OUR MISSION

THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS

Imagine that some masked men pulled you from your car and demanded that you deny your faith in Christ. They give you two options: (1) Deny Christ and live, or (2) refuse to deny him and loose your head to the rugged knife they held in their hands. That’s the choice that Mansur Mohamad was given. He refused to deny Christ and four masked men beheaded him while villagers stood by and witnessed Mansur join the ranks of martyrs. You can witness this beheading yourself by clicking button below.

Warning: There are two videos on this link. The first one is identified as very graphic. It shows the beheading! This one should not be seen by children or even adults who might be overly sensitive. The second video clip is by the Voice of the Martyrs and does not show the beheading and is rated PG. Please use caution when going to this web site.

The story of Mansur’s life and martyrdom is told in my book, Underground, Stories of the Persecuted Church in Africa. At the time of writing this book, I used the name Tamim instead of Mansur for security purposes. See chpt 9.

This book is currently available only in eBook format. Purchase options are given on the Publisher’s web site, and can be seen by clicking the button below.

PERSECUTION AND TRAUMA

Many Somali Christians have been beheaded for their faith. Sometimes one lone Jesus follower is beheaded much like Mansur was, but other times they have been beheaded in a group. I am aware of one such incident where a group of four ( 3 men and 1 woman) were given an opportunity to turn back to Islam or die by the sword. One at a time each one refused to deny Christ and suffered beheading. Can you imagine what it would have been like for the fourth one, waiting their turn? It would have been horrible for all four, but the fourth one would have been especially tempted hearing the horror of the three who went before. On that fateful day all four were slaughtered because they would not turn away from their faith in Jesus.

See Christian Post article on the four Somalis beheaded for their faith by clicking Four Martyred button below.

The Christian Post quoted a Somali Christian leader who told the International Christian Concern (ICC) that “such murders will only serve as a rich seedbed from where many more house churches will form.” Somali leaders who worked with me when I was a missionary in the Horn of Africa conducted a study of the relationship between martyrdom and expansion of the Church. It was determined that everywhere a Somali was martyred for their faith a cluster of underground churches formed within a five-kilometer radius around the blood-stained ground of the beheading. The study also confirmed that there was no other place (other than locations of beheadings) where a cluster of churches were formed within a five-kilometer radius. Tertullian’s (one of the Early Church Ecclesiastical Writers of the Second Century) declaration has once again been validated in Somalia:

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Although we can’t imagine the kind of trauma experienced by those facing such a terrible death, those who face non-lethal persecution are often traumitized in ways that cause lasting debilitation. When it is known that a Somali has become a Christian, he or she will be persecuted in a variety of ways. Somali men may lose their families. The wife’s clan members will come and forcefully take away his wife. If she is pregnant at the time, they will have the baby aborted. He would most likely lose his employment. He will be completely isolated from society. No one will talk with him.

Just over a year ago I was in the Horn of Africa and had the opportunity to be the speaker at a Trauma Healing Conference. All of those attending that conference had been severely traumitized. I was surprised to hear the story of one of the Somali men present. He was running from a man who was trying to kill him. He escaped death on that day, even though he was stabbed in the back as he fled. What surprised me was that he said it was not getting stabbed in the back that had traumitized him the most. It was what took place afterward that was so horrible for him. Once the news spread of his faith in Christ no one would talk with him. He had no place to go. He was totally ostracised from the society in which he lived. He shared how terrible it was to live in a situation in which he could not share his feelings with anyone.

TRAUMA HEALING

When a man or woman is so traumatized that they can not function properly, it is important to remove them from ministry and place them in a safe place for healing. It is also important to provide an opportunity to share with others who have gone through similar persecution and to receive biblical counseling that will help them overcome their trauma.

If you would like to partner with the Somali Bible Society in providing trauma healing opportunities for the severely persecuted Christians in Somalia, click DONATE - TRAUMA HEALING button below (after reading donation instructions).

DONATION INSTRUCTIONS: Clicking DONATE - TRAUMA HEALING button will direct you to the donation page of My Fathers Work, d/b/a the Good Samaritan Network (GSN). The GSN routes all donations to the Somali Bible Society, while providing the donor with IRS approved tax-deductible giving status. In order to assure that your donation is directed to the appropriate place select Good Samaritan Ministries in the Apply my gift to* field and insert Project # 103327 in the Comment field when completing your donation.

OTHER PROJECTS

Seeking donors to purchase this strategic building site. Consider a generous one-time gift or a reoccurring gift of $19 per month.

The SBS is a member of the UK-registered United Bible Societies.

If you would like to partner with the Somali Bible Society in any of these ministry projects, click the DONATE button below (after reading donation instructions).

DONATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. The DONATE button provides a link to the Donation Page of My Fathers Work, d/b/a the Good Samaritan Network (GSN). The GSN routes all donations to the Somali Bible Society, while providing the donor with IRS approved tax-deductible giving status.

2. When completing the donation form, be sure to select Good Samaritan Ministries in the Apply my gift to* field and insert the appropriate Project # in the Comment field. This will assure that your donation reaches the desired project.

PRAYER AND PRAISE

AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Dr. Howie Shute is available to speak in Mission Conventions, Faith Promise Services, and Local Church Missionary Meetings to raise awareness of the exciting possibilities in the mission to Somalia.

If you would like to schedule Howie for a speaking engagement in your church or district assembly, email him at

howie@somalibiblesociety.org or howieshute@mac.com or scan QR Code for Howie’s Contact Info.

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