Uganda (International Christian Concern) – Namwase first encountered Jesus on May 3 while her husband Kalele was away on a business trip. She began to regularly attend a small group where she learned the gospel. On October 17, however, Namwase returned from her small group to find that her husband had unexpectedly returned from his business. With the bag on her side holding a New Testament Bible that could not be hidden, Namwase feared her husband’s wrath, as he practiced a strict form of Islam.
When he found her Bible, Kalele locked her in a room, stormed out, and returned with a container of gas. “He took some bedsheets, wrapped them around my body, and then took me out of the house. He forced me to lie down then he took the petrol and poured it on me. Then he took a matchbox, lit it, and the fire burned me up,” Namwase told Morning Star News.
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Namwase’s nine-year-old daughter ran to her neighbor’s house, alerting them to what was being done to her mother. Fortunately, Namwase was rescued and taken to a hospital where she was treated for numerous third-degree burns that covered much of her body. Namwase now worries for her three children, who range in age from four to nine, who were taken away from her and forced to live with their Muslim paternal grandmother.
Namwase’s situation is like many others in Uganda, a country whose population is reportedly 82% Christian. Despite the Muslim population only making up 14% of the population, Uganda fights the forces of multiple radical Islamic terrorist groups including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Islamic State of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the government does its best to defend against such forces, attacks from larger groups and interpersonal conflicts result in the death of Christians on a weekly basis.
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We pray for the people of Uganda as they continue to face persecution from their peers and families. We praise God that he knows each of their dreams and fears and pray that he leads those who wish to inflict pain on others to a path of righteousness. We trust in the goodness of God.
This article originally appeared here.
