Recently in Uganda Category

With only a 12% Muslim minority, and an 84% Christian majority, Uganda may not seem a hotspot of Islamic activity. Yet, in recent weeks and months, story after story of attacks on Muslim converts to Christianity have emerged, with troubling implications beyond the intrinsic level. Consider the following anecdotes:

Tortured Daughter

A Muslim father, in accordance with Sharia law, imprisoned and starved his teenage daughter, Susan Ithungu, because she converted to Christianity. He had warned her and her brother “not to attend church or listen to the gospel message. He even threatened us with a sharp knife that he was ready to kill us in broad daylight in case we converted to Christianity.” When she refused to recant, “he locked her up in a room of the semi-permanent house for six months without seeing sunlight. The younger brother was warned not to tell anyone that Susan was locked up in a room and was not given any food.” Still young and un-indoctrinated, Susan’s brother smuggled scraps of food to his sister, though “most days she could only feed on mud”; he also dug a hole under the door, pouring water through it, which she was forced to lap “using her tongue.”

When she was finally rescued, she “was bony, very weak, and not able to talk or walk. Her hair had turned yellow, she had long fingernails and sunken eyes, and she looked very slim, less than 20 kilograms [44 pounds],” requiring over a year of hospitalization. In an update, she has “forgiven her father,” and is thankful to all the strangers who have supported her. Meanwhile, “none of my family members has come to see me…. My own people have abandoned me.”

Blinded and Disfigured

Last Christmas Eve saw Muslims throw acid on a church pastor, leaving him with severe burns, blinding one eye and threatening sight in the other. In his own words: “I was attacked by a man who claimed to be a Christian. He called out to me shouting ‘pastor, pastor,’ and as I turned to see who he was, he poured acid which burnt part of my face. As I turned away from the attacker, another man poured the liquid on my back and ran away shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ (god is great).”

The pastor, Umar Mulinde, originally “came from a strict Muslim family and his father was an imam. He was a sheikh (Muslim teacher) before converting to Christianity, a decision that caused a strong reaction in the Muslim community.” The 38-year-old father of six was also a leading figure in a campaign to block the introduction of Sharia courts in Uganda. After being taken to a hospital, where specialists struggled to restore his vision, Umar was relocated to an Israeli medical center for advanced treatment. According to his wife, “The main point of contention between Muslims and Christians in Uganda is that Muslims are yet to embrace the reality of freedom of worship or coexistence, but Muslims always think that any person who doesn’t believe like them is an enemy who deserves to be killed.”

Hunted and Forlorn

After announcing his conversion to Christianity, Hassan Sharif Lubenga, formerly a prominent member of an Islamist organization, suffered the usual consequences: “They [former colleagues] were furious. They then kidnapped me and blindfolded me for three days, coupled with beatings. They demanded I deny Jesus as the Son of God, which I consented to because I feared that they were going to kill me…. The whole family and clan members were out to destroy me.”

As a Muslim, he had had four wives; upon his conversion, one of them tried to poison him. His father committed suicide, leaving a note that read, “I have decided to kill myself because my son became a Christian,” and urging all family members to curse him. Hassan is currently in hiding: “All my family members have deserted me. The Muslims are looking to kill me. I need protection and help.” On the verge of abandoning his new faith, Hassan recently received a call from Umar Mulinde—the aforementioned pastor who had half his face burned off with acid—telling him the church was praying for him, which “deeply heartened” Hassan.

Falsely Accused

Another Muslim convert to Christianity, Hassan Muwanguzi, also experienced the usual treatment. Upon conversion, his “family immediately kicked him out of their home, and enraged Muslims beat him. His wife left him that same year, and he lost his job as a teacher.” Undaunted, he recently opened a Christian school, Grace International Nursery and Primary School, in a predominantly Muslim region. “Incensed by his boldness,” an Islamic teacher filed a false charge that Muwanguzi had “defiled” his daughter, leading to Muwanguzi’s arrest. Imprisoned for a time, the accusation was discovered false and he was eventually released.

