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A 69-year-old Somali Christian man was shot dead by members of al-Shabaab, a Muslim militant group, on September 15 when Bibles were found in his possession, according to a September 18 report from Compass Direct. At approximately 10:30 a.m., a bus that Omar Khalafe was riding was stopped by militants at a checkpoint near the city of Merca. When the militants discovered 25 Somali Bibles in one of the bags -- Bibles that Khalafe was hoping to deliver to an underground fellowship -- they demanded to know who owned them. The passengers remained silent. The assailants then used photos they found in the bag to determine if they could match the faces to any passengers. When they noticed a resemblance to Khalafe, they asked if the Bibles were his. He did not respond and was shot and killed. Khalafe's body was brought to Merca and the Bibles were placed on him as a warning to others. Later that day, a militant reported Khalafe's death on a radio program. Khalafe, who had been a Christian for 45 years, was active in sharing the Good News and baptizing converts from Islam. He is mourned by his wife and seven children.
Thank God for the life and testimony of Omar Khalafe. Pray that his family will know that God is the defender of widows and a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5). Pray for peace in war-torn Somalia.
Find out more about the persecution Christians are facing in Somalia at the Somalia Country Report.
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