A prominent Islamic figure commands guests to assault evangelists.

Nairobi, Kenya: An evangelist in eastern Uganda suffered fractured hands and head injuries on September 20 as a result of an attack by a group of individuals claiming to be Muslims. The victim was taken to the hospital right away so that she could receive the necessary medical care.

Alongside fellow evangelist Kefa Mukisa, Robertson Eriot, 41, was doing house tours outside the district’s capital, Busia town. Mukisa said they stopped at Sheikh Kalimu’s Islamic leader’s home in Busia-Kampala at about 4:30 p.m.

Mukisa said that the watchman let them in after they asked for permission to enter the homestead, and they immediately started sharing the gospel with him.

“Sheikh Kalimu, who was inside the house, heard our conversation—he was angered and came out furiously,” Mukisa, 25, told Morning Star News.

“He ordered his boys and other Muslims who had come for Islamic fellowship to come out of the room and to discipline us.”

Mukisa reports that Kalimu yelled, “These are Christians who are out to convert our people to the wrong religion.” Almost immediately after, several people came out of the house, shouting the Islamic phrase, “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater).

Mukisa said the gate was closed, so we jumped over the fence. “I was able to clear the fence and get away. Sadly, Eriot could not get over the fence before he was apprehended.”

Mukisa said he began shouting for help, and local council leaders and neighbors arrived.

“We entered the homestead, and we found Eriot half-dead in a pool of blood,” he said. “We could rush him to the nearby clinic for treatment. Eliot suffered deep head injuries, a fractured left hand, and bruises near the thigh of his right leg. The Muslims hit Eliot with a blunt and sharp object.”

He said they reported the attack to authorities and were waiting for them to act.

Eriot’s wife, who spoke anonymously, said he is still recuperating at a hospital in Busia.

“This is a tough time for me in supporting the family, especially food, and to get money for paying medical charges for my husband in the hospital,” she said, weeping. “I know it will take a long period for my husband to be in the hospital.”

The couple has six children ranging in age from 7 to 19.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

The constitution and other laws guarantee religious freedom in Uganda, including the freedom to convert to or spread one’s religion. Muslims make up only 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.