While all these apostasy-related cases are intrinsically troubling, they further suggest that Uganda’s 12% Muslim minority is increasingly “radicalizing.” For wherever Muslims persecute apostates—which some “multiculturalists” dismiss as an in-house matter of no concern to non-Muslims—rest assured that all those “out-house” things, such as jihad and subjugation of the infidel, are not far behind, and a matter of time and numbers.

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

He was outnumbered, and the cowards attacked him by surprise from behind, deceitfully calling "Pastor, Pastor." They committed quite the "own-goal" if they were trying to show who is "greater." "Suspect in Pastor Mulinde acid attack arrested," from New Vision, December 26 (thanks to Olive):

Three days after a suspected acid attack on Pastor Umar Mulinde of Gospel Life Church, Police has arrested one person in connection with the incident.

Addressing a press briefing on Monday, Police spokesperson, Asuman Mugenyi said one person had been arrested but declined to disclose the details. He confirmed that acid was used in the attack and said the police was carrying out investigations to establish the motive of the attackers.

Unknown people attacked Mulinde on Christmas Eve at about 9:00pm shortly after he returned from a church crusade. The attackers poured acid on him, leaving his face partly disfigured and his right eye is blinded.

His face, neck and arms are covered with deep black scars and his lips are swollen.

Narrating his ordeal to journalists at International Hospital, Kampala (IHK) , Mulinde said he was attacked by unidentified men whose target was to kill him.

“I was attacked by a man who claimed to be a Christian. He called out to me shouting, “pastor, pastor’ and as I turned to see who he was, he poured acid which burnt part of my face,” he said.

“As I turned away from the attacker, another man poured the liquid on my back and ran away shouting ‘Allah Akbar (God is great).”

Pastor Mulinde said he caught a glimpse of the attackers but could not disclose the details as this would jeopardise investigations. He blamed the attack to some people who are opposed to his conversion from the Islamic faith to Christianity.

“I have got threats for a very long time, but didn’t take them serious until now,” he said.

Mulinde was raised in a staunch Muslim family and his father served as the local Imam. He was a sheikh before getting converted to Christianity.

Mulinde said the attack occurred shortly after his church had concluded a seven-day crusade at in which over 300 people gave their lives to the Lord.

“We went back to our church to test the sound equipment and everything was perfect. We had organised a Christmas party for the converts when this happened,” he said. His followers rushed him to Mengo Hospital, where he was referred to IHK.

Efforts to get a comment from doctors about Mulinde’s condition were futile as hospital authorities blocked journalists from talking to them. A source told New Vision that doctors were trying hard to save his sight and contain the acid from spreading to other parts of his body.

Muhammad said, "If anyone changes his religion, kill him." All Susan Ithungu's father did was torture her. He must be a moderate.

Seriously, however, evidently Beya Baluku, Susan's father, belongs to the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence (madhhab), which differs from its three Sunni counterparts in teaching that a female apostate should not be executed, but rather confined to a room and beaten until she returns to Islam (cf. Al-Siyar Al-Kabir, vol. 4, p. 162).

"Girl in Uganda Loses Use of Legs after Leaving Islam for Christ," from Compass Direct News, August 11:

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 11 (CDN) — A 14-year-old girl in western Uganda is still unable to walk 10 months after her father tortured her for leaving Islam and putting her faith in Christ, according to area Christians.

Susan Ithungu of Isango village, Kasese district, has been hospitalized at Kagando Hospital since October 2010 after neighbors with police help rescued her from her father, Beya Baluku. He was arrested shortly afterward but quickly released, sources said.

Susan and her younger brother, Mbusa Baluku, lived alone with their father after he divorced their mother. In March 2010 an evangelist from Bwera Full Gospel Church spoke at Susan’s school, and she decided to trust Christ for her salvation.

