In a town in Somalia’s Lower Juba Region, 35-year-old Abdulai Ramadan suffered an attack on 20 January after his wife became furious that he had held a Bible study with other secret Christians.
Ramadan put his faith in Christ in 2020 and belongs to a secret fellowship. On 25 December, he and three other secret Christians from the area met for a Christmas celebration at his home, which his four children also joined. His wife refused to participate, and that night they had a heated argument about Christianity and Islam, where his wife warned him not to lead further Christian activities in their home.
“The religion that you have brought to our family is a big embarrassment…” she told him, and he replied, “I refuse to recant my faith in Christ. I am willing and ready to provide all that you need, but to renounce my faith in Christ is what I cannot do.”
While she was visiting her parents’ home on 20 January, a Christian friend visited him, and the two men had a short time of prayer and Bible study. The friend left at about 5pm, and when Ramadan’s wife returned later, one of the children told her about the prayers and reading of a holy book.
After questioning Ramadan about the Bible study, his wife became furious, reminding him that no more Christian activities were meant to have taken place in their home.
She hit him with a heavy metallic object, according to one of the children.
“My father fell down, [unconscious until the following morning],” the child said. “My mother left early in the morning without telling us where she was going. My father removed his phone but could not ring with it. He used some sign language and showed me the person to call.”
The child called the number, and a pastor arrived an hour later. The pastor later told sources that before he took him to the hospital, Ramadan’s wife and five of her relatives arrived as she shouted, “Bad religion, bad religion – go away.”
“On seeing the mood, I tried to cool the situation, but the wife continued insulting the husband as an infidel,” said the pastor. “The husband could not utter a word. The in-laws were also demanding a divorce to take their daughter back home with the children.”
“[When Muslim neighbours began arriving] I started sensing danger and quickly put Ramadan inside my car and drove away as the wife was uttering insults. The wife said, ‘Disappear immediately and never come back again.’ Ramadan had a deep cut on his forehead, his clothes were soaked in blood, and he was in great pain.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, a doctor determined that Ramadan had lost his speech due to the impact of the metal object that hit him, the pastor said. Ramadan, who has four children aged 11, 8, 6 and 3, is still receiving hospital treatment.
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