Somali prime minister creates government office for clerics

Source: 
Sabahi
Publication date: 
Mar 17 2014

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed convened a meeting of religious leaders in Mogadishu on Saturday (March 15th) and announced the creation of a new government office for religious scholars that will help shape public opinion and government decision-making.

"The main aim of this meeting is to have a collective position towards the religious-less people of al-Shabaab and show to Somalia and people of the world that these people are on the wrong path," Ahmed said in a statement.

Ahmed emphasised the key role of clerics in fighting al-Shabaab's ideology. "You are a very important part of the governance of this nation and play a leading role in the fight against al-Shabaab," he told the clerics.

Deputy Chairman of the Somali Religious Scholars Union Nor Barud welcomed the government's decision.

"This is a very critical time to clarify what is wrong and what is right, the religious leaders are leaders of the people so we must clarify the religious issues of the country," Barud said. "Al-Shabaab are claiming to be religious but killing innocent people at sacred places like mosques show they are not true Muslims [and] they are misguided. They have very little understanding of what the Islamic religion teaches us."

Also on Saturday, Somali security forces reportedly arrested dozens of Qur'an teachers in Mogadishu accused of brainwashing and indoctrinating young students, Somalia's Garowe Online reported.

Somalia's National Security Agency carried out the security sweep in Hodan and Wadajir districts.

 

Source/Fuente: http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/newsbriefs/2014/03/1...