Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Kids Who Won Somali Radio Contest Awarded ... AK-47s

Third-place had to settle for grenades

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 21, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

(Newser) – A Somali radio station run by al-Shabab held an, er, interesting trivia contest for kids this weekend. Kids aged 10-17 were quizzed on Islam and al-Shabab minutiae (example: “Which war was al-Shabab warrior Sheik Timajilic killed in?”), with the lucky winner and runner-up both walking away with a prize package including money, al-Shabab books, and, of course, AK-47 assault rifles, the New York Times reports. The third-place finisher had to settle for two live hand grenades.

The prizes were handed out at an awards ceremony in a town near Mogadishu, where Sheik Muktar Robow Abu Monsur—a moderate figure, as al-Shabab sheiks go—proclaimed that “Children should use one hand for education and the other for a gun to defend Islam.” Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, controls much of Somalia, which has no central government, and hence some of the worst schooling rates on the planet.

A young fighter from the Al-Shabab militia shows the wound in his hand in this file photo. (Getty Images)

Somali boys chant as they watch hard-line Islamist fighters from Al-Shabab parade during a rally in the streets of Mogadishu on October 30, 2009. (Getty Images)

In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, file photo, a young boy leads the hard-line Islamist Al Shabab fighters as they conduct military exercise in northern Mogadishu's Suqaholaha neighborhood, Somalia. (AP Photo/ Farah Abdi Warsameh/File)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

15%

48%

24%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Ex-US Soldier Busted Trying to Join Somali Militants

Md. man flew to Kenya in attempt to join al-Qaeda-linked group

(NEWSER) - A former US Army soldier is in federal custody for a half-baked plan to join al-Shabab militants in Somalia. Prosecutors say Craig Baxam, 24, decided he wanted to live under Sharia law and tried to make his way to Somalia from Kenya carrying a Koran and a few hundred dollars. He was arrested on a bus in northern Kenya and handed over to US authorities, who have charged with him attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, the Washington Post reports. More»

Kenyan Bar Hit With Grenade Attack

Officials fear Somali militants to blame

(NEWSER) - At least 12 people were injured early today when someone hurled a grenade into a small bar in Nairobi. Speculation is rampant that the attack might be the work of Somali militants retaliating against Kenya’s incursion into the country last week, but so far officials are not publicly blaming al-Shabab or any other militant group, the New York Times reports. Nairobi residents have been warned for days that an attack might be coming, one specifically aimed at a club or mall. More»

Kenyan Troops Invade Somalia

Official says they're targeting suspected kidnappers al-Shabab

(NEWSER) - Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia yesterday in an attempt to crack down on militants suspected in a rash of kidnappings, residents say. A Kenyan official confirms to the BBC the country’s troops are targeting al-Shabab, the Somalia group suspected of crossing the border and seizing four Europeans and killing one over the past month. Witnesses report up to 40 Kenyan vehicles, as well as some tanks, carried hundreds of soldiers and towed “big guns” through the Somali border town of Dhobley yesterday. More»

Obama Lifts Anti-Terror Rule to Open Somalia Aid

Aid workers can now pay off al-Shabab

(NEWSER) - The US plans to back off an anti-terrorism rule that’s stemming the flow of aid to Somalis plagued by drought and famine. The current rules forbid US-funded groups from paying “taxes” or tolls to terrorist groups, the Washington Post explains. That’s proved untenable for aid workers in Somalia. Al-Qaeda ally al-Shabab controls much of the land hit by the famine, and has threatened or killed Western aid workers. “This is an instance where a lot of lives really could be saved if we could get aid flowing," says an aid worker. More»

40 Americans Have Joined Somali Terrorists: Peter King

Rep. King refuses to end Islamic radicalization hearings

(NEWSER) - Rep. Peter King says his controversial hearings on Muslim radicalization in the US have uncovered some actual radicals. As the hearings resumed today, King declared that 40 Americans and 20 Canadians have signed up with Al-Shabab, a Somali insurgent group with ties to al-Qaeda, the National Post reports. “We must face the reality that al-Shabab is a growing threat to our homeland,” said King. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Kids Who Won Somali Radio Contest Awarded ... AK-47s

Third-place had to settle for grenades

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Somalia • child soldier • AK-47 • strange stuff • al-Shabaab • al-Shabab

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Ex-US Soldier Busted Trying to Join Somali Militants

Md. man flew to Kenya in attempt to join al-Qaeda-linked group

Kenyan Bar Hit With Grenade Attack

Officials fear Somali militants to blame

Kenyan Troops Invade Somalia

Official says they're targeting suspected kidnappers al-Shabab

Obama Lifts Anti-Terror Rule to Open Somalia Aid

Aid workers can now pay off al-Shabab

40 Americans Have Joined Somali Terrorists: Peter King

Rep. King refuses to end Islamic radicalization hearings

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?