A woman in central Uganda who accepted Christ at a church service on May 29 was killed later that day when her father stabbed her in the eyes for leaving Islam, sources said.

After having several dreams about Christ, 28-year-old Hawa Amoti of Nansana, Wakiso District visited a Christian neighbor early on the morning of May 29, said the neighbor, unidentified for security reasons.

"Amoti came to our home very early in the morning and needed to know more of Issa [Jesus], whom she had seen in a dream," he said. "After explaining to her about eternal life and forgiveness of sin that comes from Jesus who came to take away the sins of the whole world, she willingly accepted Jesus for the salvation of her soul. I then prayed for her, and then together we went to church in Nansana."

After the church service, Amoti joined the neighbor's family for lunch at his home and stayed until about 5:45 p.m., when she left for her home, he said.

Her father, Haji Shariifu Agaba, and brothers had already learned that she had been seen worshipping Christ at church when she arrived outside their home, one of her siblings said. Agaba ordered his sons to seize and beat her, then took a sharp knife and pierced her eyes, said a brother of Amoti who tried to defend her.

"I want to remove these eyes so that you stop seeing churches forever - even if you die, we are not going to bury you," Agaba told her, according to the brother, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Amoti's wailing and screaming drew neighbors who rushed over to rescue her, the Christian neighbor said. As more members of the community arrived, Agaba and his sons went inside their house.

Neighbors arranged for a vehicle to rush Amoti to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to profuse bleeding from her eye injuries, sources said.

Community leaders in Nansana condemned the attack and vowed to arrest and charge Agaba, they said.

Church members buried Amoti's body in Luwero District.

MUSLIM EXTREMIST SENTENCED
In Mukono District, also in central Uganda, a Mukono High Court judge on May 26 sentenced a Muslim extremist to life in prison for killing at least two Christians, sources said.

Justice Mutonyi Margaret handed the sentence to Alias Mohammed Wamala for killing two Christian converts from Islam, Zulaikha Mirembe and another identified only as Nansamba, in 2017. Several witnesses testified against Wamala, who confessed to killing Mirembe, Nansamba and others, area Christians said.

"In 2017 the accused confessed to having killed Zulaikha Mirembe and several other Christians to fulfill what was written in the Koran about supporting the cause of Allah by killing infidels," an area pastor told Morning Star News.

Justice Margaret handed Wamala the maximum sentence for the killings.

"This will set an example for all those who might want to engage in such a criminal acts in the future," he said.

During the trial, Wamala and other Muslims were accused of ritual killings as part of an occult practice that involved a shrine where the bodies were buried, area Christian said.

Police arrested Wamala and five other Muslims in 2017 after Nansamba's body was found in Kisoga village, Kayunga District, along with the bodies of four others whose names were not disclosed. Three other suspects, Vincent Paul, Isa Walakira and Jamiru Kimbugwe, were still under investigation, sources said.

Wamala's lawyer, Emmanuel Turyomwe, had asked for lenient sentences to run concurrently, saying his client was remorseful, but the judge agreed with the state's request for life imprisonment.

The attacks in central Uganda were some of the many instances of persecution of Christians in the country 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.

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