A 33-year-old man, Abas Hussein Abdirahman, was stoned to death in the port town of Merka off the southern coast of Somalia this month. Mr. Abdirahman confessed to committing adultery in front of an Islamic court in early November. His former girlfriend’s life will be spared temporarily because she is pregnant, but will most likely be killed after she gives birth. Relatives will look after the child if she is put to death.
The bigger picture lies with the Islamist groups who run the majority of southern Somalia. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Mogadishu, President of Somalia, has asserted that the al-Shabab, the Islam group responsible for the stoning of Mr. Abdirahman, is ruining the image of Islam with their inhumane acts. Just this past year, Islamists have stoned three adulterers, two other men accused of spying, and a 13-year-old girl in the southern town of Kismayo for adultery. Human rights groups state the girl was raped, illustrating the severity of their controversial actions.
Furthermore, women are forced to wear heavy clothing to cover their bodies, which President Sharif states is supported by underlying economic issues, as the Islamic groups sell this kind of clothing and then forces people to buy it.
Ideally President Sharif would put the Islamic law of Sharia into practice, but it is considered far too lenient by al-Shabab. Somalia has not had a functioning national government in 18 years.
