Sofia Osman, a 28-year-old Christian from Janale city in Somali’as Lower Shabelle region, had been taken into custody by Islamic extremist al Shabaab militants in November; the public whipping was meant to mark her release. She received 40 lashes on Dec. 22 while jeered by spectators.

“Osman was whipped 40 lashes at 3 p.m., but she didn’t tell what other humiliations she had suffered while in the hands of the militants,” an eyewitness, told Compass, adding that whipping left her bleeding. “I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away.”

The whipping was administered in front of hundreds of spectators after Osman was released from her month-long custody in al Shabaab camps. Nursing her injuries at her family’s home, in the days after the punishment she would not talk to anyone and looked dazed, a source close in touch with the family said. She has since been relocated.

“Please pray for her quick recovery,” the source said.

Janale, one Somalia’s major cities, is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Mogadishu.

Osman became a Christian four years ago and was a member of the underground church in the war-torn Horn of Africa country largely controlled by the al Qaeda-linked militants from al Shabaab.

The al Shabaab militia is being hunted down by Kenya Defense Forces in southern Somalia following the extremists’ incursions into Kenya. They had killed and kidnapped tourists and aid workers inside Kenya, prompting military forces to formally enter into war to secure its borders.

In response, the al Shabaab militants have targeted churches in northern Kenyan towns such as Garissa in the hope of dividing Kenyans along religious lines. The Kenyan public, however, is largely backed the government decision to pursue the militants deep into Somalia.

NAIROBI, KENYA (ANS) — Militants from the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab beheaded a 17-year-old Somali Christian near Mogadishu last month, a journalist in the Somali capital told Compass Direct News (CDN).

CDN reports the militants, who have vowed to rid Somalia of Christianity, killed Guled Jama Muktar on Sept. 25 in his home near Deynile, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mogadishu.

CDN said the Islamic extremist group had been monitoring his family since the Christians arrived in Somalia from Kenya in 2008, said the source in Mogadishu, who requested anonymity.

According to CDN, the Islamic militants, who are fighting the transitional government for control of the country, knew from their observations of the family that they were Christians, the source said. “I personally know this family as Christians who used to have secret Bible meetings in their house,” he said.

CDN explained that, based on talks with the boy’s parents and their neighbors, the source said al Shabaab members arrived at Muktar’s home at 6 a.m., when his parents, whose names are withheld for security reasons, were already at work at their retail space at the Hamarweyne market on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

CDN stated that neighbors informed the parents of the murder, and they hurriedly returned home and buried their son’s body quickly, fearing the militants would kill them as well. They then fled to an unknown destination, the source said.

“When the incident happened, the parents called to tell me that their son had been killed and that they feared for their lives,” the source said. “Since then, I have not heard from them.”

For more information, please go to: www.compassdirect.org .

HUDUR CITY, SOMALIA (ANS) – Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that a kidnapped Christian convert from Islam was found decapitated on Sept. 2 on the outskirts of Hudur City in Bakool region, in southwestern Somalia.

CDN says that Juma Nuradin Kamil was forced into a car by three suspected Islamic extremists from the al Shabaab terrorist group on Aug. 21, area sources said. The kidnapping and subsequent manner of murder suggests that al Shabaab militants had been monitoring him, Christian leaders said.

“Muslim extremists from al Shabaab, a militant group with ties to al Qaeda, have vowed to rid Somalia of Christianity, and they control the area some 400 kilometers from Mogadishu,” said the CDN story.

It added that a Christian who saw Kamil’s body said it bore the marks of an al Shabaab killing, according to a leader in Somalia’s underground church who lives in another city.

“It is usual for the al Shabaab to decapitate those they suspect to have embraced the Christian faith, or sympathizers of western ideals,” the leader said. “Our brother accepted the Christian faith three years ago and was determined in his faith in God. We greatly miss him.”

A Christian told CDN the area community initially did not bury the body out of fear of al Shabaab extremists seeing them associated with a newly discovered convert to Christianity.

“The community feared burying him, and his body lay in the open for two days before unknown people buried him secretly,” the Christian said.

Another Christian convert who lives in another city said Kamil had become a Christian three years ago. “This is very sad news for the community,” he said.

Somalia’s Christians comprise less than 1 percent of the nation’s 9.8 million people.

For more information, please go to www.compassdirect.org

SOMALIA (ANS) — Two Muslim extremists in Somalia on Monday (April 18, 2011) murdered a member of a secret Christian community in Lower Shabele region as part of a campaign to rid the country of Christianity, sources have told Compass Direct News Service (CDN).

An area contact told Compass that two al Shabaab militants shot 21-year-old Hassan Adawe Adan in Shalambod town after entering his house at 7:30 p.m.

“Two al Shabaab members dragged him out of his house, and after 10 minutes they fired several shots at him,” said an area source who requested anonymity. “He then died immediately.”

The militants then shouted “Allahu Akbar [God is greater]” before fleeing, he said.

