A mosque leader sent men to rape three female relatives of a church pastor in western Uganda because the imam’s wife put her faith in Christ.
The imam also sent a Muslim to the church’s worship services in the Kasese area to gather information for a future attack and on 10 March, sent a threatening message to the pastor.
The 16 February rapes in Musasa village, Kasese District, of the pastor’s relatives, ages 19, 17 and 16, came two days after imam Caled Bwambale Hussein of Kasese municipality learned of the conversion of his wife, Mariam Mbambu.
Source: Morning Star News
According to church members, they learned of the imam’s orders from a Muslim sent to their worship services to help plan an attack on the church. Mbambu put her faith in Christ on 30 January and was baptised soon after.
“When my husband interrogated me about being a Christian, I refused to answer him,” Mbambu said. “Soon a Christian neighbour told me that my husband was out to kill me, hence I should escape with my children. That particular day in the evening hours, I escaped with my five children. I am thankful that the church received us.”
The following two Sundays, a stranger visited the services of All Saints Cathedral, Church of Uganda in Kasese, raising the suspicions of a church member who questioned him about his Christian affiliations.
“The visitor failed to respond, which led me to draw the attention of the pastor and church elders to him,” said the church member, whose name is withheld for security reasons. “The church leaders surrounded the stranger, known as Ali Masereka, who feared the possibility of mob justice by the members of the church. He pleaded for mercy and revealed that he had been sent on a mission by an imam of Kasese masjid [mosque] to inflict suffering on the Christians for the conversion of his wife to Christianity together with his five children.”
Masereka confessed that the imam had sent the men to rape the pastor’s relatives, according to the pastor, the Rev Nelson Walina.
“He also said that he had been sent on a fact-finding mission to find out the whereabouts of his [imam’s] wife and children,” Pastor Walina said.
Masereka said his fact-finding mission was to help the imam prepare an attack on the church, church members said. Imam Hussein paid a total of 3 million Ugandan shillings ($1,100) to 13 teenage Muslims to attack the church, according to church leaders citing Masereka.
Church members reported Masereka to police, who arrested him on 29 February, the church source said. The rape of Pastor Walina’s relatives was intended to cause shame and fear in the church and its leader, the church member said.
On Wednesday 10 March Pastor Walina received a threatening text message from Imam Hussein, he said, which read:
“I am giving you two weeks to send back my wife and children to me. If not, we are going to teach you a lesson that will make you regret for the rest of your life. Your church also stands at a high risk.”
“I do not know what they are planning to do,” Pastor Walina said. “We need prayers. I have reported the threats to the police who recently arrested Masereka. One thing that is clear to us as a church is that we are not going to reveal the whereabouts of our hiding sister, because we know that they are out to kill her and the children.”
He has received other threatening messages from people unknown to him, he said.
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 eastern areas of the country.
Let us pray.
- Ask the Lord to heal the three young women of the trauma they have suffered. Pray they will in no way be shamed by what they have suffered but receive kindness, love and care. Pray they will obtain justice.
- Pray for wisdom for Pastor Walina and his church members. Ask for the Lord’s protection to be upon them. Pray too the Lord would continue to shield and to nurture Mariam and her children.
- Pray those responsible for the threats and attacks would know the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness and new life offered by Jesus.
Holy spirit,convict the imam,rapists and the other spy sent into church of kasese, of sin,righteousness and judgment, and draw to Jesus Christ for salvation.Heal the wounds of the hurt relatives of the pastor,protect the endangered, let justice prevail.
Almighty Father
You are sovereign over all. We thank You and praise You for Your Word which reminds us that Your eyes are over the righteous and Your ears are attentive to their prayers.
Hear our prayers Dear Lord, and those of Your children in Kasese. Reassure our brothers and sisters there, that they are not alone in this spiritual battle, but that we stand firm with them on the truth of Your Word. Please comfort and heal these young women who have suffered and keep Mariam and her children safe. Protect Pastor Walina and this church family, and guide them to know how to move forward. Help them to encourage one another.
We pray for the persecutors that they will come to know that You alone are God. May justice be done and may they one day, turn away from their wicked plans, seek your forgiveness and humbly bow before you as their Lord. May Masereka be among those who come to Christ.
I commit to praying for my beautiful brothers and sisters , strength, protection, justice , spiritual growth .
We can not imagine being this full of hate for the christian God, that you would send people to rape women, just because they are christian. Again how can the muslim religion be a religion of peace, if they are so willing to carry out these sorts of crimes and others and attack christians simply for being christian. Our heart goes out to these women.
Lord please heal them of the trauma inflicted upon them, as you have healed us of the trauma of being raped in the cult. Lord bring along side of them, people willing to help them and be a source of love and comfort to them in their time of need. Lord please protect Pastor Walina and his church and give them all your wisdom, strength ,courage and power, when they are dealing with the enemy. Lord Yeshua please convict these men responsible for these horrific crimes and sins, so they can repent, be saved and sin no more.
In your precious name we pray.
Father in heaven, you are the God of justice and healing and restoration and revival. Pour out your Holy Spirit on each of these our brothers and sisters who have been so terribly assaulted and harassed and threatened by the Imran. We ask you to heal the three young women of the trauma they have suffered and pray they will in no way be shamed by what they have suffered but receive kindness, love and care. May they indeed know the fulfilment of your promises that those who are so persecuted because of the name of Christ will be blessed. We pray for justice. We pray for wisdom for Pastor Walina and his church members, asking for the Lord’s protection to be upon them. We beg too Lord, that you might continue to shield and to nurture Mariam and her children. We do pray for those responsible for the threats and attacks that they might know the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness and new life offered by Jesus. Have mercy Lord Jesus, have mercy on your children. Soli Deo gloria