By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In the wake of the Baghdad bombing of a cathedral that left dozens dead, news has surfaced from Somalia about a teenage girl who, after being repeatedly tortured by her own parents for embracing Christianity, was found shot to death in a neighboring community.
Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that Nurta Mohamed Farah, 17, who fled her home in the village of Bardher to live with relatives, was shot in the head and chest by two unidentified men who sources believe were acting on behalf of the girl’s family.
Local Christians whose names cannot be released for security reasons, told CDN that when they learned of her conversion last May, Nurta’s family took her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a “mental illness.” When she refused to renounce Christ, her father, Hassan Kafi Ilmi, and mother, Hawo Godane Haf, decided she had gone mad and forced her to take the prescribed medication. Nurta still refused to renounce her new faith. The family then tried to offer her complete forgiveness if she renounced Christianity and returned to Islam. Again, Nurta refused.
Their tactics then became more brutal. Nurta was severely beaten, then shackled to a tree during the day and confined to a small dark room at night.
At some point, the girl managed to flee and went to live with relatives in the Gulgadud region of the country. Nurta’s body was found on November 25 about 200 meters away from their home. Local sources told CDN they strongly suspect that the two men who shot the girl were acting on behalf of her parents or relatives.
According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Charter guarantees religious freedom, but it is generally not enforced.
“Conversion from Islam to another religion was considered socially unacceptable,” the report states. “Those suspected of conversion faced harassment or even death from members of their community.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
