Terrorists Tried To Kill Christians On A Bus
Mel Johnson
Terrorists Stop A Bus To Kill Christians
As an American, it's an incredible blessing to live in the land of the free. It's a blessing to safely and freely proclaim our faith. But the sad fact is that for
so many in other parts of the world, being a Christian is a life-threatening decision. But for all of the evil that exists in this world, there is good fighting back. And an incredible display of humanity that took place on a bus proved just this!
Credit: Kenya Citizen TV
A bus traveling the roads of Mandera County in Kenya came to a halting stop after gunfire erupted, directed at them. An Islamic terrorist group was behind the attack, and the gunmen climbed aboard, ordering the passengers to evacuate. The riders were instructed to separate into groups as they exited -- Muslims on one side, Christians on the other.
The situation was eerily similar to
one from 2014 -- where al-Shabab gunmen attacked a bus in Kenya and killed 28 non-Muslim passengers. But history would not repeat itself this time.
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In an incredibly courageous display of unity, the entire bus banded together, refusing to separate.
“We even gave some non-Muslims our religious attire to wear in the bus so that they would not be identified easily. We stuck together tightly,” Abdi Mohamud Abdi, a Muslim passenger recalls.
Credit: Associated Press
The terrorists tried to encourage division. They promised the Muslims safety, instructing them to simply get back on the bus. This had to be incredibly tempting, especially for Salah Farah -- a school teacher with four children and a wife who is nine months pregnant.
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But Salah chose to stand for peace. He bravely told the militants to
"kill them together or leave them alone." He was shot for this statement, and later died in the hospital during surgery. While at the hospital, prior to the surgery,
Salah said,
"People should live peacefully together. We are brothers. It's only the religion that is the difference, so I ask my brother Muslims to take care of the Christians so that the Christians also take care of us...And let us help one another and let us live together peacefully."
Salah Farah, in the hospital after being shot by Al-Shabaab militants Credit: VOA News via CNN
Unfortunately, in addition to Salah, one other life was lost in the attack. But ultimately, unity won out and the terrorists left after the bus banded together.
“These Muslims sent a very important message of the unity of purpose, that we are all Kenyans and that we are not separated by religion,” said the Interior Minister, Joseph Nkaissery. “Everybody can profess their own religion, but we are still one country and one people.”
As news of the standoff spread, folks took to social to applaud the heroism of the passengers, using the hashtag #ManderaHeroes.
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The show of solidarity was truly inspiring, and a beautiful reminder of what it truly means to love thy neighbor.
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31
h/t:
The Washington Post
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