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Religious Beliefs and Spirituality in Somalia

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At this time of civil war in Somalis, a Sunni Islam country, the warring factions no longer respect the mosque as a sacred place or any religious organization. Many incidents would show that a number of mosques have been desecrated or used as killing fields during armed encounters. In a Mogadishu mosque, for instance, 45 people were killed during bombing incident on May 1, 2010, and a Kismayo mosque explosion on April 13, 2010, left two other persons dead and 13 others injured. Christians also face persecution and can no longer find any legal or Constitutional protection from the central government or regional government, forcing them to meet in underground churches. Paramilitary groups are also said to have undertaken widespread looting of many Christian graves in the country.

As a majority religion in Somalia, Islam was founded in 622 AD and brought to the country by the early followers of its founder, Prophet Mohammad, who had escaped persecution in Mecca. It has Sufism as its dimension, which is well-established with local jama’a or congregations, and sharia as its basic source of national legislation. Its basic teachings are embodied in the Quran, the Bible of the Muslims, while sharia prescribes the pillars of faith. The 1st and 2nd categories under these pillars pertain to behavior and nightlong prayer, respectively, and its 3rd to many secular activities. The 4th category is about the objectionable but permitted act of divorce, and the last, the prohibited acts of adultery and other sinful deeds. As a minority religion, Christianity has more than 1,000 adherents in the country, and its only cathedral in Mogadishu has been severely damaged at the height of incessant fighting between the warring groups.