Despite having just over 12% of the population Muslim, Uganda is a country where the Christian majority has been suffering from the rise of local Islamic radicalism. The most recent case of religious intolerance was against a pastor who was murdered by his family after leaving Islam to follow Christ.
Pastor Adinani Bulwa was born into a Muslim home, but in January 2019 he understood the truth about Jesus Christ and converted to Christianity, subsequently leading other former Muslims in their walk of faith.
Because of his actions, he and his family began to receive threats from Muslims in the region of Lira, where they lived. The Christian leader’s wife, Zabiina Newumbwe, said the radicals demanded their presence at the local mosque.
“As the threats grew, my husband decided that we would leave Lira and return to our home in the village of Muterere,” said his wife. Already living in the new location, Pastor Bulwa continued to give testimony of his faith in Christ, leading four more family members to conversion.
brutal attack
The pastor’s Muslim relatives were revolted by his determination, as he did not accept giving up his religious freedom to satisfy the intolerance of those who do not know the truth about Jesus.
“Two weeks later, my husband was invited to a family gathering at his parents’ home, where he was pressured to renounce his Christian faith, but he said he was ready to die for the love of Christ,” said the wife.
On March 10th, a group of relatives of Pastor Bulwa went to his residence. “They kept saying, ‘We are a Muslim family and Allah is our God.’ We were shaken. The children and I hid in the bedroom,” said the wife.
While the woman and children were hiding, terrified in the bedroom, the pastor remained in the living room with the radical relatives, until the worst happened. “We heard a loud scream and we were hiding in the house, scared. My husband did not come back,” said Zabiina.
“I asked a Christian neighbor for help and we found Bulwa’s body lying half naked. I couldn’t control my emotions, I just screamed and after that I fainted due to shock.”
Due to the condition of the body, with a cloth around its neck and cuts in different parts, it is believed that the pastor was strangled by his own family members. Since then, his wife and five children between the ages of 4 and 16 have lived in hiding, afraid of threats from relatives.
“Now our safety is at stake. We had to seek help elsewhere. We need prayers so that God can guide us on what to do from now on,” Zabiina appeals, according to Morning Star News.