Woman Beaten, Poisoned by Father and Relatives in Uganda After Converting to Christianity

A woman in eastern Uganda, who recently converted to Christianity, is recovering in the hospital after her Muslim father and family members attacked her and forced her to drink poison.

Hajat Habiiba Namuwaya, 38, fled her home in Namakoko village and sought refuge at her pastor's house after finding out that her father had tracked her down.  

"My mother warned me that the family was planning to kill me," Namuwaya told Morning Star News from her hospital bed. "I shared my fears with the pastor, and the pastor together with his family accepted to host me, and freely I openly shared my new life in Christ with friends on WhatsApp, which landed me in trouble."

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On June 20, she was confronted by her father and angry relatives who began beating her. 

"He started beating and torturing me with a blunt object, inflicting bruises on my back, chest, and legs, and finally forced me to drink poison, which I tried to resist but swallowed a little of it," Namuwaya explained.

Neighbors heard her cries for help and that's when the Muslim relatives left the scene. 

"The pastor was not around when the attackers arrived, but a neighbor telephoned him," Namuwaya said. "He feared to come immediately but later came and found me fighting for my life. I was rushed to the nearby clinic for first aid, and later I was taken to another place for treatment and prayers."

Namuwaya's children, ages 5, 7, and 12, have been with their father, while she continues to heal from her injuries.

"I am restless with continuous pain in my stomach," she said.

And she has not reported the incident to police out of fear that her family will retaliate and make up false charges against her.

Namuwaya found faith in Jesus Christ on Feb. 24 after she was reportedly healed from breast cancer following prayers from her pastor.

Attacks against Christians are not uncommon in this region of Uganda.

CBN News reported last month that a 70-year-old pastor was killed in Uganda after a group of radical Muslims stopped him and his wife on their way home from a market.

Earlier this year, a mob of radical Muslims killed a man in Uganda one week after he converted to Christianity.

And last September, a 13-year-old Christian girl, and her 11-year-old brother were reportedly abducted by a radical Muslim woman and sold to a witch doctor for ritual sacrifice.