An angry Muslim mob slaughtered pigs owned by Christians and razed their church building in a village in Uganda last week, the Morning Star News reports.
The irate Muslims destroyed the building of the 450-member Nalugondo Church of Uganda on April 12 two days after killing all the pigs owned by a church lay leader. The pigs were the primary source of income of Samuel Kijali, the church lay leader.
"We cannot live together with neighbours who are infidels. We have to fight for the cause of Allah," the Muslims shouted as they torched the building, said sources in Nalugondo village, 93 miles east of the capital Kampala.
With their church now in ruins, the 450 members of the congregation are left to pray in the open even as the rainy season approaches, a church leader said. Among the church property destroyed were musical instruments, more than 500 plastic chairs and other furniture, he added.
Kijali said before the Muslims came to his farm, he received text messages on his phone saying that he and other Christians in the village must stop raising pigs.
A few weeks later, a group of Muslims led by a certain Kambo Daudo barged into Kijali's farm and killed all his swine.
Kijali then received a text message on his phone, saying: "Let this be known to your church members that pigs are extremely unholy and an abomination before Allah, very outrageous and shameful. They are haram [forbidden] and unlawful as our holy Quran does prohibit them."
The Muslims also sent a text message to church member Kamaala Yokosani, warning him: "We are soon coming for the heads of your pigs."
Acting on their threat, they went to Yokosani's farm on April 5 and butchered all his pigs, sources said.
Although about 85 percent of the people in Uganda are Christian and only 11 percent Muslim, some areas in the east having large Muslim populations, according to Christian News. In Nalugondo village, Muslims outnumber Christians.
"It is quite difficult to resist these militant Muslims, because they have outnumbered us Christians and are accusing us that we are defiling their faith," Kijali said.
