by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Extremist Muslims in eastern Uganda beat a pastor unconscious as he officiated at the funeral of a Christian convert and used the occasion to compare Jesus Christ with the Islamic prophet Mohammed, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. While Christianity is legal in Uganda, Christians have come under increasing violent attack from radicalized Muslims on account of their faith and for sharing the Gospel.
Pastor Davidson Okirori was attacked while speaking at the funeral of Vanisha Namukasa, one of his church members, in Kyoga village, Mayuge District, on July 21, MSN reports. The 39-year-old pastor leads Covenant Church of God in Buwenge.
“The deceased being a Muslim who converted to Christianity, I carried with me the Koran, Hadith of Bukhari, and the Bible to show to the mourners the fact of the unique and powerful resurrection of Jesus as the Son of God while at the same time mentioning that Muhammad being just a prophet of Allah did not resurrect,” Pastor Okirori told Morning Star News. “It was a good platform for me to witness the love of Christ to Muslims who had gathered at the funeral.”
“When I started mentioning verses from all these books, I heard a young man shouting, ‘You kafir [infidel], stop misleading us – if you came to bury your people, bury them, but don’t use the Koran without getting ablution. This is blasphemy to our Allah,’” Pastor Okirori recalled. “They were throwing stones where I was standing, and one hit my head and I fell down. A Muslim man hit me with an object on my mouth, and from there I do not know what happened again. I found myself in Mulago Hospital with blood all over my body and my clothes.”
The pastor requested prayer and told MSN he was in need of medical assistance while still recovering from injuries to his head, back and arms.