MOGADISHU, Somalia — Witnesses say Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked militant group is exhuming the remains of a revered moderate cleric in the capital to stop people from worshipping him.
Al-Shabab official Ali Mohamed Hussein says Tuesday his group dug up Sheik Mohyadin Eli’s grave in Mogadishu because people seeking blessings visit the tomb for spiritual purposes.
Witness Hassan Da’ud says the cleric’s 30-year-old remains were stuffed into sacks.
[slidepress gallery='qabriga-sh-muxiyadiin']
Al-Shabab has prohibited adoring tombs and destroyed idolized tombs in areas under its control over the last couple of years.
The group espouses a strict interpretation of Islam. Many Somalis observe a relatively moderate form of Islam that allows the veneration of respected saints.
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AP
