NAIROBI, Kenya — A mother of two young children in Somalia was forced to leave them behind after her husband seriously injured her upon learning that she had left Islam for Christianity, she said.
Thirty-year-old Fatuma (whose surname is being withheld for security reasons), put her trust in Christ on Oct. 15 at an underground church service in an undisclosed village in northwest Somalia’s Mudug Region. She fled her home and children, ages 4 and 6, after her husband beat her on Dec. 8, she said.
“I miss my children, but I cannot go back to my husband because he will kill me,” Fatuma told Morning Star News. “I live in great pain due to my fractured hand and serious scars which have disfigured my face, as well as a stressful life of being absent from my children. I have forgiven my husband and am praying for God to change his life. I am very hurt and need prayers to heal my broken heart.”
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She said her mother-in-law first discovered her praying in the name of Issa (Jesus) on Dec. 4 and warned her to stop, telling her, “Islam requires us only to pray in the name of Allah and Muhammad — please stop these kinds of prayers immediately. Let this be your first and last to prayer in such a bad way. This is devilish, and if you do not stop then you will be thrown out of the family.”
Fatuma told Morning Star News that her faith came from God and was growing, that she had found a better life in Christ and decided to continue secretly praying in His name.
When her mother-in-law again found Fatuma praying in Christ’s name two days later, she became furious, telling her, “I had given you a serious warning, but you have deliberately decided to ignore it — my son then will have to divorce you,” Fatuma said.
On Sunday at about 7 p.m., her husband arrived and beat her with sticks before her mother-in-law managed to rescue her, Fatuma said. She has since left the region. A Christian leader in Somalia whose name is withheld for security reasons has given her refuge.
“God promised to give us peace and love,” said another Christian in Somalia, also on condition of anonymity, “so we need to pray for our sister Fatuma for God’s abundant peace at this trying moment.”
Somalia’s constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and prohibits the propagation of any other religion, according to the U.S. State Department. It also requires that laws comply with Sharia (Islamic law) principles, with no exceptions in application for non-Muslims.
The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law, according to mainstream schools of Islamic jurisprudence. An Islamic extremist group in Somalia, al-Shabaab, is allied with al-Qaeda and adheres to the teaching.
Al Shabaab sympathizers also have killed several non-local people in northern Kenya since 2011, when Kenyan forces led an African coalition into Somalia against the rebels in response to terrorist attacks on tourists and others on Kenya’s coast.
Somalia is ranked 2nd on Christian support group Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
This article was originally published at Morning Star News
Morning Star News is the only independent news service focusing exclusively on the persecution of Christians. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide complete, reliable, even-handed news in order to empower those in the free world to help persecuted Christians, and to encourage persecuted Christians by informing them that they are not alone in their suffering.
