A Somali Christian who fled the country after threats on his life has said the church is growing despite harsh persecution.
The nation in the Horn of Africa has been ranked the second most dangerous place for Christians to live (besides North Korea), on the Open Doors World Watch List.
Dr Aweis Ali is one of two survivors from his home church. After finding Jesus as a teenager, he fled the country following death threats – including from his own father.
“The country is lawless,” he told Premier Christian News. “There’s a lot of mayhem because of the Civil War, which started in 1991. Somalia is basically a no man’s land, and Christians have no protection whatsoever.”
Somalia’s religious majority is Islam, which makes up 99 per cent of the population. Radical groups often seek out Christians and kill them for being infidels.
It is a horrific pattern which Ali has seen repeatedly. His voice is gentle and even, despite recounting the horror of what he has witnessed.
“I was co-leader of a house church in the mid 1990s. We had 14 members, but 12 were killed. Only two survived. Since then, the situation has got a lot worse," he told Premier.
“Christians are often killed by shooting, sometimes by decapitation. We have a Somali Christian evangelist who, in 2008, was decapitated on camera by a radical Islamist group. There's also poisoning Christians when they go to a restaurant to eat… If you are a Christian in Somalia, you will not be hired by any employer. If you already have a job, you can lose it very easily. If you are married and you become a Christian, then you could lose your spouse, and your children would be taken from you.”
Yet despite the deep trial, Jesus has broken through. The Somali church the sixth most rapidly-growing church in the world.
“Because of social media, many Somali evangelists witness online,” Ali said. “Discipleship is a challenge, but because of social media, we are able to disciple more Christians than ever before.”
“It’s about courage, it’s about character. The Somali Christians are committed to sharing their faith, and they always find a way.”