Campala, November 11, 2024.
In Uganda's Eastern Region, Islamists burned alive a pastor and his family after he led three Muslims to the Christian faith, said James Tusubira, brother of the slain pastor.
Pastor Vir Mukisa, 30, his wife Annette Namugaya, 25, and their two daughters - Judith Baniri, 7, and Sylvia Bamukisa, 4 - were killed when radicals set fire to their home around 3 a.m. Oct. 13, the Christian Post website reported.
The tragedy occurred in Kibale village in Mpumiro County's Mpumiro District of Namutumba County. Pastor Mukisa converted Muslims to Christ in September 2024.
"When three young Muslims converted to Christ, my brother started receiving threatening messages saying he should stop any contact with the three young converts and that what he had done was against the teachings of Islam which forbids embracing the religion of infidels," J. Tusubira told Morning Star News.
He said that at 2:48 a.m., he saw flames and smoke billowing from the windows of his brother's family home.
"We rushed to the scene and found that there was hardly anything left of the house and the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Toward dawn, a crowd of people began to gather near the ashes. Plastic bottles with gasoline residue were found nearby," he said.
Tusubira said the attackers lived in a neighboring village and the pastor was familiar with them.
A report of deliberate arson causing the death of four people has been received by Kibale police. Police officers are looking for the perpetrators, who immediately fled.
The villagers are in great shock and fear over this terrible atrocity.
"Please pray for us that the radical Muslims who killed my brother and his entire family will be brought to justice," Tusubira urged all Christians.
It is also reported that a mother of three was beaten and burnt with acid by her Muslim husband (42-year-old Juma Nisibambi) in Nankome locality of Bugiri County after he discovered that she had converted to Christ.
Hidaya Nabafa, 27, is currently being treated in hospital for severe burns.
H. Nabafa converted to Christianity in August 2024 in a church in the village of Nankoma (the name of the church has been withheld for security reasons). Hiding her faith, she attended a service on October 9 while her husband was in Kampala.
"When I returned at 4pm, I found my husband at home and he asked me where I had been; I remained silent for a while but eventually decided to tell him the truth that I had seriously believed in Jesus," she recounted woman to Morning Star News from her hospital bed.
Nabafa said she has Christian pamphlets about the life of Christ.
"On hearing my confession, my husband got angry, pounced on me with fists and started beating me. I tried to call for help but it was all in vain," Nabafa continued.
J. Nishibambi walked away for a moment, leaving his wife lying on the ground, and when he returned, he poured battery acid (electrolyte) on her.
"I lost consciousness and woke up already in the hospital bed," said the mother of three children, who are 7, 5 and 2 years old.
Neighbours who soon came to the rescue took the poor woman to a hospital in Bugiri where she will continue to receive treatment for several more weeks. It is expected that she will need plastic surgery (skin reconstruction) on some parts of her body that were badly damaged by the acid.
These are two of many cases of persecution of Christians in Uganda.
Uganda's constitution and other laws guarantee freedom of religion, including the right to preach one's faith and to change from one religion into another.
The Republic of Uganda is located in eastern Africa, with a population of 45 million. The majority of Ugandans are Christian; Muslims make up no more than 12% of the country's population, with a large concentration of Muslims in the eastern regions of the republic.
Source: https://www.christianpost.com