“I heard the message of Christ’s great love of him dying for us to get everlasting peace, and there and then I decided to believe in Christ,” she said from her hospital bed. “After a month, news reached my father that I had converted to Christianity, and that was the beginning of my troubles with him. Our father warned us not to attend church or listen to the gospel message. He even threatened us with a sharp knife that he was ready to kill us in broad daylight in case we converted to Christianity.”

Pastor Joseph Baluku of Bwera Full Gospel Church in Kasese said neighbors took her to the government hospital about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Kasese town after she was freed.

“He locked her up in a room of the semi-permanent house for six months without seeing sunlight,” the pastor said. “The younger brother was warned not to tell anyone that Susan was locked up in a room and was not given any food.”

Young Mbusa said that when their father was away, he roasted bananas for his sister.

“I also dug a hole under the door, where I could pour water through,” he said. “My sister could drink the water using her tongue. But most days she could only feed on mud.”

A nearby resident who requested anonymity said neighbors became concerned after not seeing her for several months.

“Her brother then disclosed to us that Susan was locked up in one of the rooms in the house,” the area resident said. “We then reported the case to the Harukunggu local council and then to the Bwera police station. The police went to the house and broke the door.”

Susan was immediately taken to the provincial government hospital about 17 kilometers (11 miles) away near Bwera town, where Pastor Baluku visited her.

“The miserable young Susan was bony, very weak, and not able to talk or walk,” said the pastor. “Her hair had turned yellow, she had long fingernails and sunken eyes, and she looked very slim, less than 20 kilograms [44 pounds].”...

Everybody knows that only greasy Islamophobes intent on inciting violence believe that any Muslim has any interest in "subduing the world." Sheikh Ahmed Kayemba must be a greasy Islamophobe. "Uganda People News: LC3 chairman calls on girls to get married," from UGPulse, July 25 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

He who gets a man or woman to marry pleases Allah, the LC3 chairperson for Katwe Butebo division in Masaka, Sheikh Ahmed Kayemba has said.

Kayemba who was yesterday speaking at an introduction ceremony in Kalagala village in Masaka said that he feels irritated when girls refuse to get married and decide to engage in prostitution.

Sheikh Kayemba says that the Koran teaches that girls have to get married, produce children and subdue the world.

Kayemba, who says he has 23 children so far, has also encouraged his fellow Muslims to produce as many children as possible.

That's sure to inspire confidence. As an ex-Muslim pastor puts it, there are very real and well founded fears that "life will get worse for non-Muslims" -- if not now, the next time Muslims decide this or that much Sharia is just not quite enough. "Ugandan legislation pits Muslims vs. Christians over power of courts," from the Washington Times, May 30:

KAMPALA, Uganda — Christians call a proposed religious law a sly attempt to favor Muslims in this predominantly Christian country and warn that it could promote Islamic fundamentalism. Muslims say the reaction to the bill just shows Islamophobia.

Even in Uganda, they're playing that card now.

The Muslim Personal Law bill - which would give more power to Islamic Kadhi courts for Muslims on matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance - is straining relations between Uganda’s two largest religious groups.

Each side is vowing to resist the other to protect what both say are the fundamental rights of their respective communities.

The dispute also highlights an apparent contradiction between two sections of the Ugandan Constitution.

Muslims, who make up roughly 12 percent of Uganda’s 32 million people, point to Article 129 of the constitution, which explicitly allows for the creation of Kadhi civil courts. Under current law, Kadhi court decisions are not legally binding.

Christians argue that Article 129 conflicts with another section of the constitution, Article 21, which states that all people are equal under the law in all spheres of life. Institutionalizing the Islamic courts would give the country two parallel legal systems that would undermine the secular nature of the Ugandan Constitution, Christian leaders say.

It is a contradiction and a constitutional ticking time bomb.

“Let it not be a nationally enforceable law,” said the Rev. Umar Mulinde, a former Muslim who is senior pastor of the Christian Gospel Life International in Kampala. “Life will get worse for non-Muslims.”

