Al-Qaida is claiming responsibility in the shooting death of a Harrisburg man that happened over the weekend in Yemen.Joel Shrum, 29, was killed when a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on his car.According to al-Qaida, he was the target because he launched an attack on Muslims when he tried converting Yemen residents to Christianity.Shrum had taught English in Yemen for the past two years.Shrum's Mother Talks To News 8 "Joel loved what he did, loved the country and the people," his mother, Lynda, told News 8.During college, he took a trip to India and saw impoverished people, his mother said. The experience "opened his heart" and from that point he wanted to find a place to make a difference, she said.Shrum grew up in Mount Joy and played offensive guard and linebacker on Donegal's football team.Bill Groff, Shrum's former football coach, said he's not surprised he went into harm's way to try to make a difference."When you hear of something like this, this is a tragedy and it makes me very sad to see a young man of such high character have to lose his life," Groff said.Strum moved to Yemen with his wife, Janelle, and their son, Valen, in 2009. They later had another son, Liam. The boys are now 4 and 2.He was teaching English and overseeing the teachers at the International Training Development Centre.Religion was not discussed at the school and Shrum did not consider himself a missionary, his mother said.He was on his way to work Sunday when two people on a motorcycle came alongside him and shot him. The school's director called his family Sunday to tell them he had been killed.