Pastor Slain for Refusing to Remove Church Building

Location of Namutumba District, Uganda. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Jarry1250, NordNordWest, Creative Commons)

Location of Namutumba District, Uganda. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Jarry1250, NordNordWest, Creative Commons)

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – Saying a church pastor would “face the wrath from Allah” for refusing to remove his church building, Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda on Oct. 26 killed him on his animals’ grazing fields, sources said.

Pastor Stephen Lugwire of Bunangwe estate in the predominantly Muslim area of Nangonde, Namutumba District, had gone to his fields with his 23-year-old daughter at about 6:30 p.m. when he was killed, she said. He was 58.

While Pastor Lugwire was untying his sheep from a tree trunk, three men dressed in Islamic attire shouted at them in a language unknown to her, said his daughter, Brenda Lugwire. They were brandishing long knives and blunt objects, and one yelled that Pastor Lugwire was a “kafir,” or infidel, who had harmed the religion of Allah, she said.

Lugwire said that as they approached, one told her father, “We have told you to remove the church which is near our mosque, but you have not heeded our message. Today you will face the wrath from Allah.”

Pastor Lugwire’s congregation has worshipped at the building for two years.

“There and then one of the assailants hit my dad with a big stick on the head, and he fell down,” Lugwire said, adding that she saw another one slashing him with a knife as she fled, terrified.

She told her family of the attack, and they reported it to police. Officers, local council leaders and family members arrived at the site early the next day and found the body with deep cuts in the neck and chest.

  • Connect with Christian News

The police and the others learned the suspects had gone to the house of a wealthy Muslim woman identified only as Shamimu, and she was arrested, relatives said.

They said Shamimu told police, “The servants of Allah entered my house in order to remove the clothes which they were wearing, because they were soaked in blood, and said that they had killed an infidel, hence Allah will reward them as they were following the footsteps of their prophet. Furthermore, the pastor didn’t honor Allah by refusing to demolish the church which was close to the mosque, along with his activities of winning their members to Christianity.”

The assailants had fled before the police and others arrived. Police have arrested Shamimu and were continuing to search for the assailants, relatives said.

Pastor Lugwire is survived by his wife, a son and seven daughters.

A church member, Fred Mukisa Ndyeki, said that congregation members reported the killing to the area chairperson, a Muslim, and were angered when he did not take it seriously. Two days after church members held an Oct. 30 funeral for Pastor Lugwire, they destroyed the area mosque and other Muslims’ properties, further worsening local tensions, a local official said.

“Had it not been for the intervention of the police and the local leaders, the whole village could have been on fire,” the area official said on condition of anonymity.

The murder 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.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

###

© 2021 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org 

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact editor@morningstarnews.org; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 728 A Kodiak St., Eielson AFB, AK 99702, USA.

The post Pastor Slain for Refusing to Remove Church Building appeared first on Morningstar News.


Become a Christian News Network Supporter...

Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed. May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email