Christians and followers of traditional African religions faced persecution under the bloody dictatorship of Idi Amin in the 1970s. After Amin’s overthrow in 1979, Muslims suffered a backlash under the short but brutal reign of Milton Abote.

Relations generally have been good under President Yoweri Museveni, who is in his 25th year in power.

Mr. Mulinde and leaders of the powerful evangelical community and the Ugandan Joint Christian Council have been pressing Ugandan parliamentarians to reject the Muslim court bill when it comes to a vote, likely later this year.

They also have successfully pressured the Uganda Law Reform Commission, which worked with Muslims to agree on a final draft to weaken the bill.

Sewaya Muhamud, chairman of the Muslim Technical Committee on the Muslim Personal Law Bill, was shocked in September to see a proposed draft from the commission that limited the power of Kadhi courts to marriage, divorce and inheritance.

“It does nothing to protect Muslim family values,” he said. “We want to exercise our right to worship in accordance with the principles of Islam.”

Muslims, though, have been evasive on how the bill would affect those accused of apostasy, or the rejection of Islam by Muslims who fall out of the faith or convert to other religions. That religious crime could be punishable by death under Islamic tradition....

Because they establish Muslims as a special, privileged class in society. Meanwhile, in Nashville, Muslims are claiming victim status over a proposed anti-Sharia law. The supporters of this law should bring in Pastor Umaru Mulinde to testify about what Sharia actually does to a society. "Uganda People News: Pastor petitions parliament over Sharia laws," from ugpulse.com, April 19:

Pastor Umaru Mulinde of Life Gospel Church in Namasuba has asked Parliament to remove the Islamic Sharia Laws (Kadhi Courts) in the constitution.

The pastor says the constitution favors Islam than other religions because other religions have not been given platform in the constitution.

In his petition addressed to the Speaker of Parliament Edward Sekandi, Mulinde says the special treatment given to Islam creates divisionism with other religions, which may cause problems like those in Nigeria and Sudan.

However, Sekandi says that Christians particularly the Pentecostal churches should learn to coexist with Muslims otherwise amending the constitution to the pastor’s favor may cause more problems....

Indeed. It will likely cause Muslims to become angry, and you know what that means.

Jihadists murdered 76 in Uganda on Sunday. But that wasn't enough for their bloodthirsty god. "Unexploded bomb vest found in Uganda; 4 arrested," by Max Delany and Godfrey Olukya for Associated Press, July 13 (thanks to JCB):

KAMPALA, Uganda - Investigators found an unexploded suicide vest with ball bearings in a disco hall in Uganda's capital, suggesting that militants had planned a third bombing during the World Cup final, officials said Tuesday. Four foreign suspects were arrested in connection with the find.

The discovery of a suicide vest in a suburb of Kampala on Monday was consistent with what was seen at the two blast sites in Kampala, said the inspector general of police, Kale Kaihura. The vest contained ball bearings, as did the bombs that exploded Sunday. [...]

Officials believe suicide bombers took part in the twin blasts during the World Cup final.
Kaihura said a Ugandan militant group -- the Allied Democratic Forces -- may also have played a role in the attack. Like al-Shabab, the ADF is primarily a Muslim radical group.

The death toll from Sunday's attack rose to 76, Kaihura said. Officials found a bomb vest, detonator, wires and ball bearings in a bag at the disco similar to a laptop computer bag, he said.

Al-Shabab, Somalia's most dangerous militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Islamists are calling for Uganda to withdraw their African Union peacekeeping forces from Somalia....

Confirmation from the aptly named Sheikh Rage, in an update on this story. "Somali militants 'behind' Kampala World Cup blasts," from BBC News, July 12:

The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has said it was behind twin blasts which hit the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday, killing 74 people.

In a statement in Mogadishu, spokesman for the group Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage threatened more attacks.

Police said the bombings targeted football fans watching the World Cup final.

A Ugandan official said a Somali's head was found at the scene of one blast, and he may have been a suicide bomber.

