KAMPALA, Uganda — A Christian pastor and his teen son were hospitalized in Uganda after they were attacked by a mob who also destroyed their church building.
Pastor John Balidawa and his 14-year-old son were attacked in March. The group, suspected to be Muslim extremists, destroyed Ebenezer Christian Center in Kigulu village in Uganda’s Mayuge District. According to Morning Star News, the attack occurred after a sheik and others entered the church building and ordered the pair to leave.
Balidawa was beaten unconscious and sustained broken bones and internal injuries. His son also suffered a broken bone.
Gerald Kato Wakabi, the church’s senior pastor, said the sheik sent a threatening message in August 2022 that stated, “You should remove your church because we cannot watch our members turning to Christianity.”
The church started in January 2022. About 47 people attend, 12 of whom are Muslim converts, reports Morning Star.
Approximately 12% of Uganda’s population is Muslim. Uganda’s constitution and laws allow for freedom of religion, including converting from one faith to another. However, Christian churches increasingly have received threats of violence, and some Christian converts have been attacked, killed or excommunicated by Muslim family members, the World Atlas reports.
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