Uganda: Muslims Beat Evangelist Unconscious, Burn His Home

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda beat a Christian man unconscious, and then torched his house, after seeing him setting up for a Gospel event near their village last month, Morning Star News reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda but believers have come under increasing violent persecution from radicalized Muslims, with those who left Islam for Christ being particularly vulnerable to attacks.

A father of three young children, Philemon Shuha was attacked while working with fellow Christian Titus Waniyaye in preparing for an evangelistic event near Nabiganda village, Butaleja District on Jan.30, MSN said.

Shuha and Waniyaye had spent the previous two mornings distributing invitations to the event, and many people had started to arrive. The two Christians became aware of a commotion as a group of Muslim villagers appeared and then began to harass them. In a statement to MSN, Waniyaye said the Muslims asked: “Why did you give out Christian literature to our people? Have you come to kill Islam by converting our people? Today you can’t go unpunished.”

“They then grabbed Philemon,” Waniyaye told Morning Star News. “ I feared for my life and there and then fled for my survival.” Waniyaye sought help from a group of Christian motorcyclists who frightened off the attackers and rescued Shuha. “We found Shuha almost lifeless and unconscious and lying in a pool of blood,” Waniyaye said. He had a deep cut on the right side of the head near the ear and blood coming from his right hand. He could not open his eyes.” Shuha was taken to hospital and was admitted for treatment.

Late that night, Shuha’s wife called Waniyaye to say that she and the couple’s children had managed to escape unhurt but their house had been set on fire. “The church members who were with me in the hospital urgently rushed to the home of Shuha using the church van, but upon arrival the house was on fire,” Waniyaye told MSN. “We tried to put out the fire, but unfortunately a big portion of the house had been destroyed.”

The arsonist was apprehended and taken into police custody. Upon interrogation he said that Muslims had paid him to set Shuha’s house on fire, MSN reports.

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