Islam - Current Day in Africa > Deadly Al Shabaab attack on African Union peacekeepers; Fulani Herdsmen slaughter 43 - Gov't ignores it

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Somalia: Islamic jihadis murder 54 African Union

‘peacekeepers’ from Uganda

JUN 5, 2023 12:00 PM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

The “peacekeepers” are clearly no match for the warriors of jihad.

Al-Shabab killed 54 Ugandan soldiers in Somalia, says Museveni

Al Jazeera, June 4, 2023:

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has announced the deaths of 54 Ugandan soldiers in an al-Shabab attack on a base housing African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.

Museveni’s statement on Saturday comes a week after al-Shabab fighters stormed the base in Bulamarer, 130 kilometres (80 miles) southwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The armed group claimed it carried out suicide bomb attacks on May 26 and killed 137 soldiers….

Al-Shabab has been fighting since 2006 to replace Somalia’s Western-backed government with its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law….

Nigeria: Muslims murder 43 Christians, including pastor and his wife, 

in jihad attack on Christian villages

JUN 4, 2023 1:00 PM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

This was revenge for the death of a Fulani jihadi, despite the fact that the pastor and his wife had nothing to do with the killing.

“And we prescribed for them in it, Life for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth, and retaliation for injuries.” (Qur’an 5:45)

This can and does lead to an unending spiral of violence.

Pastor, Wife among 43 Christians Killed in Central Nigeria

Morning Star News, June 1, 2023:

ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Fulani herdsmen killed a church pastor, his wife and 41 other people in an attack last month on two predominantly Christian villages in Nasarawa state, Nigeria, sources said.

The Rev. Daniel Danbeki of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Takalafiya village, Karu County, and his wife were killed along with villagers who were sleeping in their homes the night of May 11 in the attack that lasted until the early hours of May 12, survivors said.

Also attacked was nearby Gwanja, said the chairman of ECWA District Church Council, the Rev. Danladi Ndoh.

“One of our pastors, the Rev. Daniel Danbeki, and his wife are among the 43 Christians killed during the attacks,” Ndoh said in a statement. “And this is aside from our worship building which was burned and many houses destroyed in the two communities.”

Takalafiya resident Livinus Dandaura said the herdsmen attacked at about 9 p.m.

“Most of the victims killed during the attack are women, children and the aged, as most of them were unable to escape as the armed Muslim terrorists and herdsmen shot randomly at anyone they sighted during the ambush on the village,” Dandaura told Morning Star News in a text message.

Village resident Isaac Dabu said the wounded received treatment at the Federal Medical Center, a public health facility in Keffi.

“I write this with pains, as I have been to the Federal Medical Center, Keffi, almost every day to check on my people who were attacked by Fulani herdsmen and terrorists at Takalafia, and to my shock, no government official ever visited them in the hospital to see and assist them,” Dabu said. “These Christian victims have been left at the mercy of God, with their medical bills piling up, with no one to offset the bills.”

More evidence that this is genocide with the government's complicity.

Four of the wounded at the hospital died due to lack of proper medical care, he said.

“A medical consultant at the hospital told me that nothing can be done further medically for the injured, as officials of the Nasarawa state government have not made any effort to settle the medical bills of the victims,” Dabu said. “The sad reality is that officials of the Nasarawa state government have not said anything about the attack, nor rendered any assistance to displaced Christians who are scattered in Nasarawa state and in nearby Abuja.”

Seven of those slain in the attack on Takalafiya were his relatives, he said.

“My elder brother was critically injured and is lying between life and death,” Dabu said. “The question is, what is the sin committed by Christians in Takalafiya and Gwanja communities? Is it because we’re Christians that we’re being attacked, and the Muslim-controlled state and federal governments do not care to protect us?”

A Nigerian news outlet reported that the attacks came in retaliation for the death of a herdsman who was grazing his cattle on the farmer’s land. When the farmer objected, the herdsman reportedly attacked him with a cutlass that the farmer used against him in self-defense, killing him….

I wonder what reports like these will look like when Jesus returns, ruling with an iron rod?

