{"id":6499,"date":"2013-09-24T14:42:02","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T13:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=6499"},"modified":"2013-09-24T18:49:36","modified_gmt":"2013-09-24T17:49:36","slug":"2013sep24kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/2013sep24kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"Muslim terrorism strikes Nairobi"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A woman lies dead in Westgate Mall under a poster advertising a children’s Halloween party.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A 4-day siege in a Nairobi shopping mall appears to be drawing to an end<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Muslim terrorists associated with Somalia- based Al Shabab (Arabic for ‘The Youth’) stormed the Westgate Centre in Nairobi’s up-market Westlands area on Saturday at noon local time. \u00a0At least 62 people are dead with more than 170 injured. \u00a0The dead and injured include Kenyans and many of other nationalities. \u00a0President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nephew has been killed in the attack. \u00a0The Mall itself is owned by an Israeli businessman<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eye-witnesses say the attackers freed shoppers who could identify themselves as Muslims and shot at others. \u00a0The\u00a0Somali ambassador immediately denied this, despite not being there, while\u00a0David Cameron said:<\/p>\n

\u2018These appalling terrorist attacks that take place where the perpetrators claim they do it in the name of a religion \u2013 they don\u2019t. \u00a0They do it in the name of terror, violence and extremism and their warped view of the world. They don\u2019t represent Islam or Muslims in Britain or anywhere else in the world.\u2019<\/p>\n

To which Douglas Murray in the Spectator replied<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘I don\u2019t think any sensible person would argue that the perpetrators represent all Muslims. But it seems strange to say that a separation of people \u2014 and massacre of them \u2014 based solely on their religious identity can be said to have nothing to do with religion.’<\/p>\n

It has emerged that there was what the Kenyan authorities described as a ‘multi-national’ element in the terrorist group. \u00a0Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed told US PBS network<\/strong><\/a> that one of the militants was a British woman who had “done this many times before” and “two or three” Americans were also attackers.<\/p>\n

Attention is focusing on\u00a0the possible involvement of Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the men who carried out attacks on London’s transport system on 7th July 2005.<\/p>\n

Postings on social media site Twitter in fluent English lend support to the theory that residents of the UK or US are heavily involved with the militants.<\/p>\n

Al Shabab supporters commonly refer to ‘Brave Mujahideen’. \u00a0It must take some quality to shoot defenceless men, women and children in cold blood, but\u00a0courage does not immediately spring to mind.<\/p>\n

Al Shabab aim to establish an Islamic state in Somalia and some factions within it want to export a Caliphate to the rest of East Africa, including Kenya and Uganda. \u00a0All however, have taken exception to Kenyan army encursions into the country following attacks on Kenyan border towns. \u00a0Last month Al Shabab murdered four policemen near Garissa in Eastern Kenya<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, a pan-African force including Kenya has succeeded<\/a><\/strong> in driving Al Shabab out of some of the areas it once held, and it may well be that the grenade and AK-47 attack in Nairobi is a sign of Al Shabab’s current weakness.<\/p>\n

Relations between Christians and Muslims in Kenya are generally good. \u00a0Christians represent some 80% of the population and Muslims 10%. \u00a0There has been a strong Arabic influence for centuries from the trading centred on the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. \u00a0Consequently, almost 50% of the population in the Coastal region is Muslim, tailing off the farther one moves from the south-east strip.<\/p>\n

Yet even in Mombasa the two faiths manage an element of mutual respect, helped by the fact that Kenyan Christians hold their faith very strongly indeed, and never back down when standing up for the cause of Christ. \u00a0On occasions, Christians and Muslims have stood together against secularist influences<\/strong><\/a> coming in from Europe and the US.<\/p>\n

Public prayer is commonplace, and politicians are not afraid of talking in Christian terms. \u00a0Both the President and vice-President dedicated their offices to Christ<\/strong><\/a> after being elected in March this year, with Vice-President William Ruto’s speech especially forthright<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Despite the Nairobi attack, Kenya is a by-word for stability in East Africa, with many migrants from Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. \u00a0The Government will have to continue to address the Somali problem, but life will return to normal.<\/p>\n

Please pray for those grieving for lost loved ones in Kenya and across the world. \u00a0Pray that the perpetrators of the Westgate massacre will be brought to justice. \u00a0Thank God for the Christian faith of the President and Vice-President. \u00a0Pray for courage and wisdom for the Government of Kenya. \u00a0Pray for the Church in Kenya, to stay resolute and preach the Gospel in season and out of season.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 4-day siege in a Nairobi shopping mall appears to be drawing to an end. Muslim terrorists associated with Somalia- based Al Shabab (Arabic for ‘The Youth’) stormed the Westgate Centre in Nairobi’s up-market Westlands area on Saturday at noon local time. \u00a0At least 62 people are dead with more than 170 injured. \u00a0The dead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,905,907,55,908,906,909],"class_list":["post-6499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-al-shabab","tag-kenya","tag-nairobi","tag-somalia","tag-uhuru-kenyatta","tag-westgate-mall","tag-william-ruto"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t