Football fever has taken hold in Africa, but some Islamic rebel groups in Somalia are stopping people from watching the World Cup because they say that soccer originates from old Christian traditions, reports Ecumenical News International.Christian leaders in Somalia are pleading with groups opposed to football to allow viewing of the matches, as reports indicate some citizens risk being shot to death or flogged in public for trying to watch live soccer from South Africa.
"As I speak to you now, my son Awey Ahmed is in the detention of the rebel group, Al-Shabaab. He was arrested after they found him watching the football," Pastor Ahmed Abukar Mukhtar, leader of a small Christian community in Somali, told ENInews on 17 June in Nairobi.
"There is nothing wrong with football … It is not sex … It is not terrorism." Abukar, said it is wrong for the rebels to use religion to oppress and deny people's rights. He believes football can be used to build peace, and inspire young people.
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