Christians are a stigmatized and vulnerable segment of Somali society in the Horn of Africa. They constitute one of the world’s least studied religious minorities and one of the most persecuted. In the 2024 annual ranking by the aid organization Open Doors—which identifies countries where Christians face the most intense persecution—Somalia ranks second globally and first among Muslim-majority nations.[1] According to their country report, conversion to Christianity in Somalia is typically seen as a severe violation of family and clan loyalty. Exposure as a Christian convert can lead to dire consequences, including the risk of execution.[2] This paper breaks new ground in two ways: it provides the first major analysis of Somalis’ conversion to Christianity, and secondly, it offers the first empirically grounded theory explaining how individuals in the Global North leave Islam, become Christians, and reveal their new faith to their Muslim loved ones. The theory focuses on Somali converts residing in the United Kingdom and Sweden, which are home to the two largest Somali communities in Europe. The research is based primarily on the analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with twenty-one Somali Christians and five missionaries working in these communities. All participants were affiliated with evangelical Protestant churches. Classic grounded theory methodology was applied in its entirety, including simultaneous data collection and analysis, constant comparison, theoretical sampling, memo-writing, open coding, selective coding, theoretical coding, and manual sorting of memos. This new theory explains a process which takes place in three types of awareness contexts and which consists of six stages. The paper covers relevant personal factors, incentives and deterrents, possible reactions to psychological discomfort, pressure from members of the Muslim community, and possible reactions to this pressure. It has significant practical implications for those involved in missionary work among Muslims, potentially increasing the effectiveness of their activities.
[1] World Watch List 2024 (Open Doors, 2024), 3, https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/2024-advocacyreport/. World Watch List is the annual report of Open Doors’ research department, World Watch Research. For information on the methodology of the report, see: Complete World Watch List Methodology (Open Doors International, World Watch Research, 2023), https://www.opendoors.org/research-reports/wwl-documentation/Complete-WWL-Methodology-update-October-2023.pdf.
[2] Somalia: Full Country Dossier (Open Doors International, World Watch Research, 2024), 6–7, https://opendoors.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Full-Country-Dossier-Somalia-2024.pdf.