BUGIRI DISTRICT, Uganda — A Muslim husband beat his wife and forced her to ingest a toxic pesticide because she had become a Christian.
Zubeda Nabirye, 38, secretly became a Christian on Aug. 21. On Nov. 21, her husband, Umar Kyakulaga, found two Bibles in her possession and asked if she had converted to Christianity.
After reading verses in the Quran that a man can beat his wife for disobedience, Kyakulaga beat, strangled and forced Nabirye to drink Dithane M-45, Nabirye said.
Her three children — 9, 13 and 16 years old — were not present in Matovu village at the time; they were still with Nabirye’s mother-in-law in Kalivo district, from which Nabirye and Kyakulaga had moved earlier in the year.
Neighbors found Nabirye unconscious in a banana plant and arranged transport to a hospital.
Upon discharge Dec. 2, Nabirye went to stay with a Christian family in an undisclosed location.
Uganda’s laws and constitution provide religious freedom, and the country has no state religion. Muslims make up about 12% of Uganda’s population.
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