A Christian teacher from Uganda was threatened with death and beaten until he lost consciousness by Muslim residents from his village who were angry about how he turned his back on Islam to embrace Christianity.
Malik Higenyi, 30, of Bufuja village, Butaleja District in the eastern part of the African nation first received anonymous text messages threatening him and his family with death, the persecution watchdog Morning Star News reported.
"Be informed that you risk your life and that of [your] entire family if you happen to come back to your house," one of the anonymous text messages read. "We curse you and your family. You are an apostate according to Islamic law, and you deserve to die."
This happened after Higenyi, along with his wife and two children, secretly converted from Islam to Christianity last April. He made an open confession of faith at his church last month, news of which immediately reached a mosque in nearby Lubanga village. The Muslims have reportedly long been planning ways on how to punish the Christian convert.
Two weeks ago, the threats became real. On his way to his house, Higenyi was attacked by three people, who shouted that he is "a disgrace to the Muslim fraternity of Lubanga mosque."
"The attackers hit me with a blunt object, and I fell down and did not know what happened from there," he recalled. "I just found myself at Bufuja health centre."
The Christian teacher sustained injuries on his head and his right hand from the attack. He also learned that his maize crops have been destroyed.
Following this brazen attack, Higenyi and his family have become homeless because they fear they would be killed if they return to their house. Because they have also been ostracised by their relatives since they converted to Christianity, they have to take refuge at an undisclosed location.
