English, Science lessons banned by Somali Islamist group

The main rebel group fighting the government in Somalia has forced three schools in the south of the country in the Horn of Africa to stop teaching English and Science.

Widely thought to have links with al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab is often reported as being "hardline" by media across the world. For example Al-Arabiya used that description last July when reporting on how the group had attacked the offices of three UN organizations in Southern Somalia - the Development Program, the Department of Safety and Security and the Political Office for Somalia - on the basis that the offices had "been found to be working against the benefit of the Somali Muslim population and against the establishment of an Islamic state in Somalia". And in October the Daily Mail, again using the description "hardline", told of how members of al-Shabaab were challenging women on the streets of the Somali capital Mogadishu who they suspected were wearing "un-Islamic" bras. More recently the group banned the distribution of aid by the United Nations' World Food Programme. That ban will mostly affect the large areas in Central and Southern Somalia that are under the control of al-Shabaab, which has now being designated a terrorist organization by the government in the U.K. Like the U.S. the U.K. fears that al-Shabaab is recruiting fighters from the young men in its Somali communities. In November al-Shabaab gained control of the town of Afmadow, apparently replacing another Islamist group, Hisbul-Islam (also known as Hizbul Islam or Hezb al-Islam), that had been controlling the town. According to Reuters al-Shabaab - it is noted that the rebel group has banned such activities as movies, dancing at wedding ceremonies and soccer in the areas it controls. As well as carrying out executions, floggings and amputations - has been trying to recruit fighters from schools in Afmadow. Those attempts were resisted by three schools in the town and in what Reuters is suggesting was some form of revenge al-Shabaab demanded that the schools cease giving English and Science lessons. Given one month to cease those lessons and include Arabic and Islamic studies in the curriculum, although one mother has insisted that "Islamic principles and religion" were already being taught, the schools found themselves closed down at the weekend by al-Shabaab. After agreeing to the changes to their curricula, and dismissing 23 instructors who had no background in Arabic education, the schools - Waamo, Dhoobaale and Osman Mohamud - were allowed to reopen on Tuesday. A clan elder, Ali Mowlid Mohamud, is quoted as saying of the changes imposed by al-Shabaab:

The Islamic administration closed education centres and ordered them to stop teaching English which they said is a western language. They told schools, 'We know everyone who is going to be a spy for western governments learns this language'