On December 21 last year, the extremist group al-Shabaab targeted a bus on route to the northeastern town of Mandera, Kenya. In what has become a signature move of the group, the militants attempted to separate the Christians from the Muslims, so as to only kill Christians. However on this occasion, their plan did not work.
The Muslim passengers refused to cooperate with the militants, with some even giving their headscarves to Christian passengers in order to disguise them. The Muslim passengers were rightly hailed as heroes for their steadfast refusal to give up their Christian counterparts.
One of those Muslim passengers, Salah Farah, died from his injuries on January 18. He had spoken to various news outlets about his experience that day, explaining why he and other Muslims stood up for the Christians.
“We asked them to kill all of us or leave us alone,” he told the Daily Nation after the attack. “As we argued, they shot me and the boy.”
“We are brothers,” he told Voice of America this month. “It’s only the religion that is the difference, so I ask my brother Muslims to take care of the Christians so that the Christians also take care of us.”
The Kenyan inspector general of police, Joseph Boinnet, described Salah as a “true hero.”
“The deceased died while trying to shield innocent Kenyans,” he told local media.
