Somalia Bans 'Christian' School Bells

Sault Site, Marie, MI: April 21, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked militia al-Shabab has banned teachers from using bells to signal the end of class in the town of Jowhar, according to a report by the BBC.

Al-Shabab said the bells “sounded too much like Christian church bells.”  They banned the ringing of bells in schools because “Christian churches also sound bells.”

“The bell they ring to summon students for classes is illegal in Islam.  We know that ringing bells is a sign of the Christian churches,” Sheik Farah Kalar, senior Shabab official, told reporters in Jowhar.  “All schools must stop using the bell to summon students, otherwise they will face punishment.”

This comes after last week’s order by the Hizbul-Islam group that radios stop playing music because it is “un-Islamic.”

Action Condemned

Head teachers who were handed the directive condemned it.

“We are totally astonished by the ban… Heads of schools met to discuss the matter and we are actually obeying their orders since we don’t have any options,” one of the head teachers told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A teacher told the BBC’s correspondent in Somalia that handclaps were now being used instead of bells to bring classes to an end.

The end of classes is also marked by teachers beating on tables and doors, reports the Associated Press news agency.

Amputations and Stonings

In the past, Islamic militants in Somalia have banned watching films and football, as well as musical mobile phone ring-tones, says the BBC’s Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu.

They have also carried out amputations and lashings for theft, and stonings for adultery.

Amputations and the recent stoning to death of a 13-year-old mentally disabled girl are shocking displays of al-Shabab’s interpretation of Islamic law.

For example, last May, according news reports, in Kismayo, Somalia the public was invited to see a man have his hand chopped off in a public park in the city.  Mohamed Omar Ismail was accused of stealing 10 pairs of pants, 10 shirts, and eight other items in a bag.  The value of all the items is estimated to be around $90.  Although he denied his guilt, his right hand was chopped off and held up to the crowds.

Dress Code

Somali women who do not wear hijab in al-Shabab-run areas are prohibited from leaving their homes.  They are instructed to cover themselves from head to toe.  No part of their body is permitted to be seen in public.

Last week, al-Shabab closed down BBC radio relay stations in five cities in southern Somalia, including Mogadishu.

With a population of 9,832,017, minority, underground, house church Christians in Somalia face severe persecution.

Visit www.christianfreedom.org