Barnabas Fund, a ministry supporting the persecuted church worldwide, has made an urgent appeal for prayers to support Christians in Somalia in the wake of the murder of four Christian teachers last Sunday.

Daud Assan Ali and Rehana Ahmed, both Somali converts from Islam who had previously lived in Britain, were shot dead alongside two Kenyans when Islamic militants stormed the school where they were sleeping in, in Beledweyne in south-central Somalia.

Mr Ali returned to his hometown in Somalia in 2004 to fulfil his lifelong dream of founding his own school, the Private English School, which was completed just one month ago. On March 30, Mr Ali wrote in his last posting on his blog for the school's supporters that he was concerned over night time raids by Islamic militants, according to Barnabas Fund.

The Somali Islamist guerrilla group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the killings although a spokesman for the group said that its fighters "did not intentionally kill" the teachers.

According to Barnabas Fund, however, several residents of Beledweyne believe that the militants deliberately targeted the teachers because of their Christian faith and out of a fear that they were teaching pupils about their Christian faith.

Christians form a tiny minority in predominantly Muslim Somalia and many converts there have been murdered in recent years by Islamic extremists.

According to Barnabas Fund, Islamic radicals have vowed to wipe out all Somali Christians and anti-Christian feelings have only intensified in the face of recent fighting between Somali Islamic militias and Ethiopia.

"Somali converts from Islam to Christianity are specially at risk at this moment in time. They need our prayers urgently," says Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund.

Please Pray
• Please pray for the families and loved ones of those killed. Pray that the Lord will comfort them and keep them strong.
• Pray for the small number of Somali Christians, all converts from Islam, both in Somalia and in other countries, that God will protect them from violence and further attacks.