Pastor and family burned to death in Uganda after leading Muslims to faith in Christ 

Christians in nations with Muslim populations continue to be aggressively persecuted and killed for sharing their faith with others.

One of the latest is a pastor and his family in eastern Uganda, who were burned to death by Islamists after the pastor led three Muslims to faith in Christ. 

As reported by Morning Star News, a website that monitors Christian persecution, 30-year-old pastor Weere Mukisa, his 25-year-old wife and their two daughters, ages seven and four, were killed when Muslims in the eastern Uganda village of Kibale attacked and set fire to the family’s home in the early morning hours of October 13. The murders allegedly happened in retaliation for Mukisa leading three Muslims to faith in September. 

According to Mukisa’s brother, James Tusubira, the young pastor began to be harassed by local Muslims shortly after meeting with the new converts. “When the three young Muslims converted to Christ, my brother started receiving threatening messages that he should stop any contact with the three young converts, and that the act committed is against (the) teaching of Islam to not join the religion of infidels,” Tusubira said to Morning Star News. 

Tusubira said he and others saw flames rising from his brothers home and found the bodies of the family burned beyond recognition. “Please pray for us so that these radical Muslims who destroyed my brother and the entire family can be brought to (justice),” Tusubira said. 

While up to 85% of Ugandans identify as Christians, violence against believers has been increasing in eastern Uganda and other areas of the nation where there is a Muslim majority. In August, a Ugandan Christian evangelist died after leading a group of Muslims to Christ. As reported by CBN News, 52-year-old Yowabu Sebakaki “was allegedly killed by Muslim extremists while returning home on a bike to a village in Nyanza.”

Sebakaki had earlier been warned by Muslim in the area to cease preaching the gospel and meeting with Muslim converts. “We are aware of some secret meeting you are undertaking,” one threatening message read. “You have to stop preaching as well as converting our faithful Muslims to Christianity, and if not, then soon we are coming for your life.” 

On Aug. 19, after leading a discipleship meeting for new converts in a fellow Christian’s house, Sebakaki was on his way home when he was attacked by a group of villagers with swords and died of his wounds on the way to a hospital. 

According to witnesses, one of the attackers shouted, “Your time has come,” and “Pray hard if your God will save you. You have been deceiving people about life after death given by Issa [Jesus].” 

According to Voice of the Martyrs, even though Uganda is a majority Christian nation, Muslim extremists are hard at work fomenting persecution and violence against Christians who evangelize the Muslim population, as well as against Muslims who convert to Christianity.  

“Radical Islam’s influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority Muslim border regions are facing severe persecution, especially those who convert from Islam,” the persecution watchdog group explains. “Despite the risks, many churches in Uganda have responded by reaching out to their neighbors. Many churches are training leaders how to share the gospel with Muslims and care for those who are persecuted after they become Christians.”