A Somali woman -- who converted from Islam to Christianity -- was paraded before a cheering crowd of hundreds of people on December 22, 2011, and publicly flogged as a punishment for embracing a "foreign religion."
Sofia Osman -- a 28-year-old Christian from Janale City in Somalia -- had been taken into custody by Islamic extremist al Shabaab militants in November, and held for 30 days. The public whipping of 40 lashes was meant to mark her release.
Osman's whipping left her bleeding and unconscious. Fortunately, her family was able to take her to their home where she was able to recuperate.
We find this kind of physical torture to be barbaric and disgusting, and are surprised that it exists today in a supposedly civilized society.
Actually, Osman's decision to convert from Islam to Christianity four years ago was a personal decision, and one that did not deserve any punishment whatsoever by Somali Islamic extremists or any other Somalis for that matter.
Whether a person in Somalia -- or any other country -- chooses to be a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, or any other faith must be accepted by that country's government as an individual's innate right to do so. A nation has no right, then, in dictating or trying to impose what an individual's religion must be.
We recommend that the United Nations Human Rights Organization investigates this barbaric act in Somalia, and implements punitive action -- such as sanctions and censure against Somalia -- in order to deter this kind of barbarism from occurring in Somalia or any other nation in the future.
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