Originally published by Morning Star News
Sheikh Hassan Podo, a 28-year-old imam in Kerekerene village in eastern Uganda, missed mosque prayers for three consecutive weeks and was seen entering a church building around noon on March 16.
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He had kept his faith in Christ a secret for three weeks. The young Muslim who saw Podo enter the church building in Katira Sub-County, Budaka District, went straight to Podo’s parents and brothers to report him.
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When Podo arrived at the house that evening, his family interrogated him about where he had spent the better part of the day.
“Without my completing answering them, my brothers immediately began surrounding me, with sticks,” Podo told Morning Star News. “It was difficult to escape. They began shouting, beating and insulting me as an ‘infidel’ and enemy of the Islamic religion.”
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His wife and two children managed to escape to the home of a nearby Christian neighbour, he said.
With sticks and other blunt objects, Podo’s relatives injured his left arm from the shoulder to his fingers, said one of the area residents who found him unconscious. He also sustained a head injury.
“There was a loud cry emanating from Podo’s homestead, raising a big concern from the neighbours who arrived at the scene of attack and helped Podo to escape,” the source said. “He bled as he fled for his life. Later he was found in a pool of blood a kilometre away from the homestead, unconscious.”
They rushed him to a clinic in Katira, and he was discharged after two days and taken to a pastor whose name is withheld for security reasons. His wife and two children later joined him at an undisclosed location.
The pastor said Podo’s father, Mwanamwoiza Juma, has since mobilised a group of Muslims from different mosques “to hunt for the life of his son, declaring a fatwa and disowning him, and giving his land to the brothers for bringing blasphemy into the family. Sheikh Twale and Galami Abdulmutwalibi have been carrying out a series of prayers to curse Podo’s family. But we know the blood of Jesus will protect the family.”
The pastor has been giving Podo discipleship lessons to strengthen the family’s faith in the midst of the ordeal, he said.
Podo put his faith in Christ on February 24 after hearing the message of His saving death and resurrection from another pastor. His wife became a Christian one week later, he said.
Before his conversion, Podo was part of a Muslim extremist group that had attacked the Church of Uganda’s Katira congregation.
“Please family of Christ, our humble request is that we covet prayers for Podo and his young family for God’s healing, medication, protection, provision and to get to a safe haven for the young family,” the pastor said.
The attacks were the latest of many cases of persecution of Christians in eastern 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% of Uganda’s population, but with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
Uganda is a Christian country and if Muslims like to use force here then they should leave Uganda and go to where force is allowed
may the
lord of glory heal you bro. welcome to the way of life
It’s sound stupid to sa Islam is peace. Still sounds strange.
Let the people help him report to the police. This is insane.
No Christian treats someone who converts to another religion in such a manner.Does the god of I slam allow such? I ask my brother to endure.Jesus said,the way is narrow and only a few can go through it.Welcome to life brother
Stronger testimony!!!
i think what they have done is against the constitution of Uganda, therefore the Islam community who hurt him deserve punishment.
the god of Islam likes blood that’s why they are religion of war all the time.
Big shame”gangster’s”Uganda is a country that grantees total freedom of Religion and Worship.Let them go to school to learn this History.
it’s bad….fr wt they did ..bt then he deserves more dan dat…..