Harriet Nanzala rests alongside her daughter in eastern Uganda. (Morning Star News).
Security officials in Kasasira subcounty, Kibuku district in the Bukedi Sub-Region of eastern Uganda have detained a man for attacking his sister who is also a mother of two, with a knife and spear after discovering she was a Christian.
According to a report by U.S.-based persecution watchdog Morning Star News (MSN), the victim, Harriet Nanzala had kept her new found faith in Christ a secret for more than 20 years, but her Muslim brother, Kowa Mugooda, became suspicious on 6 August, 2021.
In attempts to prove whether she was actually Christian, Mugooda kept questioning his sister for several days. This went on, until he found her reading the Bible.
“My brother found me reading the Bible and began questioning me, whether I had converted to Christianity,” Nanzala recalled. “I kept quiet, and he left, shaking his head in disbelief.”
He showed up at her home on 8 August, 2021 at 10 a.m. with a knife and a long spear shouting the jihadist slogan, “Allahu Akbar [Allah is Greater],” she explained.
“He began destroying part of the door. I started running away to save my life,” she stated. “My brother followed me as I continued shouting for help, but unfortunately he hit me with the sharp knife on my leg.”
Neighbors soon arrived, including the area chairperson, who called police. They responded quickly and rescued her, according to MSN. As police took Mugooda away, he reportedly shouted that he would attack again.
“After my release, I will kill Harriet for renouncing Islam, the religion of Allah,” Mugooda said, according to security officials that spoke to MSN.
Mugooda has since been charged with the offence of threatening violence. It should be noted that 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.
“We are now living in great fear of attack if my brother is released on bail,” Nanzala said. “We need prayer.”
Nanzala part ways with her Muslim husband after converting, and lives with her two daughters while caring for her aging mother.
