Mogadishu Religious Affairs Minister Mukhtar Robow Ali (Abu Mansur) urged the people to unite against terrorism and assist federal government of Somalia in the current nationwide military campaign against Al-Shabab terror group.
“We cannot describe a Muslim as a person killing another Muslim in the middle of worship and prayers inside a mosque, and that is what al-Shabab does,” he said at Friday prayers sermon in a Mogadishu mosque. “They are Khawarij”.
Robow furthermore added: “Do not fear the Khawarij; do not hide them amongst you and spy. With Allah’s willing, they will be eventually defeated, and Somalia will be a peaceful and prosperous nation”.
The term Khawarij which means renegades in English comes from the Arabic word that means “those who left”.
It refers to a group of Muslims who were initially followers of the Prophet Muhammad and later took a position that Muslims who commit grave sins effectively reject their religion, entering the ranks of apostates, and therefore deserve capital punishment.
Source: Somali National News Agency