Top countries where Christians are suffering, experiencing supernatural: 'Count the cost'

'The Holy Spirit is at work, thanks to your prayers'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, January 17, 2026

Somalia: 'Count the cost'

Somalia ranked as the second-most dangerous country for Christians for the fourth year in a row, according to Open Doors US, whose CEO told The Christian Post earlier this week that much of the growth of extreme violence against Christians is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hardline Sharia law reigns in Somalia, whose 2012 provisional constitution effectively prohibited conversion from Islam to Christianity. Amid a civil war that has dragged on for decades, the militant Sunni terrorist group al-Shabaab has filled a power vacuum in much of the country.

The group, some of whose founders trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, seeks to eradicate Christianity and openly executes suspected Christian believers. Even in regions where the corrupt Somali federal government holds sway, Islam remains the only legal religion.

As in North Korea and the Middle East, oppressed Christians in Somalia are reportedly receiving dreams and visions of the risen Jesus — including a Somali Christian named Aweis Ali, who told Open Doors that his own father, a Muslim cleric, threatened to kill him when he began expressing interest in the Bible.

Shunned by his family upon his conversion, he remained the only Christian he knew for seven years until he eventually found one other Christian. Their small group began to grow and supernatural dreams strengthened their courage as they were being hunted down by Islamist militants who martyred all but two of them.

Aweis said that for many in Somalia, where there are only hundreds of Christians among a population of more than 19 million, the cost of following Jesus is too steep and the narrow gate too lonely.

"In Somalia, it seems impossible to become a Christian — the persecution is so intense that, when people count the cost, some may decide not to risk it," he said. "Those who take the plunge know they'll lose so much. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, they do it."

Open Doors urged prayer that the few Christians in Somalia would know they are not alone, even if they are forced to worship in secret.

Somalia has recently drawn the attention of many Americans amid reports of rampant social services fraud among Somali immigrant communities in Minnesota, which has allegedly led to millions of the state's taxpayer dollars being funneled to al-Shabaab.

President Donald Trump has characterized Somalia as a failed state where people "run around killing each other," and the U.S. State Department paused American aid to the country earlier this month amid allegations of theft by the Somali federal government.