Muslim man protecting Christians during terrorist attack dies

A Muslim man who shielded Christian passengers from Islamist militants who attacked their bus has died.

Salah Farah was shot when he stood up to save Christians from an al-Shabaab miltants in December last year near Mandera, Kenya. He was among kind-hearted Muslim bus passengers who refused to be separated and told them to kill everyone or leave.

Two were killed and three injured before the bus with 62 passengers inside was allowed to go. Following the attack Farah was rushed to a local hospital with bullet wounds and later airlifted to Nairobi for special treatment.


And although initial doctors’ prognoses were optimistic, the father-of-four died during surgery on Sunday, January 17. His wife, Dunia Mohamed, is nine months pregnant. Talking to reporters earlier this moth Farah, who worked as the teacher and deputy headmaster, said:

“We asked them to kill all of us or leave us alone. As we argued, they shot me and the boy. One man who also came out of the bus and tried to escape to the bush was shot. 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.”

Farah’s body was flown on a helicopter to his home where he was buried amid tears and prayers. Mr Farah’s brother said that he hoped his brother’s death would bring religious harmony and encourage Kenyans to live as one community.

Al-Shabaab is a jihadist terrorist group based in East Africa, it describes itself as waging jihad against “enemies of Islam”. In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda.

In February of the year, some of the group’s leaders quarreled with Al-Qaeda over the union, and quickly lost ground. Al-Shabaab’s troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014. As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities, controlling a few rural areas