In the southern Somalia port city of Kismayo, academic achievement is rewarded with military hardware. To help celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan, the al Qaeda-inspired Shabab insurgency sponsored a Koran recitation and general knowledge competition for young men aged 17-20. The winner, Ahmed Yasin, was given an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle, two hand grenades and a laptop. Second place went to Hassan Yare, who took home one anti-tank mine and ammunition.

 

“We thought the prizes given to the winners would be money and such value things but to our surprise, the prizes were AK-47, hand grenades and anti tank mines,” said participant Adam Abdulkadir.

 

Sheikh Hassan Ya’qub, a Shabab spokesman, said weapons were given out as prizes to encourage young men to learn how to fight and defend against the enemies of Islam, which are everywhere.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Somalia: AK-47 and Grenade Bombs Awarded to Competition Winners in Kismayo (by Abdalle Muumin, RBC Radio)

Guns and Grenades for Somali Ramadan Quiz Winners (Agence France-Presse)