A 15-year-old girl in Uganda has reportedly died after being assaulted by her imam father for converting to Christianity while her younger sister, who suffered the same ordeal, remains traumatised after learning of her sister's death.
In a report by Morning Star News, the girl, identified as Namugonya Jamirah, attended a five-day evangelistic meeting where she and her sister embraced Christianity. When their father, Imam Abudalah Ali learned of this, he allegedly assembled a group of Muslim men to attack the Christians attending the campaign.
However, the Christians already finished with the event when the group arrived so Ali waited for his daughters to come home at which point Morning Star reports he proceeded to beat them using a club.
Jamirah reportedly died from the incident but her 12-year-old sister Naigaga Saidah managed to escape when her father was trying to look for water to splash the older sister back to consciousness.
The bloodied Jamirah sought refuge from a pastor, who returned to Ali's house the following day only to learn that the older sister had died from her injuries.
The imam was arrested but was released on bail after his wife and sons supported his claim that Jamirah perished from a motorcycle accident.
Saidah only learned of her sister's death after the pastor was able to move her to a safer location upon learning that Ali was apparently determined to kill his surviving daughter too.
"My father took us to the house and then locked the house. He questioned us why we attended a Christian meeting and started beating us up with a club. My sister was hit on the forehead and fell down. I tried to hide myself in the bed, but he got me out and began beating me up as my sister lay down bleeding," Saidah recounted in an interview.
The girl was treated for two weeks in a medical facility and has since been disowned by her father for leaving Islam, according to Morning Star.
"Saidah has been traumatised, is still limping and she is in a need of the prayers, counselling, medical support, and school fees, because she is going to primary seventh grade this year," their local chairman said.
