Pray for Persecuted Church: Somalia

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Somalia has experienced continuous conflict for more than a decade and has not had a functioning government since 1991. Transparency International ranks Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world. Islam is the official religion, and there is no official religious freedom. Out of 22 people groups in Somalia, 16 are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 99.7%, Christian 0.3%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Most Somali Christians are secret believers who worship in house churches. Persecution has intensified in the past 15 years amid increasing lawlessness and diminishing authority of the central government. Islamic radicals, such as the al-Shabab group, have vowed to eradicate all Somali Christians. The murder of Christians, specifically Muslim converts to Christianity, is increasingly common. Conversion to Christianity is not illegal, but it is socially unacceptable. Persecutors include family members, clan members, Islamic extremists and local administrators. Distribution of the Somali Bible is possible only in refugee camps and outside the country. On May 10, 2009, the parliament approved implementation of Shariah Law nationwide in an effort to appease the militant Islamic groups. The transitional government has also banned proselytizing. A 17-year-old girl who converted to Christianity was shot to death in an “honour killing” on Nov 25, 2010.

Pray for Pastor “Abu” and for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) safe house

that shelters persecuted Somali Christians.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.