Somali politician executed for 'apostasy' by Islamist militia

He was accused of changing his religion by working with non-Muslim Ethiopian forces. His relatives say he was denied a lawyer when he appeared before the Sharia court.

LONDON (Religious Intelligencer) - Islamist insurgents have executed a Somali politician in the port town of Kismayo for working with Ethiopian forces occupying Somalia, reports said Friday. The Islamists seized control of Kismayo last August and implemented Sharia law.

An Islamist spokesman in the port of Kismayo reported that Abdirahman Ahmed was shot dead on Thursday. He was accused of changing his religion by working with non-Muslim Ethiopian forces. His relatives say he was denied a lawyer when he appeared before the Sharia court. After the shooting, his brother pleaded to be able to bury his body, however, he was told the burial had already been done.

Mr Ahmed had worked with Kismayo's former warlord - the MP Barre Hiraale - who is accused of attempting to retake the city with Ethiopian backing. He is believed to be the first politician executed by the Islamists.

Ethiopia is pulling its forces out of Somalia after a two-year occupation that has failed to defeat Islamist forces. Ethiopian forces invaded in late 2006 to help kick out the Islamic Courts Union, a hardline Islamist regime that was in power for six months. The invasion sparked a bloody insurgency that has killed an estimated 16,000 civilians and displaced around 1 million.

Analysts have warned that the departure of Ethiopia's 3,000 troops could lead to more anarchy in the Horn of Africa nation as Islamist insurgents and other militias struggle to seize power.

A 12-year-old girl was stoned to death for adultery there despite claims from her aunt that she was in fact raped.

In Mogadishu, thousands of people have gathered at the football stadium, a former Ethiopian base, to celebrate the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. Talks about power-sharing between moderate Islamists and the government earlier resumed in neighbouring Djibouti.

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This article first appeared in the Religious Intelligencer and is used with permission.