Islam - Current Day > 15 Dead as al Shabaab Destroy Hotel in Mogadishu; Imran Khan walks back comments; Islamic Mass Hysteria again

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 At least 15 dead after Islamic militant gunmen storm Hayat hotel

and open fire in horror siege

Katie Davis

The Scottish Sun

10:03, 20 Aug 2022, Updated: 13:49, 20 Aug 2022

AT least 15 people have been killed after Islamic militants stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital.

The attackers blasted their way into the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu on Friday evening with two car bombs before opening fire in a horror siege.

At least 15 people have been killed in the siege. Credit: EPA

Gunmen stormed the Hayat Hotel in Somalia. Credit: Reuters

Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents have claimed responsibility.

It's feared the death toll could rise as several people were injured in the attack and had to be taken to hospital as others, including kids, were rescued.

The detonations sent huge plumes of smoke over the busy junction on Friday night, and the sound of gunfire still crackled across the capital early on Saturday.

Sounds of explosions punctuated the night as government forces tried to wrest control of the hotel back from the militants, witnesses said.

Large sections of the hotel were destroyed by the fighting, they said.

Authorities were still trying to get control back on Saturday morning as security forces tried to contain the gunmen, thought to have been holed up on the hotel's first floor.

One witness, Abdullahi Hussein, told AP: "We were having tea near the hotel lobby when we heard the first blast followed by gunfire.

"I immediately rushed toward hotel rooms on the ground floor, and I locked (it).

"The militants went straight upstairs and started shooting.

"I was inside the room until the security forces arrived and rescued me."

He said that on his way to safety he saw "several bodies lying on the ground outside hotel reception."

Friday's attack was the first major attack since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.

The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist group statements.

Al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than ten years. It wants to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The Hayat Hotel is a popular venue with lawmakers and other government officials. There was no immediate information on whether any of them had been caught up in the siege.

Imran Khan Claims Remarks on Salman Rushdie Taken ‘Out of Context’

PTI chairman backtracks from earlier condemnation of New York attack on author

by Newsweek Pakistan 

August 20, 2022

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday backtracked from an earlier interview in which he had come out against the attack on author Salman Rushdie at an event in New York last week.

On Friday, British publication The Guardian published an interview with Khan in which he described the attack on the author of The Satanic Verses as “terrible” and “sad,” adding that while the anger over the book was understandable, there was no justification for violence. “Rushdie understood, because he came from a Muslim family. He knows the love, respect, reverence of a prophet that lives in our hearts. He knew that,” Khan told The Guardian. “So the anger I understood, but you can’t justify what happened,” he added.

As the interview started circulating on social media, supporters of the right-wing Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) accused the former prime minister of supporting a “blasphemer” while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman used it as “proof” of allegations that Khan was “an agent of foreigners” against Islam. PTI supporters, meanwhile, sought to defend Khan by highlighting earlier statements in which he had called Rushdie “unbalanced” for criticizing him over the boycott of an event in India that was to be attended by both.

Rejecting the criticism, Khan told 92News—in a video also shared by the PTI’s official Twitter account—that The Guardian had taken his statement out of context. “I had refused to attend an event in India over its invitation to Rushdie,” he recalled, noting that Rushdie had given a speech against him over his boycott. “During the interview, I had sought to explain the Islamic position on [legal action against] blasphemy, and had cited the Sialkot tragedy as an example,” he said. “It was in this context that I had talked about Salman Rushdie,” he added.

The lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot last year had drawn widespread condemnations, with the government vowing to ensure all culprits were brought to justice. Several Islamic leaders had, at the time, issued statements stressing that Islam does not permit incidents of mass violence and emphasized the need to ensure that the country’s blasphemy laws be exercised in all cases of alleged blasphemy to avoid such incidents in future.

“The horrific vigilante attack on factory in Sialkot and the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan,” said then-prime minister Khan. “I am overseeing the investigations and let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he had emphasized.

One of the most obvious characteristics of devout Islamic countries where governmental control is weak is that of mass hysteria at the mere mention of someone criticizing the Quran. Some of the most horrific atrocities imaginable have been accomplished in this context.

