Somalia prohibits use of the name al-Shabab

Al-Shabab, which means "the youth" in Arabic, has been outlawed by Somalia's ministry of religious affairs. Instead, the public is asked to refer to the militant group as "Khawarij," a pejorative term that indicates a heretical sect.

The ministry forbade clergy from communicating with or meeting with the militants affiliated with al-Qaeda in a statement.

Al-Shabab was to be referred to as "Khawarij," according to the authorities, as part of the campaign against the organization.

The Somali government has referred to al-Shabab under several names before.

The militant group was to be referred to as "Uggs" in 2015, which is a Somali acronym for "the group that butchers the Somali people."

Al-Shabab has responded by threatening to punish anyone who followed government orders or used the phrase, including journalists.

The federal government forbade local media outlets last month from covering al-Shabab actions.