Supplied by Partner News Agency.
Relatives of a man in eastern Uganda chopped off his hands after he converted from Islam to Christianity.
Kalegeya Faruku, 40, has been recovering from severe injuries after being maimed in the attack at his family home in Jinja.
“I gave my life to Jesus in early March, and my family members were not happy,” Faruku told a Morning Star News contact. “They became very angry and started sending me threatening messages about taking my life.”
Faruku said he returned home briefly on the evening of April 17 to collect personal belongings before relocating to a safer place. He had intended to travel to Busembatia Town Council in Bugweri District, where a friend who had shared the Gospel with him resides. But relatives ambushed him upon his arrival, he said.
“I found my brothers waiting for me, as if they had been informed,” Faruku said. “My elder brother approached me and pretended to ask about my whereabouts. Suddenly, he grabbed me, and others surrounded me.”
They took him into the house and cut off his hands while reciting Islamic scripture, he said. Morning Star News has seen photos of his severed limbs. The relatives later transported him about 5 kilometers (just over 3 miles) away and abandoned him near a crossroads, severely injured, Faruku said.
“I thank God that a stranger found me and raised an alarm,” he added. “People came and rushed me to a nearby clinic for medical attention.”
He was receiving medical treatment at a medical facility whose name is being withheld for security reasons.
An assistant pastor at an Evangelical church in the district said Faruku had been attending worship services there. The names of the church and assistant pastor are also being withheld for security reasons.
Faruku is still undergoing treatment at the medical facility.
His father, Lubega Issa, justified the attack by saying, “That is what Sharia [Islamic law] instructs us to do to those who deny the religion of Allah,” according to the assistant pastor.
Police had not released a statement about the incident as of this report, and it remained unclear whether any arrests had been made.
Christian community members and leaders have called for a thorough investigation and renewed emphasis on peaceful coexistence and freedom of belief.
The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in 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, with high concentrations in the country’s eastern regions.
