by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Two Christians were killed in southern Uganda last Thursday after Muslim extremists set fire to the church building they were praying in, Morning Star News reports.
Christianity is legal in Uganda, but deadly attacks on believers by Islamic extremists have become increasingly frequent in recent years.
The two Christians were participating in an all-night prayer vigil at the Holy Healing Ministry International Church in the city of Jinja’s when the arsonists set the building on fire at around 4 am, the church’s pastor George Kato told MSN.
“The fire weakened the church structure and forced it to collapse,” Pastor Kato said. “I managed to escape with other remaining few members, but two elderly members were trapped inside, and the fire burned them beyond recognition.”
Adding that he found jerry cans outside the church door, Pastor Kato attested: “I made an alarm while running away. I saw three Muslims dressed in long Islamic attire taking off.”
While Pastor Kato was unable to identify the three perpetrators, local Muslim extremists had complained about his church holding loud worship and prayer meetings, and had demanded that the congregation go elsewhere, MSN reports.
In a website statement about the attack and about the persecution of Christians in Uganda generally, Morning Star News said: “[This was the] latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented. Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.”