A Muslim who converted to Christianity was beaten severely by relatives on January 13 causing him to be confined in the hospital as of date for head, back, and hand injuries.
The Christian Headlines said the convert, Bashir Sengendo, was a former mosque leader in Uganda's Namutimba District. Sengendo finally returned home to his family in Namaato village of the Kigalama Sub-County of the said district on the evening of January 12. His home coming -the first time since he converted into Christianity in 2016- was in response to messages he received from relatives asking him to tend a portion of their land allocated for him.
In an interview with Morning Star News, Sengendo revealed that he has been constantly receiving the messages for the past six years but was "reluctant to go back home." A matter he soon discovered why when he arrived that Thursday night.
"I was shocked to receive a cold reception and slept without food, only to be attacked and beaten badly in the morning by my brother and my uncle. They cut me with an object in the head, back and hand," Sengendo said.
Neighbors heard his screams and brought with them the local police to rescue Sengendo from his relatives. He was then brought to the Namutimba Hospital for treatment. He arrived in critical condition due to his injuries which caused him to lose a lot of blood. Sengendo disclosed that he was attacked by relatives for bringing "shame" to the family because he left Islam.
"As the attackers were hitting me, my uncle said that the family spent a lot of money training me as a Muslim teacher, and that I have caused a lot of shame to the family and Muslims at large," Sengendo revealed.
As per Sengendo, he became a Christian on May 13, 2016 through another former Muslim's ministry. Sengendo attended a Bible college for half a year through the aid of a church who arranged it for him. This led him to become a pastor.
Christians experience persecution in Uganda mostly from their own relatives or persons known to them. Examples of such persecution include Abudlawali Kijwalo of Uganda's Nankodo area who was attacked by his brother, Tabiruka Tefiiro who was killed by his father, and Saban Sajabi who was killed by his relatives who hired hitmen to do so.
Kijwalo was attacked by his brother, Musogo Murishid, using a machete while he was listening to Gospel music last June and refused to denounce the Christian faith. Similarly, Tefiiro was tied, beaten, and knifed by his father, Kasimu Kawona, because he refused to recant Christianity. On the other hand, Sajabi experienced threats from his relatives for years before they hired three men to murder him by beating him up and burying his head into an anthill.
There were also known reports of Islamic extremists such as that involving the death of Mpingire Pentecostal Revival Church Ministries International Bishop Francis Obo in June. There was also the report last June of Muslim employer Ashirafu Kasenyi aka Kasenyi Jackson who killed his Christian employee Fred Isiko through the aid of hired hitmen for refusing to convert to Islam.
The attacks persist despite Uganda's laws allegedly allowing the free practice of religion.