Ugandan peacekeepers are in Somalia, and al-Shabab has previously threatened Kampala.

"Al-Shabab was behind the two bomb blasts in Uganda," Ali Mohamud Rage said.

"We thank the mujahideen that carried out the attack. We are sending a message to Uganda and Burundi, if they do not take out their Amisom [African Union Mission in Somalia] troops from Somalia, blasts will continue and it will happen in Bujumbura [the Burundi capital] too."

The explosions, which also injured about 70 people, ripped through a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant as football fans watched the last few minutes of the World Cup final.

The police chief in Kampala is blaming al-Qaeda and its Somali franchise, al-Shabaab, with good reason. The synchronized attacks certainly point to al-Qaeda; the targeting of an Ethiopian restaurant and venues showing the World Cup final resonate with two things the al-Shabaab jihadists detest, and al-Shabaab just threatened Uganda and Burundi in the past few days.

"Blasts at 2 sites in Uganda kill at least 30," from the Associated Press, July 11:

KAMPALA, Uganda -- Bombs exploded at two sites in Uganda's capital late Sunday as people watched the World Cup final on TV, killing at least 30 people. Foreigners, including Europeans and possibly Americans, were believed to be among the casualties.

Police Chief Kale Kaihura said he believed that Somalia's most feared militia -- al-Shabab, which has pledged loyalty to al-Qaida -- could be behind the attacks.

One of the bombs went off at an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala, Uganda's capital. Al-Shabab views Ethiopia as an enemy. The second blast went off at a restaurant called the Kyadondo Rugby Club.

Kaihura said 14 people were killed at the restaurant, and that he believed the toll at the Rugby Club was far higher than 14, though he did not have an exact number.

At the scenes of the two blasts chairs were overturned. Blood and pieces of flesh littered the floor.

Al-Shabab is Somalia's most dangerous militant group, one that militant veterans of the Afghan, Pakistan and Iraq conflicts have helped train, according to international officials.

If Kaihura's early suspicions that al-Shabab was responsible prove true, it would be the first time the group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.

In Mogadishu, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible for the bombings.

"Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us," Sheik said.

During prayers on Friday, another al-Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, had called for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi -- two nations that contribute troops to the African Union force in Mogadishu.

In addition to its troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali soldiers trained in U.S. and European backed training programs....

No word yet on when Honest Ibe Hooper and Brave Ahmed Rehab will be jetting to Kampala to explain to these Muslims how they are misunderstanding Islam, the Religion of Peace™.

Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Muslim Extremists Attack Worship Service in Uganda," from Compass Direct News, November 11 (thanks to all who sent this in):

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 11 (CDN) -- About 40 Muslim extremists with machetes and clubs tried to break into a Sunday worship service outside Uganda's capital city of Kampala on Nov. 1, leaving a member of the congregation with several injuries and damaging the church building.

Eyewitnesses said the extremist mob tried to storm into World Possessor's Church International in Namasuba at 11 a.m. as the church worshipped.

"The church members were taken by a big surprise, as this happened during worship time," said Pastor Henry Zaake. "It began with an unusual noise coming from outside, and soon I saw the bricks falling away one by one. Immediately I knew that it was an attack from the Muslims who had earlier sent signals of an imminent attack."

The pastor said the disturbance brought the worship service to a standstill.

"There was a tug-of-war at the entrance to the church as members tried to thwart the Muslim aggression from making headway inside the church," he told Compass.

A member of the congregation who was taking photos of the worship service - and then the attack - was beaten, sustaining several injuries, church leaders said. He was later taken to a nearby clinic for treatment. During the pandemonium, some church members were able to escape through a rear door.

Pastor Umar Mulinde added that nearby residents helped repel the attack.

"At the scene of the incident were rowdy Muslims with machetes and clubs ready to destroy the church," Pastor Mulinde said. "The good neighbors of the church also came in, and we were able to overpower [the assailants]."

