Out There

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Somali atheists in the diaspora operate a Facebook group, the challenge for its community of Islamic faith, but they often receive death threats, says the journalist Mahmood, Layla.

"I'm going to kill you. I'll find you. I'm gonna cut your head", was one of the threats, the Ayaanle, Canada-based Somali atheists.

"[But] this is normal", The Founder of the True Somali freedom page (TSFP) says sardonically, as he talks about the death threats that clog his Inbox.

The popular Facebook group, which has More Than 80,000 members, predominantly led by atheists, or "ex-Muslims", as they call themselves.

It was initially inspired to create a Safe Space for religious discussion and now promotes all forms of freedom for the Somalis who feel marginalized by the mainstream Somali culture.

Ayaanle did not want to give his full name. He told me how The Movement began.

expelled from The Group

By 2016, he stumbled upon a Somali Facebook group, which is supposed to be a space for free speech and debate.

"I have. in a discussion about religion and everyone just erupted You went ballistic. They gave me the feeling that I killed Someone . "

He was quickly removed from The Group , a common experience for those who Express contrary views in this kind of a Somali forum.

', A space to be free'

Ayaanle then the only way you felt the forward was the creation of a new platform, with new rules.

"I wanted [the TSFP] to be a place where. the People were free to say whatever they wanted. "

A Driving Force for Ayaanle resulted from his conviction that the present-day Somali had debates about religion are increasingly restrictive in The Aftermath of Somalia to the decades-long Civil War .

"Islam is untouchable. You can't criticize or Say Anything about Islam.

"now the Young People are changing, they are a little more tolerant to criticisms and debates.

" [But] many of those who grew up in Somalia and came to The West during and after the Civil War , to accept the idea that if Someone criticizes Islam you should be killed. Do you really think it is something valid. "

So the death threats he has received.

"that's one of the things I want to and what I the side - to show that Islam is not untouchable. It can be criticized, it can be discussed, and it can be talked about openly. "

In Somalia and the breakaway state of Somaliland, blasphemy is a jailable offense, and the TSFP has this challenge.

you campaigned and collected money for The Academic Mahmoud Jama Ahmed-Hamdi. He was a high school teacher who was arrested for writing a Facebook post that the question of the validity of prayer to God as a means of alleviating The Drought in the year 2019.

He sat 10 months in prison before receiving a presidential pardon, but is still in danger from guerrilla attacks. A prominent imam called for his execution.

The case shows the complexity of how power operates in Somalia and Somaliland, with The Line between religious leaders and government are significantly blurred.

fear of exposure

Somalis have not only with The Group as a platform for the debate, but in some cases, as a means of survival.

Some of The Most vulnerable groups in Somalia, the embassies of the TSFP are Christians, atheists and LGBT persons.

These are the People exposed to the constant fear and are subject to attacks and captivity.

there is A possibility that the TSFP helps is by raising money, and the money has bought tickets and helped cost-of-living.

This Was the case when a Somali Christian woman, she used in Kenya, accessible to the public identity, a comment on the TSFP.

your identity was quickly discovered and a video of her was being dragged divided from a taxi in Kenya, widely on Somali internet channels. The attacker threatened to expose them Because of their criticism of The Prophet Muhammad on the page.

The TSFP arranged for you to be moved to a different country where you now we can find security in a Christian community.

Careful study

But it is not only non-Muslims, ex-Muslims or LGBT People on The Group .

A Somali man living in Sudan contacted the TSFP, after he was assaulted on The Street by a group of men who, he believed, attributed to Wahhabism - a form of Islam associated with a strict and extreme interpretation of The Koran and the teachings of The Prophet Muhammad is often.

He was discovered, the following criticism on Facebook that he attributed to some hadiths, statements of The Prophet Muhammad. The TSFP arranged for him to shift from Sudan to a safer place.

the volume of The requests of the administrators group means that those who want to help, be carefully examined.

"We research and investigate," Kahaa Dhinn, a Norway-based women's lawyer, says a leading figure on the page.

"We ask your tribe name and the name of your family. We look at your Facebook profile and talk to People in The Group to see if anyone knows them. If you don't tell us who your master is, we know that you are Lying . "

Kahaa works with the TSFP, but has a separate Facebook and YouTube account that you used as a platform to talk about issues that the Somali community.

'I know where you live,'

your focus is the strengthening of Somali women, but how Ayaanle is, she is also an outspoken atheist who has your goal.

"you threatened to Kill Me with knives and said:" the Muslims will kill them and they die in your hands."

But the dangers do not seem to dampen their conviction: "I'm not afraid of you. You want to silence me by fear. "

Norwegian arrest

your fearlessness is encouraged by The Knowledge that she lives in a country where the threats will follow.

In Somalia, assassinations, and attacks are rarely investigated, but in Norway The Police has been involved.

"Two of The Guys who threatened me, were with their real profiles, and The Police were able to arrest them," she says.

Ayaanle echoes this feeling, know that there are some that are not So Lucky .

"many of the Somalis that don't show on the page, their Faces those who say they are non-believers, Because they fear for their lives," he says.

'I feel relieved,'

The fact that Ayaanle and Kahaa distanced themselves from the religion of Islam has not meant that they are the distance intertwined of Somali , in spite of the two to each other.

"I actually feel more Somali , as I have my true identity back," says Kahaa.

But Ayaanle emphasized that The Group of atheists, the goal is to convert the Somali Muslims to, or create in any other non-conformist identity, but an environment that promotes freedom of expression and freedom of speech. Something, he believes that the Somalis need today More Than ever.

"So, it are Small Steps . But We Are going to win Some Hearts . Do we really believe that People believe what they want To Believe , and be who you want to be. "

islam, facebook, somalia

Source of news: bbc.com