Originally published in Worthy News
A Christian in Somalia has refused to denounce Jesus even after being violently attacked three times by Islamic relatives for his faith, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Constitutionally, an Islamic state whose government forbids the propagation of other religions,
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A former Muslim who accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour, Mohammad Abdul of the Lower Juba Region in southern Somalia had been praying and worshiping in his home on October 5 when four Muslim relatives arrived and interrogated him, MSN reports. “Why are you worshipping differently from the Muslim way? What is so unique about your worship? Why do you close yourself in the room while praying?” they asked.
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Abdul told MSN that he responded: “My praying is a secret between me and my Lord Isa [Jesus], and more so, why should I pray in public? This is just a way to please men, but in my time of worship, I should please only God, who is in the heavenly places.”
“Isa (Jesus) who saved me knows my heart, and I am happy in my heart, so leave me alone,” Abdul said in response to his relatives’ demands that he return to Islam. The relatives then attacked him, hitting him with a blunt object, fracturing his hand, and inflicting cuts to his face.
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“You can beat me up more if you want, but I can tell you that Isa has saved me. Whether I die or not, I live to serve him,” Abdul told his relatives amid the attack. Notably, Abdul told MSN, that one of his relatives said as they left him bleeding: “Since you love God, may He then lead you to the right path.”
Abdul had previously survived a knife attack by his relatives in May and a further violent assault which left him with a head wound in July. His relatives have also attacked his wife, breaking her ankle, and have beaten his children, MSN reports.
In a 2024 statement about the dire situation facing Christians in Somalia, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organisation reports: “Somali society is overwhelmingly conservative, and leaving Islam is regarded in many places as a betrayal of the Somali culture and clan. Christian converts face intense pressure from their family and local community, which can lead to harassment, intimidation, and even death. Even being suspected of converting from Islam to Christianity can lead to life-threatening danger.”
Somalia ranks 2md on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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