by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - An Islamic extremist in Sudan’s military is suspected of having burned down the building of a Sudanese Church of Christ congregation in Al Qadarif state last week, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
In a statement to MSN, church sources said the 20-year-old building of the 100-member Church of Christ in El Daoka, Al Qadarif state, was set on fire by a local Muslim who is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces. The church sources did not want to name the man.
According to the church’s attorney, the suspected arsonist has committed a criminal act that violates religious freedom and is punishable by two to five years imprisonment, MSN said.
Calling for the arrest of the suspect, Osama Saeed Musa, chairman of the Sudanese Christian Youth Union, said: “We condemn this incident in strong terms and call for the government to investigate it and bring the culprit to book.”
Sudan is now ruled by army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who last year deposed moderate Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdock in a coup.
The majority Muslim country ranks 13th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. There are an estimated two million Christians among Sudan’s total population of more than 43 million people.