MOGADISHU, Somalia — A mother of four was killed for her Christian faith Jan. 7 on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia by Islamic extremists from al-Shabaab militia, a relative said.
The relative, who requested anonymity, said Asha Mberwa, 36, was killed in Warbhigly village when the Islamic extremists cut her throat in front of villagers who came out of their homes as witnesses. She is survived by her children — ages 12, 8, 6 and 4 — and her husband, who was not home at the time she was apprehended. Her husband, Abdinazir Mohammed Hassan, has fled to an unknown location. The relative said he phoned her Jan. 5 to try to make arrangements for moving her family out of the area.
Al-Shabaab extremists, who control large parts of Mogadishu, were able to monitor the conversation and confirm that she had become a Christian, he said. “Asha had been receiving threatening messages” after al-Shabaab monitored her previous communications with him, he said. Mberwa’s relative, whose location is also withheld for security reasons, said a “good Samaritan” in Mogadishu was caring for her four children and that they continue to weep and cry out for their mother.
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