The Somali government has banned the use of the name Al Shabaab to refer to the terrorist group, which has ties to Al Qaeda, and has demanded that it be referred to as ‘jauarij’, a word meaning «deviant sect».
The Somali Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement that the decision is part of the recent military offensive against the group and has banned Muslim clerics in the country from maintaining contact with the formation.
It also stressed that «the dissemination of their harmful ideas, based on murder, suicide and self-destruction is forbidden» and stated that the activities of Al Shabaab «are not based on the Islamic religion».
The ministry stressed that any contact with the group «is a crime» and warned that «anyone found responsible will be brought to justice», before thanking the clerics «who explain the correct path designed by the Islamic region».
«The ministry calls on the Somali people to unite to support the good and to do their duty in supporting the government’s attack against the ‘Kharijite’ groups who shed the blood of the Somali people,» the Somali Ministry of Religious Affairs has reiterated in its statement, published through its account on the social network Twitter.
The Somali authorities, who have stepped up their offensive against Al Shabaab with the support of local clans and militias, banned the dissemination of the group’s propaganda last month, as part of a series of decisions taken by the new president, Hassan Shaykh Mohamud.
On Monday, the Somali army and local militias repelled an offensive by the terrorist group against the town of Qaayib, as confirmed by the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, Abdulahi Ali Anod, who pointed to «heavy losses» in the ranks of Al Shabaab, as reported by the Somali news agency SONNA.
