Sekou Musa Bility, a young Liberian and resident of the Jacob Town, Waynesville Community, is reportedly facing condemnation and death threat from family members for converting from Islamic to Christianity.
Mr. Bility escaped in 2017 when his family members and others Islamic termed his decision to convert to Christianity as senseless and ill-advised and has since faced continuous threats on his life, while seeking the intervention of the International Community to rescue him from content attacks, intimidation, harassment and social exclusion, same reason he was forced to flee Liberia for exile.
Bility’s conversion to Christianity is considered a breach of the Sharia Law which calls or demands death penalty. Muslims view Christians to be People of the Book, and also regard them as kafirs (unbelievers) committing shirk (polytheism) because of the Trinity, and thus, contend that they must be dhimmis (religious taxpayers) under Sharia Law.
The Sharia Law is a religious law that lays down governing principles for spiritual, mental, and physical behavior that must be followed by Muslims. It categorizes all man’s acts into five distinct categories: obligatory, recommended, permitted, discouraged, and forbidden. Men and women are not equal under Sharia law, and same-sex relationships are forbidden. It prohibits bribery or special favors in court, demands equal treatment for rich and poor, and calls for the protection of everyone’s property.
Giving a narrative of the entire ordeal, Mr. Bility who refused to disclose his current location since escaping Liberia due to the death threat, said that his father and mother are strictly Muslim and during his time living with them, he grew up being a Muslim.
However, in 2017, he converted to Christianity, something which he said had never happened judging from the fear of being killed as mandated in the Muslim Law.
Bility further indicated that his conversion came as a shock to his family and the entire mosque he worshiped at because they had been thought on several occasions that it was forbidden to do this and as a Muslim and is punishable by death.
“My family changed overnight with me. I had no choice but to leave my home because they were threatening my life. They told me I was soiling the family, dishonoring them, and destroying the family’s reputation and that they had to get rid of me. Prior to the threat, I was excluded from every benefit and opportunity. Our entire area in Jacob Town is a Muslim community and so, because of that nobody speaks with me,” he said.
According to him, his family sent people to his work during his mid-night shifts, and he was severely beaten to the point where he ended up in a clinic.
“This happened three separate times, and each beating they threatened to finish me up, to kill me, if I did not return to the Muslim faith. I was so afraid I had no choice but to leave my country. My family wanted me dead and they said that they will not stop until that is done,” he said.
He said his father vowed to cause him great harm, probably the worst kind of harm they could inflict on him.
“I fear that they will kill me if I am to return. They are serious about their ways, and the word of their religion would encourage my murder. Conversion from Islam to Christianity in the law of the faith, the word encourages in many ways how I am to be punished before my death,” he said.
“My family has made it very clear they are disgusted and feel I have severely wronged them to the point where there must be an ultimate punishment. I believe this would happen because they had no issue with targeting me throughout my time after I converted to Christianity, to beat me, humiliate, threaten and intimidate me into going back to their ways,” he said.
