"All the operations of Radio Holy Quran have effectively been taken over by the administration of Al-Shabaab movement beginning from today 13th Ramadan of 1431 Hijri, which matches 23 August 2010," the Al-Shabaab letter said in part.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns this action as a "blatant crime" of taking the ownership and control of the radio station by force and putting the owners and the journalists in a state of panic and fear. Al-Shabaab, according to NUSOJ, is permanently depriving the Somali people of independent and unbiased information by forcefully taking over privately-owned media ventures.
NUSOJ believes that in the hands of the extremists, the radio station has lost impartiality, independence and professionalism, and fears that the channel will be used as a medium to spread hate messages and to propel the campaign for violence and bloodshed against Somali people.
