After a Christian evangelist came home from a funeral service in eastern Uganda on Feb. 6, his Muslim relatives beat and tied him up to be burnt to death.
The evangelist, Malingumu Bruhan, 34 years old, went back to Kaliro District for his grandfather's burial at Muhira village, Nawaikoke, and then accepted his uncles' invitation to stay and visit as he said he hadn't seen him in a long time.
When the visitors left, however, Bruhan's uncle suddenly spoke in a different tone.
Bruhan told Morning Star News, "My uncle accused me of embarrassing them by holding Christian evangelistic, open-air meetings and debates with Muslims, he accused me of being an infidel by converting to Christianity, and that Allah will reward them in Jannah [garden paradise] if they kill me."
Bruhan said he remained silent during the whole situation.
"He said to me that it is now the right time for me to receive punishment from Allah, whereby I was going to be burned alive and the birds of the air will enjoy me as their meat," he said.
Bruhan added that his uncle's rage intensified while he remained quiet.
"They started beating me up as others gathered firewood, while another was sent to go for petrol because they wanted to use it to burn me alive," he said.
Another convert from Islam who had accompanied Bruhan to the burial looked for him while his uncles were waiting for the gasoline, but was told he wasn't around. This friend, however, spotted Bruhan's shoe as it had slipped off while his relatives took him away for execution, he said.
Bruhan said, "My friend made several phone calls after finding my shoe, and they arrived and started searching for me, they found me behind the house about 100 meters away, tied and with firewood around me. They tried calling the police, which scared the attackers, and they fled."
After the said incident, Bruhan was brought to a clinic in Bulumba town after suffering head injuries, and was then relocated to a secret location for his safety.
Bruhan is a well-known evangelist in Mbale, Iganga, Jinja and Kampala due to his public debates with Muslims, defending the Christian faith from Islamic claims.
He claimed that he has survived 11 murder attempts, which he all credited to God's grace and protection.
Because of his conversion to Christianity in 2017, his Muslim relatives hated him, saying that he's an apostate, and has brought a disgrace to their family.
Bruhan shared his story about how he survived the persecution from his family.
"When I was chased, I went on foot, slept in the bush and survived on wild fruits for two months,"
Despite of the threat that he received for believing in Christ, Bruhan said:
"I still trust God to heal me and for divine protection for my life. The church has been a comfort to me. Pray for me so that I recover from the head injuries and will be able to continue with the work of sharing Christ with the lost."
This account but is one of the many evidences of the persecution of Christians around the world, particularly in Uganda.