Farkhunda, Martyr to Islamic Madness, the Rest of the Story

Tensions high in Hyderabad after alleged burning of Holy Quran

Since the mob refused to leave, the police resorted to baton charges and

tear gas shelling, forcing the crowd to flee. 

By News Desk, Global Village Space

22 August 2022

Tensions are high in Hyderabad following an incident of alleged desecration of the Holy Quran. Enraged crowds took to the streets to get hold of the accused.

According to the details, a Hindu sanitary worker was accused of allegedly burning some pages of the Holy Quran in a marketplace in Saddar, Hyderabad. A complaint was registered against the man under sections 295-B and 34 of PPC and the police arrested him.

However, the issue began when the news of the man allegedly burning the Holy Quran spread like wildfire. As per reports, around eight to ten men entered the shopping plaza looking for the man. An angry mob also gathered outside the plaza, demanding the police hand him over.

As a result of the enraged mob, all business and commercial centers were shut down immediately. Since the mob refused to leave, the police resorted to baton charges and tear gas shelling, forcing the crowd to flee.

The police registered a case against 150-200 rioters and arrested 48 from the mob that gathered outside the plaza amid accusations of blasphemy against the Hindu sanitary worker.

While the police are actively working to keep the law and order situation, the situation is still tense in Hyderabad. Reports emerge of members of the Hindu community getting attacked following the incident.

Important to note that this is rather alarming as accusations of blasphemy often lead to extreme and horrific measures. Last year, a mob in Sialkot lynched a Sri Lankan factory manager over accusations of blasphemy.

Sialkot incident

In December 2021, an angry mob accused a Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Diyawadana, of blasphemy by allegedly tearing up posters containing holy verses. As a result, they beat him to death. Later they burned his body.

Videos of the incident went viral on social media and left the entire nation horrified and shocked. Authorities immediately came into action to arrest those responsible for the horrible incident in Sialkot.

This was not the first incident of mob violence against alleged suspects of blasphemy. Several incidents of a violent mob beating the suspects to death have been reported in various cities of Pakistan.

Read more: It is high time we fixed mob taking over Pakistan! – Maleeha Hashmey

10 OF THE TOP PERSECUTORS OF CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD TODAY

You will notice that 6 of the 10 are Muslim organizations

by Joshua Pease in Stories of Persecution

The persecution of Christians is increasing year over year. Across the globe, more than 215 million believers face intimidation, prison—even death—for their faith in Jesus Christ. That’s one in twelve Christians worldwide.

While religious persecution is spread over many countries, there are some areas where the hostility is particularly intense. These pockets of concentrated persecution are due to the focused efforts of either one person or a larger system bent on smashing or squeezing out Christians in the region.

The list below highlights some of the greatest human rights offenders toward Christians. The list is not comprehensive or in particular order, and there are many more who could be added.

We share this list not to stir up anger—although righteous anger is expected—but to move us all toward prayer and action. Jesus commanded us, directly, to pray for our enemies. So please use this list as a powerful prayer tool.

As Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors says, no door is closed to the power of prayer. Through prayer, we have the ability to move beyond borders and into the very presence of our enemies…

Pray that God would stop their actions, change their hearts and shine the brilliant light of the gospel onto their path—much like He did with the apostle Paul, one of the most aggressive persecutors in the time of the early church.

Here are some of the top persecutors of Christians worldwide. 

1. ISIS

For nearly 2,000 years, Christianity has had a presence in countries like Iraq; however, the brutal and targeted attacks from ISIS have driven many Christians to flee these areas. Ten years ago, there were nearly 1 million Christians living in Iraq, with a large majority of the population living in Mosul. Today, ISIS has been driven out of Iraq and Syria for the most part, but now they are spreading to Southeast Asia. Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi is the current leader of ISIS in western Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan.