Police arrived and put a stop to the assault, but officers did not arrest anyone, church leaders said....

Why not?

Sharia alert. As I have pointed out many times, this is what makes reform in Islam virtually impossible: when reformers seek to set aside practices such as polygamy, hardliners see it as a transgression of Allah's will. "Ugandan Muslims March in Defense of Polygamy," from Reuters, with thanks to Nicolei:

KAMPALA - Hundreds of Ugandan Muslims demonstrated in the capital on Tuesday to protest a proposed restriction on polygamy they see as an affront to their religion.

Under Islamic law, a Muslim man is allowed to take up to four wives, as long as he can provide for all of them equally.

But a domestic relations bill being debated by Uganda's parliament says Ugandan Muslims should have to seek approval from their first wife before marrying again.

"Islamic law has been there since it was passed on from Allah to the Prophet Mohammed, it cannot be re-written now," one of the protesters, Bukulu Haruna, told Reuters....

"Other cultures want to overcome Islam, but we will not allow it. People are willing to die so that no one will trample over them," one demonstrator said.

Human rights campaigners in Uganda have called for polygamy to be banned....

"God gave us guidelines on how marriage should be handled. Telling us how many women we should marry makes the bill ridiculous and infringes on our freedom of worship," Kampala district Khadi Sheikh Silman Ndilangwa told reporters.

The domestic relations bill, first seen by parliament last year, also
includes proposals on the scrapping of bride-price, one of the requirements of a Muslim marriage....

Yes, but what will be taught about jihad? From the US Embassy Kampala website (scroll down), with thanks to Nicolei:

On August 9, 2004 the United States Ambassador to Uganda, Jimmy Kolker, signed three grant awards to fund the construction of Muslim Primary Schools. The grants totaling more than Ushs 52 million will be executed by the Uganda Muslim Education Association (UMEA), under the guidance of UMEA Secretary General Abubakar S. Kakembo, who signed on behalf of the schools.

The beneficiaries of the grant include Nakagere Muslim Primary School in Mukono District, Lubugumu Muslim Primary School in Wakiso District and Busoolwe Muslim Primary School in Tororo District).

Through the grants the U.S. Embassy further signals its desire to work closely with Uganda's Muslim community to identify and address core needs.

Muslims in Uganda, who according to the CIA make up only 16% of the population, but they are already vowing to reject a proposed anti-polygamy law on Islamic grounds. It is certain that such challenges will also come, sooner or later, to Western anti-polygamy laws on the same grounds -- that these laws are against Islam.

Also in the West's future are likely to be Muslims, if they attain majority status in any Western country, agitating for the implementation of dhimmi laws there. After all, they are just as much part of Islamic law as polygamy.

This from AllAfrica.com, with thanks to Nicolei:

Several Muslim leaders in Uganda celebrated the Idd Adha holiday yesterday vowing to disobey a proposed new family law.

Several speakers here - at the headquarters of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council - opposed the Domestic Relations Bill, which proposes, among others, to outlaw polygamy.

Muslim leaders said the proposal violates the Muslim holy book, the Koran, which allows Muslim men to marry up to four women.

One of the speakers, acting Mufti Sheikh Rajab Kakooza, who is also the director of Sharia law, said the DRB contradicts the Koran.

"In Islam we are taught to obey our leaders, but when they are diverting us from the Koran, we have to oppose them and obey Allah," he said.

Kakooza asked politicians to always consult religious leaders over spiritual matters before making laws that could spark off chaos in the country.

Both the Mufti, Sheikh Ramathan Mubajje, and his deputy, Sheikh Twaib Mukuye, are in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage and did not attend the prayers.

Energy minister Syda Bbumba represented government and asked Muslims to pray for peace in Acholi and Lango.

She also reassured the Muslim community about the DRB. "Hajat Janat Mukwaya, who is in charge, is a devoted Muslim and can't sell anything that contradicts Islam," she said.

Mukwaya is the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister.