By the Morning Star News –
NAIROBI, Kenya — Muslim relatives of a father of five in Somaliland who recently became a Christian poisoned him to death this month for converting, sources said.
Sharif Ali came to faith in Christ in April in an undisclosed town in Somaliland, a partially recognized state bordered by Somalia on the east, Djibouti to the northwest and Ethiopia to the south and west. He was 42.
He was poisoned on July 5 and died on July 7, sources said.
Area underground Christians said Ali’s family became suspicious of his secret faith after noticing he regularly hosted visitors in his home and missed Friday mosque prayers. Relatives invited him to a family gathering on July 5 where they questioned him about these observations and told him that neighbors had heard Christian songs in his home, the local sources said.
Ali chose not to respond to the accusations, remaining silent throughout the questioning, a Christian leader said.
After the family shared a meal, he returned home, and later that night, he became seriously ill, experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhea, the leader said. His wife took him to a hospital.
At the hospital, Ali told a visiting underground church leader, “Please come closer to me — I do not want to speak loudly. I regret not openly confessing my faith in Issa [Jesus] as my personal Savior. If I die, I rejoice because I have believed in Issa.”
He died two days later on July 7, area Christians said. He is survived by his wife and children ages 17, 14, 9, 6 and 4.
Ali had put his faith in Christ after a period of spiritual searching and encounter with underground Christians. As is customary for all Christians in Somaliland, where leaving Islam is punishable by death, he kept his faith secret.
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