CDN went on to report that Adan, single and living with his Muslim family, was said to have converted to Christianity several months ago. Area Christians said they suspected someone had informed the Islamic militants of his conversion. One source said that a relative who belonged to al Shabaab had told Adan’s mother that he suspected her son was a Christian.

“This incident is making other converts live in extreme fear, as the militants always keep an open eye to anyone professing the Christian faith,” the source said.

CDN added that two months ago there was heavy fighting between the rebel al Shabaab militants and forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), in which the TFG managed to recover some areas controlled by the rebels. Al Shabaab insurgents control much of southern and central Somalia.

“With estimates of al Shabaab’s size ranging from 3,000 to 7,000, the insurgents seek to impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law), but the transitional government in Mogadishu fighting to retain control of the country treats Christians little better than the al Shabaab extremists do,” said the CDN story. “While proclaiming himself a moderate, President Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed has embraced a version of sharia that mandates the death penalty for those who leave Islam.”

Al Shabaab was among several splinter groups that emerged after Ethiopian forces removed the Islamic Courts Union, a group of sharia courts, from power in Somalia in 2006. Said to have ties with al Qaeda, al Shabaab has been designated a terrorist organization by several western governments.

The CDN story concluded by saying that on Jan. 7, a mother of four was killed for her Christian faith on the outskirts of Mogadishu by al Shabaab militia, according to a relative. The relative, who requested anonymity, said Asha Mberwa, 36, was killed in Warbhigly village when the Islamic extremists cut her throat in front of villagers who came out of their homes as witnesses.

“She is survived by her children – ages 12, 8, 6 and 4 – and her husband, who was not home at the time she was apprehended. Her husband and children have fled to an undisclosed location,” the story said.

For more information, please go to: www.compassdirect.org

WASHINGTON D.C. (ANS) — A human rights organization has learned that members of the Somali Islamic radical group, Al-Shabaab, killed a Christian convert from Islam in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The killing occurred on Jan. 26.

Another Christian convert escaped from Al-Shabaab’s detention on Jan. 29.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), the Islamists killed Abdirahman Hussein Roble after accusing him of spying and promoting religious discord by evangelizing Muslims.

ICC said two eye witnesses notified Abdirahman’s widow and relatives about his murder on Feb. 9. Abdirahman, who converted to Christianity in 2009, was the father of two children. He is the twenty-fourth Christian to be killed by the Somali Islamists since 2009.

Another Christian convert from Islam escaped from a makeshift detention center run by Al-Shabaab.

ICC said Hassan (name changed for security reasons) was arrested on Jan. 8 in the Afgoye district of Somalia. He was repeatedly interrogated about his faith and ministry. Hassan escaped while the Islamists were attending evening prayer. Hassan is the first Christian to escape from the hands of the Islamists.

ICC said Al-Shabaab is an al-Qaeda linked organization known for enforcing a strict version of Sharia law by stoning adulterers to death, cutting off the hands of thieves and murdering Christian converts from Islam. According to ICC sources, Al-Shabaab is losing broad support in Somalia due to its brutality.

“Al-Shabaab’s unrestrained Islamic fundamentalism must be condemned by the international community, especially by the moderate Islamic community,” said ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, speaking in a news release.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that assists and advocates for the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide.

For additional information, go to www.persecution.org

WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) — Members of Al-Shabaab, an Islamic Somali extremist group, confiscated farm lands owned by Somali Christians and Muslims who attended Bible studies in the cities of Afgoye and Baidawa.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC) the Islamists have confiscated eight farms since January 19.

In a media update, ICC says: “A Somali church leader confirmed to ICC that five of the farms were owned by Somali Christian converts from Islam and three were owned by Muslims who attended Bible study groups to learn about Christianity. Most of the landowners fled their homes and remain in hiding. There are also unconfirmed reports of additional Christian farm seizures in Dinsor and Burhakaba districts.”

ICC says Al-Shabaab handed over the confiscated lands to businessmen who regularly donate to the group. The Islamic group has vowed to cleanse Somalia of any Christian influence.

Since January 2009, Al-Shabaab has killed 23 Christians, most of whom were church leaders. Al-Shabaab has also desecrated three Christian cemeteries in Mogadishu and destroyed a Christian library in the Luuq district.

ICC explained: “The Somali church has demonstrated remarkable growth despite intense persecution from Muslim radicals.”

“Christians in Somalia have endured unspeakable persecution for choosing to leave Islam and follow Jesus Christ. Members of Al-Shabaab, like many Islamic radicals, don’t respect religious freedom. We urge Christians around the world to pray for Somali Christians to persevere, and for members of Al-Shabaab to repent of their wicked ways and embrace the love of Jesus Christ,” said ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho.

The relative, who requested anonymity, said Asha Mberwa, 36, was killed at 5:15 p.m. in Warbhigly village; the Islamic extremists from the insurgent group had arrested her outside her house the previous day at 8:30 a.m. She died when the militants cut her throat in front of villagers who came out of their homes as witnesses.

