Persecution Magazine, March 2013 2/4

PERSECUTION International Christian Concern | March 2013

IN THIS ISSUE:

Issue 2/4

CLANDESTINE CHRISTIANITY IN SOMALIA

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Your Bridge to the Persecuted Church

AFRICA

Clandestine Christianity

in Somalia

A new believer baptizes himself as another Christian prays for him.

When Abdullah turned 18, he was introduced to the Gospel and gave his life to the Lord.

In any other environment, Abdullah’s conversion would be met with celebration and praise. But, as a former Muslim in Somalia, Abdullah all but placed a target on his own back, waiting for a bullet.

Conversion to Christianity is forbidden in the small country of Somalia, and consequences are extreme. However, Abdullah was drawn to the message of love and forgiveness, and could not deny his heart’s desire. While this may seem a simple exchange, the cost was high.

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A SILENCED CHURCH The underground Church of Somalia remains one of the smallest and most secretive Christian fellowships on the planet. Living in a country ruled by the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab, Christians in Somalia exist in constant fear. Fellowship gatherings must be conducted in secret. Many underground Christians are afraid to share their faith with outsiders because they risk being caught and killed by Islamic extremists.

Since the government collapsed in the early 1990s, Somalia has existed in a constant state of anarchy. The absence of a centralized government has allowed the country to be taken over by Islamic extremists, al Shabaab, who implement a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The form of Islamic law that has been established by al Shabaab calls for the amputation of hands for theft, the stoning of women for adultery, and the execution of anyone found believing in any religion besides Islam, including Christianity.

Because al Shabaab controls most of the country, Christians in Somalia are forced to worship in secret underground fellowships. If a believer’s religious identity is discovered, he is immediately beheaded for committing the sin of apostasy. “Since 2008, 60 Christians have been brutally murdered in Somalia,” a Somali underground pastor said.

AL SHABAAB

Since the collapse of the government, al Shabaab has been free to control most of the country.

COUNTING THE COST There are only 610 known underground Christians in Somalia out of a population of about 9.4 million. Among these Christians is Abdullah. After months of worshiping in secret, Abdullah’s conversion was discovered by

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AFRICA

SECRET STUDIES ICC has worked in Somalia for years, but for security purposes, we cannot release specific details of the ministry.

Pictured above is a children’s service.

Please continue to pray for the future of these precious little ones.

his family. They confronted him and tried to shame him into converting back to Islam. When Abdullah remained strong in his faith, he was locked inside a room in his house. For days, they gave him nothing to eat or drink, telling him they would not release him unless he converted back to Islam.

After three days, Abdullah broke out of his family’s house and ran away. “To become a Christian means you have to leave everything behind. If you do not leave these things behind, you will be killed,” he said.

A NEW GENERATION Because traditional evangelism is so dangerous in Somalia, many Christians and Christian organizations are turning to new technologies to spread the Gospel in Somalia. Web- and radio-based evangelism has become the main medium through which new believers are reached.

On the Web site of an ICC ministry partner, audio

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TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN MEANS YOU HAVE TO LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND. IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE THESE THINGS BEHIND, YOU WILL BE KILLED. -ABDULLAH, A CHRISTIAN CONVERT FROM ISLAM Bibles, sermons, and Bible courses are posted so new believers can access these resources through the internet any time they feel safe enough to do so. This ministry also sets up live chat sessions and phone calls between new believers and evangelists, allowing traditional evangelism to take place safely through a new medium because it no longer requires the physical presence of the message-bearer.

“Spiritual nourishment for many Christians [in Somalia] is mostly from internet,” ICC’s contact in the Horn of Africa said. Christian leaders have been able to download materials from the Web that are used by Christian fellowships during secret prayer meetings. “After using [these] materials, we then put them in a plastic bag and then bury them under the sand because if we are caught with [these materials] we can be killed,” said a leader of an underground church in Somalia.

Sharing the Gospel in Somalia will not be a safe or easy task in the near or distant future. As long as al Shabaab exists and has firm control over the Somali society, evangelism and Christianity will be functionally illegal and punishable by death. Let us continue to pray for those who risk their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

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