Where am I?

HOME
  • COMMENT Blogs
Times Online Faith Central blog

Faith Central - Times Online - WBLG

« Loyalty cards and wine bars for Cathedral faithful | All Posts | Cognitive surplus and religion - a thinking blogonaut writes »

September 02, 2008

Somali Christians in Kenya: persecution and secret worship

_44823980_busstop_226The BBC reports that in Kenya, in the largely Somali enclave pictured called "little Mogadishu",  refugee Somali Christians are still forced to meet in secret for worship for fear of persecution by Muslim neighbours.  They keep their Muslim names as camouflage, but meet in a secluded house just outside  Nairobi.  " of men and women meet at least once a week like early Christians, to worship in secret "Their prayer session is simple and conducted in Somali. Elders take turns to pray or read verses from the Somali bible before a sermon is delivered."  There are stories of their being attacked, even killed, by Muslim compatriots.  This is not new:  the Chicago Christian Post reported it fully, with others, two years ago and there was criticism of UNHCR for not doing anything to support these refugees who have suffered once in Somalia, and now again live in fear.

Posted by Libby Purves on September 02, 2008 at 10:14 AM | Permalink Bookmark and Share

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451586c69e200e554f6692b8834

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Somali Christians in Kenya: persecution and secret worship:

Comments

Somali Christians in Kenya: persecution and secret worship

_44823980_busstop_226The BBC reports that in Kenya, in the largely Somali enclave pictured called "little Mogadishu",  refugee Somali Christians are still forced to meet in secret for worship for fear of persecution by Muslim neighbours.  They keep their Muslim names as camouflage, but meet in a secluded house just outside  Nairobi.  " of men and women meet at least once a week like early Christians, to worship in secret "Their prayer session is simple and conducted in Somali. Elders take turns to pray or read verses from the Somali bible before a sermon is delivered."  There are stories of their being attacked, even killed, by Muslim compatriots.  This is not new:  the Chicago Christian Post reported it fully, with others, two years ago and there was criticism of UNHCR for not doing anything to support these refugees who have suffered once in Somalia, and now again live in fear.

Libby Purves

  • Libby Purves is a Times columnist, novelist and Radio 4 broadcaster. Her interest in the glories, inspirations and eccentricities of world religions and cultural traditions was fuelled by an upbringing in Bangkok, Israel, Africa, France and a series of convent schools.

    Bess Twiston Davies works for the Times Register section and is a regular contributor to the Faith page and Times Online. She studied Hispanic studies and English at Sheffield University and has a journalism diploma from The Robert Schuman Institute, Angers, France.


    Contact Libby or Bess at: faithcentral@timesonline.co.uk

    You might also enjoy Articles of Faith, Ruth Gledhill's wonderful blog about religious affairs.

RSS Feeds

  • Click for an RSS 2.0 feed

Recent Comments

  • iain rae on Being a Muslim at Christmas
  • Bren Peters on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • adam on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • DJ on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • Haneen on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • iain rae on The Mufti and a law on black magic
  • iain rae on Being a Muslim at Christmas
  • Gabriel on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • D. Bunker on Atheist's Guide to Christmas
  • Coralie on Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War

Recent Posts

  • Susana Maiolo - the Facebook War
  • Being a Muslim at Christmas
  • The Mufti and a law on black magic
  • Turkish bell towers and Swiss Minarets...
  • British Muslims: 'most patriotic' in Europe
  • France and the Burka Bride
  • Alternative Nativity set...
  • I'm right! God agrees with me..
  • Atheist's Guide to Christmas
  • Most Britons think no religion 'better or worse' than any other

