Underground Church Leader Killed

On Tuesday morning, Yusuf Ali Nur, a leader of the underground church in Somalia, was shot by members of al Shabaab, an Islamic militant group. Besides being a church leader, Yusuf worked as head teacher at a primary school. He was 57 years old and had a wife and three children, ages 7, 9, and 11.
In Somalia, the Islamic militant group Al Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government are at war, but both seek the deaths of Christians. The president of Somalia adheres to Sharia law and its mandated death penalty for converts from Islam. Likewise, Al Shabaab “has avowed to rid Somalia of Christianity.” One morning when the two groups were fighting, Al Shabaab forces came across Yusuf in his home. They had been monitoring Yusuf for a long time. Upon finding him, one militant said, “Oh! This is Yusuf, whom we have been looking for.”
Yusuf was shot at close range with a spray of bullets. The underground church of Somalia is “suppressed yet resilient.” Pray that it will continue to grow strong in this land oppressed by the darkness of Islam.
Source: Compass Direct News