Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Somali woman killed for not wearing veil, relatives say
Al-Shabab is fighting for an Islamic state in Somalia
Militant Islamists in Somalia have shot dead a Muslim woman for refusing to wear a veil, her relatives say.
Ruqiya Farah Yarow was killed outside her hut near the
southern Somali town of Hosingow by gunmen belonging to the al-Shabab
group, they say.The militants had ordered her to put on a veil, and then killed her after returning and finding she was still not wearing one, the relatives said.
An al-Shabab spokesman denied the group had killed the woman.
Al-Shabab does not fully control the area where she was living, he added.
The capital, Mogadishu, is controlled by the weak UN-backed government
She was shot twice and died instantly, they added.
She is survived by her husband and children, the relatives said.
Al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia, imposes strict rules of behaviour, including dress codes for men and women.
BBC Somalia analyst Mary Harper says the fact that al-Shabab has denied killing Mrs Yarow suggests that rogue elements within the group may have been responsible for her death.
It is also possible that al-Shabab wants to distance itself from the shooting because it is likely to provoke a strong public reaction, she say
