A 39-year-old man in eastern Uganda who recently put his faith in Christ is still recovering from a machete blow to his head by a Muslim relative in late June, sources said.
Abudlawali Kijwalo, who comes from family of devoted sheikhs and hajjis (pilgrims to Mecca), was grazing his cattle on June 27 in Nankodo, Kibuku District when his brother, Musoga Murishid, confronted him, Kijwalo said.
Family members had warned Kijwalo against listening to gospel music or claiming that Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior. Kijwalo told Morning Star News he had been listening to a Christian radio station earlier that day.
“Are you still a Muslim, or you are now a Christian?” Murishid asked him, according to Kijwalo.
“I am for Christ,” Kijwalo told him.
His brother revealed a machete that had been strapped beneath his long robe and struck him on the head, sending Kijwalo sprawling and screaming, the Christian said. As he bled heavily, Murishid walked away, likely thinking he had killed him, Kijwalo said.
A village elder who witnessed the attack got some health workers and rushed to attend to him, Kijwalo said. They transported him by motorcycle to medical facility in nearby Kasasira town where a highly respected doctor treated him.
The doctor said that Kijwalo will survive but needs rest and more treatment. Kijwalo, who lacks money for medical bills and food, has taken refuge at an undisclosed site.
The assault 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 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.