05/23/2020 Uganda (Morning Star News) – A young woman named Rehema accompanied her father on a business trip from Mbarara district to Mbale district in Uganda earlier this year. They stayed at her paternal aunt’s house in Nawuyo village, Mbale where she started listening to Christian programming aired on an FM radio station. Rehema then reached out to one of her father’s business friends, who is Roman Catholic. Rehema explained to Morning Star News the following about how she converted to Christianity, “She explained to me about Christ and the way of salvation, and I got convicted and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. As she was sharing Christ with me, I was so overjoyed, and my father heard my joy and woke up, came from his bedroom furiously and started beating me up with blows, slaps and kicks.” Rehema goes on to say that her Muslim father was angry and shouted at his 45-year-old sister who was sleeping in another room, stating that he was going to kill his daughter because she converted to Christianity.
The father eventually started burning his daughter and until Rehema was shielded by her aunt, who carried her out of the house with the help of a Christian neighbor. Rehema was taken to a Mbale Regional Referral hospital where she received immediate treatment. She is expected to remain at the hospital for more than a month due to the serious burns on her legs, stomach, ribs, neck and back.
Additionally, Rehema and the neighbor have not reported the father’s assault to the police for fear that he might try to kill her. This is becomming more commonly reported in the small East African country. In Uganda, Muslims make up approximately 12 percent of the population, with high concentrations in the eastern part of the country, including Mbale. The constitution and other laws provide religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Despite this, in Muslim majority communities, it can be a serious offense to convert or preach the Christian faith. Please pray for Rehema to have a speedy recovery and for her faith to remain strong even in the face of such hatred and violence.
