“When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” (Qur’an 47:4)
The existence of such a command in the Islamic holy book makes this a sacred act in the eyes of those who perform it.
“Islamists Behead Two Christians in Northern Mozambique,” Barnabas Fund, August 5, 2022:
Islamist militants beheaded two Christian men during an attack on a minibus in northern Mozambique.
The attack took place on July 30, near the village of Nova Zambézia in Macomia district, Cabo Delgado.
The killings were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) of Mozambique, known locally as al-Shabaab.
A statement by IS-Mozambique declared, “By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate … killed two Christians, beheading them, and shooting them with weapons.”
Islamists gained effective control of an area of Cabo Delgado in 2017. The province has since been termed “the Land of Fear” owing to brutal violence meted out against both Christians and moderate Muslims.
Mozambican and Southern African Development Community forces had started to drive the Islamists back in late 2021. However, the Islamist insurgency now appears to be spreading….
