Islamists began demolishing an old Roman Catholic church in southern Somalia on Tuesday to replace it with a mosque, and vowed to do the same with all other non-Muslim places of worship they find in the area. Tuesday's demolition was scheduled to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The act -- and the threat -- were the latest show of strength by the growing Islamic insurgency in and around the southern port of Kismayo. Somalia's third-largest city has been in the control of al-Shabab, a powerful Islamist faction, since August
This is not the only, or the most violent, attack against the Catholic Church in Somalia but what can balance this issue between the muslims finding the need to take out all Roman Catholic influence in Somalia?
there isnt anything that can be done to prevent this, its their beliefs, and its hard to go against someone's belief and expect them to reply peacfeully...
what are we going to do? send troops in? ever seen black hawk down? DOESNT END WELL, stay out, there beliefs are there beliefs, we cant do anything to change them, no one can, just leave it alone, getthe people being persecuted OUT!
Thats heartwrenching. We are lucky to have the right to free exercise of religion or lack there of. But, I don't know how much there is to be done. Humanitarian aid may be more detrimental than helpful.
no, its not that "not much can be done" its that nothing can be done, can you think of anything that would help? send food, water, and shelter? the other faction will act as warlords and TAKE the food and shelter, and use against them, they will starve and burn them out, NOTHING can be done to help them
Yeah, it's just sad that destroying a whole religion out there... Obviously there was a church their for a reason And they are just demolishing it? It's wrong... I'm sure there is something that can be done But I'm not saying get all of America involved and send troops
I totally understand the desire to want to help But Scott is right there is nothing. No aid will be benificial. Warlords will destroy them and our aid will be aiding the warlords its not a good thing and horribly sad but factual
okkkk i think that the best action would be to get those who are being persecuted out i mean in a situation as unbalanced as this in which the majority has overwhleming power over the persecuted minority nothing can be done they simply have to leav eand find a place where they can worship in peace
-- Edited by cstair23 at 19:04, 2008-10-03
__________________
"I have nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion" -Jack Kerouac
That's something the Islamic leaders and the non-muslims are going to have to deal with and make up some sort of compromise. That would be the ideal situation..but it won't happen.
This is about more than just religious tolerance right now. People's lives are in the balance here. These al-Shabab fellows don't sound too friendly towards their catholic brethren which is why the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has been abandoned by nearly half of it's usual population. There is fighting between the government and Islamist and nationalist insurgents, and its worse than when Black Hawk Down was supposed to have taken place. Right now its not about buildings being demolished, people can congregate and worship anywhere. I would say that it is the right thing for a global effort to send aid, which is already happening with The World Food Programme. There is a severe drought in the region and with high food prices and the obvious economic disruption, there is a desperate need for food. With, for the moment, Canadian escorts of the cargo ships carrying aid on the seas and with the Ethiopian led AU peacekeepers on the ground, (not really enough), there is aid that is being delivered to those who need it.
this frustrates me.. people should have their freedoms in their religous beliefs and practices.. the fact is that this selfishness can never be settled, and those catholics caught up in this mess will definatly have to re-locate. unfortuanatly majority does rule.
