A 25-year-old pastor in eastern Uganda was murdered hours after taking part in a public Christian-Muslim interfaith debate in which two Muslim women reportedly converted to Christianity.
Pastor Bernard Mulongo of New Restoration Church of Christ in Butebo District traveled to Mbale for an open-air dialogue. Christian Post reports that, according to witnesses, Mulongo’s arguments movedparts of the crowd. Two prominent Muslim women publicly converted during the event.
Imam Hassan Musa, who participated in the debate, grew angry afterward. Omala said Musa confronted Mulongo and told him: 
“Bernard, you deserve death for blasphemous deeds and leading our people to that false religion. It is not right for you to use the holy book, Quran, to mislead our members.”
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Musa allegedly made further comments encouraging violence against Christians.
Later that evening, Mulongo was on a local radio program. After the broadcast, he left the radio station in Mbale on a motorcycle with a friend, Robert Mukisa, heading toward their lodging. About nine miles outside Mbale, near Jami village, several men on motorcycles overtook them and blocked the road.
The report says that one of the attackers reportedly shouted that Mulongo had been “misleading our people to join your bad religion and defiling our holy book.” Mukisa escaped and later contacted police and church leaders. Mulongo was found dead with multiple injuries to his head, chest, back, and hand.
At the time of this writing, the police have opened a murder investigation. However, no arrests have been made. Imam Hassan Musa who reportedly threatened Mulongo at the debate is considered a key suspect.
Uganda’s constitution formally protects religious freedom, including the right to convert and to propagate one’s faith. Muslims make up roughly 12% or less of the population, with higher concentrations in eastern regions.
Mulongo is survived by his wife and two young children (ages 4 and 7). His body was released to the family for burial in Petete village, Butebo District.
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