Christian Woman Imprisoned, Tortured By Muslim Extremists for Doing Christian Work BY STAFF IN CHRISTIAN NEWS · JUNE 17, 2013 By Staff Blogger According to reports, another Christian woman has been imprisoned recently in Somalia, where Sunni Islam is the official religion and where there is a widespread assumption that all Somalis are born Muslims. Apparently the woman, known only as “Fatima,” was arrested on Monday, May 27, for taking part in underground Christian work for the last 10 years. Reports say that she has been beaten, questioned and tortured by Somali authorities and the authorities say that they will keep her in prison for three months. Fatima’s exact location is not known, and she is not allowed to use her cell phone or have any contact with anyone outside the prison. Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, has been experiencing continuous conflict, especially with Christians, for more than 10 years, and is reportedly the most corrupt country in the world. With Sunni Islam being the official religion of Somalia and no official religious freedom allowed, if you’re not Muslim then you’re likely to be a target for violent attacks. According to reports 99.7 percent of the population of Somalia, around 8 million, are Muslims with 0.3 percent being Christian. Somali Christians have to go underground and worship in secret because Islamic radical groups, like the al-Shabab group, have openly stated that they will rid Somalia of all Christians. Murders of Christians, especially those converted from Islam have been occurring more frequently over the last few years. Although conversion to Christianity is not illegal in Somalia, it is regarded as completely socially unacceptable and frequently the converts suffer violent physical attacks and abuse. Persecution of Christians in Somalia can come from their own family, Islamic extremists and even local administrators. Last February, Ahmed Ali Jimale, a 42 year old father of four, and a Christian was shot to death by suspected Islamic extremists in Kismayo, Somalia. Jimale was shot as he stood outside his house, which was very close to a local police station. According to reports, Jimale, ran a local pharmacy, was also a medical consultant and would give private lessons on medicine and first aid to underground Christians. The killers were suspected to be members of the Islamic extremist group, Al Shabaab.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:39:04 +0000