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In a year in which Islamic militants from the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group killed more underground Christian leaders, civilian Muslims also claimed at least one victim. A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death on Nov. 25 in an apparent “honor killing”.

Nurta Mohamed Farah had fled her village of Bardher, Gedo Region to Galgadud Region to live with relatives after her parents tortured her for leaving Islam, area sources said they strongly suspected that the two unidentified men who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on their behalf.

Her parents had severely beaten her for leaving Islam and regularly shackled her to a tree at their home, Christian sources said. She had been confined to her home since May 10, 2010 when her family found out that she had embraced Christianity. Locals reported that while living in her home village, Farah was put in a small, dark room at night, her parents had taken her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a “mental illness”, alarmed by her determination to keep her faith, her father, Hassan Kafi Ilmi, and mother, Hawo Godane Haf, decided she had gone crazy and forced her to take the prescribed medication, but it had no effect in swaying her from her faith.

Traditionally, he added, many Somalis believe the Quran cures the sick, especially the mentally ill, so the Islamic scripture was recited to her twice a week. She had declined her family’s offer of forgiveness in exchange for renouncing Christianity. The confinement began after the medication and punishments failed.

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