A 43-year-old evangelist from Uganda's Kapaala Village was brutally killed by a group of Muslims who interrupted him while he was speaking in public about Jesus Christ from the Qu'aran.
The Christian Headlines reported that the Muslims, led by a certain Shakuuru, were furious at John Michael Okero for allegedly blaspheming Allah when he said he has a Son, referring to Christ. A source from the area told the Morning Star News by phone that the Muslims also accused him of misinterpreting the Qu'aran, touching the Qu'ran without following the ritual cleansing, and disrespecting it by placing it under a Bible.
Shakuuru grabbed the microphone from Okero when he was speaking in an event in Kadungulu Village before other Muslims joined to beat him with stones, iron bars, and sticks until he was lifeless. The Muslims then burned his body while singing a chant in the native tongue--the Ateso language--that pertained to a thief of people stolen from one religion into a bad religion.
The police, who were called by those in the area, arrived too late because the Muslims have already left. A manhunt was launched by local enforcement in line with the crime.
Okero, accordingly, was often invited to preach by a Christian denomination in the Kadungulu Village located in Serere District, which is dominated by Muslims. The name of the denomination was kept secret for security reasons. Okero's case is the recent in many reports on Christians persecuted by Muslims in Uganda.
Last month, a mosque leader from the Namutimba District who converted to Christianity, Bashir Sengendo, was beaten to death by his own relatives on January 13. Sengendo left home when he converted to Christianity and since then relatives have invited him back. He conceded only after several months of not doing so since a certain land was at issue. Only to discover it was a trap to convince him to renounce Christianity and become a Muslim again. When he declined, his relatives killed him.
Uganda is predominantly a Christian nation at 84%, as per the Voice of the Martyrs, where there are many churches yet it is vulnerable to Islamic influence. Muslim-dominated areas involve Uganda's eastern, northern, and southwestern borders where "radicals have been steadily encroaching."
"Christian converts from Islam face pressure from family members and harassment in Muslim communities. Several young people who converted to Christianity have been severely beaten and injured by parents or community members. Pastors and churches have been attacked, and some converts have been killed after their faith became known. The children of families who leave Islam are no longer welcome at school. In some areas, local laws are passed to limit the spread of Christianity or seize church land," Voice of the Martyrs said.
Despite the persecution, the mission group Set Free Ministries said that the pandemic brought blessings in disguise in Uganda. This particularly involved being able to proclaim the Gospel to children in their homes, which protected young female students from abusive caregivers. This also enabled teachers to conduct Bible studies with the students whenever they come over to visit them. Caregivers were reported to abuse female students during the pandemic and the teacher visits became a way to monitor them, which in turn provided accountability.
