Christian Concern Regional Manager for Africa, William Stark. "The group adheres to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that includes the beheading of converts from Islam, or, as we've witnessed in Sufia's case, execution by firing squad.

"The group continues to terrorize not just Christians in Somalia, but any act, person, or policy that could be construed as supportive of Christianity in Somalia. As more Somalis return to Somalia following the establishment of the new government, steps must be taken to protect Christians and other religious minorities. The practice of kidnapping, torturing and publicly executing converts from Islam must be addressed by the international community and should have no place in modern society."

This article originally appeared on persecution.org