Ugandan woman beaten for attending church

Ugandan woman beaten for attending church

BUDAKA, Uganda — A Muslim in Uganda beat his wife unconscious for attending a church service Sept. 18, sources said.

Hussein Kasolo had recently married Fatuma Baluka, the 21-year-old daughter of an Islamic leader in a predominantly Muslim village, undisclosed for security reasons, in Eastern Uganda’s Budaka District.

“When I arrived home, my husband shouted at me as an ‘infidel,’ and then and there started hitting me with a metallic object,” Baluka said. “I fell down, only to find myself in a hospital bed.”

Neighbors said they arrived and rescued Baluka, who was bleeding from head and leg injuries as her husband continued to hit her. They took her to a Budaka District hospital, where she remained until Sept. 22.

She had visited the undisclosed church with a female friend. The church pastor, whose name also is withheld for security reasons, said she became a Christian during that service and is being discipled.

Baluka has taken refuge at an undisclosed site, he said, adding that she needs prayer for emotional and physical healing. (MS)