Links

  • Lambeth Conference 2008

Categories

  • "Honour" killings
  • 'Islamic' Jesus
  • A year of living biblically
  • Abolition
  • Abortion
  • Abuse
  • Adultery
  • Advent calendars
  • Afghanistan
  • Ahmadinejad
  • Aids
  • al-Qaeda
  • Alcohol
  • Allah
  • Alpha Course
  • Anglicanism
  • Animal sacrifice
  • Apocalypse
  • Apostasy
  • Apple
  • Archaeology
  • Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Assyriology
  • Asylum
  • Atheism
  • Atheist Sunday School
  • Australia
  • Ballooning priest
  • Bank Holiday
  • Baptism
  • Barack Obama
  • Barbie in a burka
  • Benazir Bhutto
  • Biblical recipes
  • Big Mac
  • Bishop Michael Nazir Ali
  • Bishop wants hell removed from Bible
  • Blasphemy__
  • Blogging
  • Bob Dylan
  • Books
  • Botox
  • Britney Spears
  • Broadband in the belfry
  • Buddha's tree
  • Buddhism
  • Bumper stickers
  • Burma
  • Cafe where you pay by praying
  • Caliphate
  • Cambodia
  • Camel beauty contests
  • Cannibalism
  • Canonization
  • Capital Punishment
  • Carols
  • Cathedrals
  • Catholicism
  • Celebrity
  • Chastity
  • Child abuse
  • China
  • Christian Atheism
  • Christianity
  • Christmas
  • Church and state
  • Church of England
  • Church thieves
  • citizenship
  • Climate Change
  • Comment Central
  • Commission on Integration
  • Condoms
  • Confucianism
  • Conversion
  • Creationism
  • Cuba
  • Cycling
  • Da Vinci
  • Diana Princess of Wales
  • Disappearance
  • Diwali
  • Dr Who
  • Drugs
  • Earthquake
  • Easter
  • eBay
  • Edinburgh Fringe
  • Edith Piaf
  • Education
  • Eid
  • Electric shocks
  • Electronic Rosary
  • Elvis
  • Emailing God
  • Employment
  • Environment
  • Epitaphs
  • Euthanasia
  • Evangelism
  • Exam howlers
  • Execution
  • Extraordinary burial techniques
  • Extreme pilgrim
  • Facebook
  • Faith Central
  • Faith Schools
  • Female 'circumcision'
  • Floods
  • Flying Spaghetti Monster
  • Forgiveness
  • France
  • Fresco
  • Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints
  • Gambling
  • Gandhi
  • Gangsters' '10 commandments'
  • Gaza
  • George Bush
  • Gideon Bibles
  • Goddess
  • Godtube
  • Golf
  • Good Samaritan
  • Google
  • Gordon Brown
  • Gospel Music
  • Gossip
  • Hadith
  • Haj
  • Halal meat
  • Halloween
  • Haram products
  • Harry Potter
  • High School Musical
  • Hinduism
  • Holocaust
  • Holy Robots
  • Homelessness
  • Homer Simpson
  • Homophobia
  • Homosexuality
  • Hospital chaplains
  • Human fertilisation and embryology bill
  • Human Rights
  • Ice church
  • iGod
  • Imams
  • Indian nun and self-harm
  • Indulgences
  • Infertility
  • Ingmar Bergman
  • Inter-faith
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Islam
  • Islamic Art
  • Islamic Barbie
  • Israel
  • James Bond and religion
  • Jedi Church
  • Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem banned from Cathedral
  • Jesuits
  • Jesus
  • Jewish 'hijab'
  • Jihad
  • Jonathan Edwards
  • Judaism
  • Koran
  • Kosher
  • Last Supper
  • Latin Mass
  • Lattevangelism
  • Lazer monks
  • League table of religions
  • Lech Kaczynski
  • Lent
  • Life of Jesus
  • Litigation
  • LOLcat Bible
  • Longevity
  • Luck
  • Madrassa
  • Magic
  • Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
  • Maldives
  • Map of sin
  • Marriage
  • Martin Luther
  • Media
  • Medicine
  • Medjugorje
  • Middle East peace process
  • Military
  • Misbah Rana
  • Missionaries
  • Mobile phones
  • Morality
  • Mormonism
  • Mosques
  • Mother Earth
  • Mother Teresa
  • Motorcycling
  • Music
  • Muslims
  • National Secular Society
  • Nativity plays
  • Noah's Ark
  • Northern Ireland
  • Number of the Beast
  • Olympics
  • Olympics, human rights
  • Orange Order
  • Organ Donation_
  • Organists
  • Ossuary
  • Outsourcing
  • Oxford
  • Oxford University
  • Paganism
  • Park and Pray
  • Pay per view church
  • Persecution
  • Pervez Kambaksh
  • Philip Pullman
  • Pilgrims
  • Planet Atheist
  • Poland
  • Politics
  • Pope
  • Pornography
  • Prayer
  • Prayer booth
  • Presidential race
  • Prince Charles
  • Quakers
  • Quiz
  • Rapping monk
  • Red Mosque
  • Relics
  • Religion
  • Religion and shoes
  • Religions of cartoon characters
  • Religious animals
  • Religious beer
  • Religious dieting
  • Religious education
  • Remembrance Sunday
  • Revolution
  • Richard Dawkins
  • Robert Putnam
  • Robotic Bible writer
  • Romania
  • Rosaries
  • Royalty
  • Rugby
  • Russia
  • Ruth Kelly
  • Sacred
  • Saints
  • Sania Mirza and Shahar Meer
  • Sante Muerte_
  • Sarkozy
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi religious law
  • Science
  • Scientology
  • Scouting
  • Second Life
  • Secularism
  • Segregation
  • Seven deadly sins revised
  • Sex
  • Sex education
  • Sex scenes
  • Shari'a
  • Shi'a Islam
  • Sikhs
  • Sky Kingdom
  • Southern Baptists
  • Space
  • st george
  • Sudan
  • Sun Worship
  • Tablighi Jamaat
  • Tankinis
  • Terror attacks
  • Terrorism
  • The Bible from the Air
  • The Crucifixion
  • The Enlightenment
  • The literary Canon
  • The new seven wonders of the world
  • The people vs God
  • The Ten Commandments - Cowboy style
  • The veil
  • The world's most stable country
  • Tibet
  • Tom and Jerry "a Jewish conspiracy"
  • Tony Blair
  • Top ten religious treats
  • Top twenty religious t shirts
  • Trinny and Susannah
  • Tutankhamun
  • US elections
  • Uzbekistan
  • Valentine's Day
  • Vatican
  • Video games
  • Voodoo
  • Warrior Nun
  • Web/Tech
  • Weddings
  • Westboro Baptist Church
  • Wiccans
  • Witchcraft
  • Women
  • World Youth Day
  • World's most powerful religious leaders
  • Yazidis
  • Zimbabwe
  • Zoroastrianism

Other Times Online Blogs

  • Faith Central

    Urban Dirt

    Alpha Mummy

    BabyBarista

    Ariel Leve

    Big Brother Celebrity Hijack

    Charles Bremner

    Comment Central

    Cricket

    Eco Worrier

    Formula One

    India Knight

    Inside Iraq

    Irwin Stelzer

    Lord Rees-Mogg

    Mary Beard (TLS)

    Money Central

    News

    Sports Commentary

    Peter Stothard (TLS)

    Richard Lloyd Parry

    Ruth Gledhill

    Surf Nation

    Technology

    The Click

Archives

  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009