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Uganda: Pastor murdered by Islamist relatives for refusing to denounce Christ, “We need prayers”

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A 42-year-old pastor in eastern Uganda was dragged out of his house and brutally murdered on the street earlier this month by Muslim relatives enraged that he refused to renounce Christ, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. While Christianity is legal in Uganda, former Muslims who turn to Christ are frequently violently attacked by Islamic extremists in their communities or families.

Pastor Adinani Bulwa was killed on March 10 in front of his home in Muterere village, Bugiri District, MSN reports. The pastor is survived by his wife Zabiina Newumbwe, and five children between the ages of 4 to 16.

In a statement to MSN, Zabiina recounted that in the weeks before her husband’s murder, the couple had been sharing the Gospel with Muslim family members, four of whom then accepted Christ. At this point, in February this year, Pastor Bulwa’s brother warned the couple to cease “misleading” Muslims to Christianity and to renounce Christ. “Two weeks later, my husband was invited to attend a family meeting [at his parents’ house], where he was pressured to recant the Christian faith, but he said he was ready to die for Christ’s sake.”

Angered at Pastor Bulwa’s refusal to deny Christ, a group of Muslim relatives stormed his home at about 9.30 pm on March 10.

“They were saying, ‘We are a Muslim family, and Allah is our God,’” Zabiina told MSN. “We were shaken, and the children and I hid ourselves in the bedroom while leaving my husband in the sitting room.” The mob dragged Pastor Bulwa out of the home, and his body was later found outside with a deep cut on the forehead, and a cloth around his neck indicating he had been strangled, MSN reports.

“The children and I are living in great fear from the relatives – our security is at stake,” Newumbwe told MSN after the killing. “We had to seek help elsewhere. We need prayers so that God may guide us on what to do next.”