by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Muslim villagers in eastern Uganda destroyed a church building and a pastor’s house after a former Islamic leader and his wife put their faith in Christ earlier this month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda, but believers are coming under increasing attack from Muslim extremists, especially in the eastern part of the country where there are larger concentrations of Islamists.
Residents of Malakachomo village, Kibuku District, Sheikh Musyoya Anasi and his wife put their faith in Christ on May 6, after Christians from a local church came to their home and prayed for healing. “[My wife] had been suffering from acute pain in her throat that made her not able to swallow dry food, as well as from an inflamed breast – she could only take liquid food,” Anasi told Morning Star News.
“After the prayers, [my wife]requested some cooked bananas, which were prepared and eaten with ease,” Anasi attested. “The breast inflammation was reduced. These miracles led me and my wife to give our lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
Muslim neighbors came to hear of the couple’s conversion and, that afternoon, a mob of extremists descended on the local church.
“They were carrying machetes, clubs, sticks and marching towards our church building while chanting ‘Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! [God is greater]’ slogan,” the church’s leader, Pastor Naaya, told Morning Star News.
“We quickly left the church, because we knew we were in danger for having a sheikh pray with us and quickly rang the police.”
An hour later, smoke was seen rising up from the church building.
“We knew that the Muslims had started burning it,” Pastor Naaya said. “After one hour the police arrived at the scene of the incident, but the church structure was already burned. The police managed to arrest a few attackers and take them to the police station.” The attackers also vandalized his house, the pastor said.