She is survived by her children – ages 12, 8, 6 and 4 – and her husband, who was not home at the time she was apprehended. They had married in 1993.

Full story at Compass Direct News.

A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death last week in an apparent “honor killing,” area sources said.

Nurta Mohamed Farah, who had fled her village of Bardher, Gedo Region to Galgadud Region to live with relatives after her parents tortured her for leaving Islam, died on Nov. 25. Area sources said they strongly suspected that the two unidentified men in Galgadud Region who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on their behest.

“Reports reached the relatives in Galgadud that Nurta Farah had converted to Christianity,” one source said. “The suspicion that the family is responsible is a solid one. The sister was killed in Abudwaq, a district in Galgadud Region, and the place where the incident took place is about 200 meters from where the sister was staying with relatives.”

Full story at Compass Direct News.

WASHINGTON D.C. (ANS) — A human rights organization has learned that members of the Al-Qaeda linked Somali Islamist group, Al-Shabaab, publicly executed a Christian convert from Islam.

The execution occurred in Hudur district, Somalia on July 1.

International Christian Concern (ICC) reported in a news release that Muhammad Guul Hashim Idiris, a Christian convert from Islam, was traveling by land from Kalafo, an Ethiopian border town. He planned to visit his mother in Mogadishu.

ICC said a fellow passenger recognized Idiris’ “Christian background” and asked him if he thought the prophet Muhammad was a genuine messenger from God. Idiris responded by saying, “If I thought so, I would have believed in him instead of the Messiah.”

Once they reached the Hudur district, ICC said, a stronghold of the Al- Shabaab terror network, the Muslim man reported Idiris to Al-Shabaab and had him detained on June 27. Idiris was accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad. It is a serious sin to consider Muhammad not to be a genuine prophet and it warrants the death penalty.

ICC said that Sheik Adan Yare, the Al-Shabab governor of the Bakol region, spoke to the press on July 1 and said, “Our holy warriors have today, on July 1st at 11: 45 am, executed in front of angry Muslim witnesses a young man whose name was Muhammad Guul Hashim Idiris who insulted our beloved prophet.”

The execution, which took place at a make-shift soccer stadium, was attended by hundreds of people, including school children who were forced to watch the grizzly scene.

ICC said Idiris had been married since Jan. 26 and is survived by his pregnant widow.

Idiris’ paternal uncle and a Christian convert from Islam spoke to ICC from Addis Ababa, calling the Al-Shabaab execution “further evidence of Al-Shabaab’s attempt to eliminate Christianity from among Somali people in the Horn of Africa.”

Jonathan Racho, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said in a news release, “We are deeply saddened by yet another execution of a Somali Christian. Al-Shabaab and Islamic extremist groups in Somalia have repeatedly vowed to wipe out Christians from Somalia. Al-Shabaab has murdered several Christians, chopped off the hands of Muslims suspected of crimes and even stoned Muslim women to death for allegedly committing adultery. The cruel and inhumane action of Al-Shabaab shows its complete disregard for human life.”

NAIROBI, KENYA (ANS) — The Muslim parents of a 17-year-old Somali girl who converted to Christianity severely beat her for leaving Islam and have regularly shackled her to a tree at their home for more than a month.

According to a story by Compass Direct News, Nurta Mohamed Farah of Bardher, Gedo Region in southern Somalia, has been confined to her home since May 10. A Christian leader who visited the area said that was when her family found out she had embraced Christianity.

“When the woman’s family found out that she converted to Christianity, she was beaten badly but insisted on her new-found religion,” Compass reported the source said on condition of anonymity. Her parents also took her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a “mental illness,” he said.

Com pass reported that alarmed by her determination to keep her faith, her father, Hassan Kafi Ilmi, and mother, Hawo Godane Haf, decided she had suffered a break with reality and forced her to take the prescribed medication. However, it had no effect in swaying her from her faith, the source said.

Traditionally, he added, many Somalis believe the Quran cures the sick, especially the mentally ill, so the Islamic scripture is continually recited to her twice a week.

“The girl is very sick and undergoing intense suffering,” Compass reported he said.

Her suffering began after she declined her family’s offer of forgiveness in exchange for renouncing Christianity, Compass reported the source said. The confinement began after the medication and punishments failed.

The tiny, shaken Christian community in Gedo Region reports that the girl is shackled to a tree by day and is put in a small, dark room at night, Compass reported the source said.

“There is little the community can do about her condition, which is very bad, but I have advised our community leader to keep monitoring her condition but not to meddle for their own safety,” the source told Compass. “We need prayers and human advocacy for such inhuman acts, and for freedom of religion for the Somali people.”

Compass said Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government generally did not enforce protection of religious freedom found in the Transitional Federal Charter, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2009 International Religious Freedom Report.

“Non-Muslims who practiced their religion openly faced occasional societal harassment,”Compass reported the report stated. “Conversion from Islam to another religion was considered socially unacceptable. Those suspected of conversion faced harassment or even death from members of their community.”