2. AL-QAEDA

While ISIS has been in the news lately, Al-Qaeda has continued to fight in countries throughout the Middle East, often marking Christian communities as specific targets. In countries like Yemen, Christian converts from Islam are particularly vulnerable as they are already treated as outcasts by their own communities. As Al-Qaeda takes advantage of distracted governments, Christians in their path experience intense persecution. Ayman al-Zawahiri, is the current leader of Al-Qaeda.

3. KIM JONG-UN

North Korea has for years been one of the worst persecutors of the Christian church. Kim Jong-un has only increased this terrible legacy, continuing the nation’s policy of outlawing any practice of the Christian faith. Prayer, church meetings and owning a Bible are all against the law, with violators being sent to prison camps, or even facing the death penalty.It’s because of this that North Korea is the #1 worst persecutor of Christians in the world according to the 2018 World Watch List.

4. HINDU NATIONALISTS

The far-right Hindu nationalist movement in India seeks to wipe out any religious expression, including Christianity, that falls outside of the Hindu faith. The movement’s mission is to make India a complete Hindu nation by 2021. The predominant Hindu nationalist association is referred to as the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). This movement has created a culture war and made it very dangerous and difficult for many Christians living in the region who are often forced out of villages, beaten and arrested for believing in Jesus.

5. AL-SHABAAB

The radical Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab is in many ways the Eastern African version of al-Qaeda (a group they once had an uneasy union with). Al-Shabaab has terrorized the country of Somalia for the past decade and is recently focusing its attacks on the neighboring country of Kenya. In 2015,  a Kenya college campus faced an attack where Christian students were specifically targeted, killing 148 in total. Any place al-Shabaab controls operates under Sharia law, which includes the slaughtering of anyone who identifies as Christian.

6. BOKO HARAM

Boko Haram made global news when it kidnapped over 200 girls from a local school (when the world took notice and responded with #BringBackOurGirls); however, this was nothing new for the Nigerian Islamic terrorist group who have kidnapped thousands of people, many who are children.

The word “haram” means forbidden, and Boko Haram’s belief is that any sort of Western influence is heresy, especially Christianity. To this end, Boko Haram has conducted raids, bombings and assassinations against any target it deems Western, especially churches and schools. They have taken out contracts on influential Christian leaders and are also at war with the Nigerian government.

7. MILITANT FULANI HERDSMEN

In northern Nigeria’s Middle Belt area, the latest threat to Christian communities may arguably be even worse than Boko Haram: the Hausa-Fulani Muslim Herdsman. Clashes with militants among the predominantly Muslim group have claimed thousands of Christian lives as they raze entire villages and brutally kill and rape. However, unlike the atrocities and attacks of Boko Haram, Fulani violence has gone relatively unreported in national news headlines.

8. RADICAL ISLAM

In Pakistan, bombings, attacks and threats toward Christians by radical Islam are prevalent

Islamic Oppression is one of the most widely recognized sources of persecution for Christians in the world today—and it continues to spread—aiming to bring many parts of the world under Sharia Law. The movement, which often results in Islamic militancy and persecution of Christians, is expanding in Asia (Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia) and Africa (Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia).

9. DRUG CARTELS

Threats toward Christians in Latin America often come at the hands of violent drug cartels

In Colombia and Mexico, drug cartels are prevalent in certain parts of the country. On top of the danger that these groups bring to ordinary citizens, Christians are specifically targeted. “A soul won for Jesus is a soul lost for them,” shared one pastor from Colombia. “They know that too.”

For this reason, Christian evangelists are particularly targeted. Drug cartel leaders know that they are the greatest threat to their way of life.

10. THE ULTIMATE ENEMY

It’s easy to read this list and feel hopeless in the face of so much evil. However, in Ephesians 6 we’re told our war isn’t a physical war, it’s a spiritual one. Behind all of the atrocities listed above is Satan, who prowls this world as a roaring lion.

But we are also told that God’s kingdom is forcefully advancing, and that in the end, Satan is overthrown and all things are made new.

So as we pray against the evil mentioned in this article, we can also pray hopefully that God’s kingdom would come, and His will would be done. Here on earth now, and then in completion for eternity.

STAND WITH THE PERSECUTED