by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Christian evangelist Malingumu Bruhan was violently attacked and nearly burned to death in Nawaikoke, Uganda earlier this month by Muslim relatives who accused him of being an infidel, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda but believers have come under increasing attack by minority Muslim extremists, particularly in the eastern part of the country.
Known for his public debates with Muslims about Christianity and Islam, Bruhan has survived 11 attempts to murder him on account of his faith, MSN reports. His Muslim family has shunned him but, on February 6, he had returned to his home village of Muhira in Nawaikoke, for his grandfather’s funeral, MSN reports.
Following the funeral, Bruhan’s uncle began to harass and accuse him being an infidel for leaving Islam. “My uncle accused me of embarrassing them by holding Christian evangelistic, open-air meetings and debates with Muslims,” Bruhan told MSN. “He accused me of being an infidel by converting to Christianity, and that Allah will reward them in Jannah [garden paradise] if they kill me. He said to me that it is now the right time for me to receive punishment from Allah, whereby I was going to be burned alive and the birds of the air will enjoy me as their meat,” Bruhan said.
Bruhan’s uncle was joined by other enraged relatives, who began to beat him so hard he sustained head injuries and had to be taken for medical treatment, MSN said. They also set about preparing to set him on fire. “They started beating me up as others gathered firewood, while another was sent to go for petrol because they wanted to use it to burn me alive,” Bruhan said. However, Bruhan was saved from death when friends of his tracked him down and called the police, frightening his relatives away.
“By God’s grace I overcame the Muslims’ planned attacks,” Bruhan said.
“The church has been a comfort to me. Pray for me so that I recover from the head injuries and will be able to continue with the work of sharing Christ with the lost.”