August 11, 2009 | 3:34 pm

Muslim sect forcibly removing gold and silver teeth

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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Remember that story I wrote about the San Bernardino pentecostal church that believed God had blessed their revival by giving the most faithful mouths-ful of gold teeth? No? Well, it wasn’t that memorable. Here’s a reminder:

“The Lord spoke to me and said, ‘It didn’t have anything to do with faith. I did it to increase your faith.‘’ said the church’s pastor, Larry Baker. “It has done so for me and this church tremendously.‘

God only knows what’s really going on, but about 15 of the church’s 70 members say their teeth or fillings have turned to gold during the past three weeks. Some are now on a mission to get their dental records and prove their claims are true.

Anyway, they better hope these guys don’t hear about their gifts from God:

Residents in Marka say al Shabaab has been rounding up anyone seen with a silver or gold tooth and taking them to a masked man who then rips them out using basic tools.

“I never thought al Shabaab would see my denture as a sin. They took me to their station and removed my silver tooth,” resident Bashir said.

“I met several men and women whose dentures were being pulled out by a masked man they called a doctor. The doctor used a pincer or his gloved hand depending on the strength of the tooth,” Bashir said. Al Shabaab officials declined to comment.

The Islamist group says the gold and silver teeth are used for fashion and beauty, which is against strict interpretations of Islam, residents said. The crude dental work has fuelled fears of health risks. Al Shabaab is an al-Qa’ida-inspired group that has taken control of large swathes of south and central Somalia.

Read the rest here.