Uganda convert attacked with acid

By Aloma Arias –

In the 12th attempt on his life, Umar Mulinde got acid splashed on his face. The attackers shouted “Allahu akbar.” Converted from Islam, Mulinde was a pastor in Uganda.

“Acid causes the skin tissue to melt, often exposing the bones below the flesh, sometimes even dissolving them,” Umar explains. “It was on Dec. 24, 2011, as I was walking out of my church in Kampala, I was going to enter the car, people came and poured acid on my face.”

He survived the attack, thanks to reconstructive surgeries in Israel, and continues to minister in Uganda with an escort of security personnel, which makes him bristle: “I don’t like it because I’m not a politician but what to do? It’s imposed on us.”

Umar Mulinde was born into a staunch Muslim family. His grandfather had been an imam.

One day, he heard a preacher compare verses from the Koran with verses from the Bible and concluded that Jesus was the way. Nevertheless, because of family entanglements and ingrained ideas, he found it difficult to leave Islam.

He had a dream. He was in shackles in flames. A man in white robes with a shining face told him, “Your salvation is ready. Islam is leading you to this torture. Repent, become a Christian, you shall survive.”

He woke up in a sweat and prayed – his accustomed Muslim repetitions. He fell back asleep and dreamed the same again.

Next he consulted his grandfather, who said maybe “Christian spirits” were attacking him and to pray in Islam against them. It didn’t work. He slept and dreamed again.

Frightened, he awoke and remembered the Christian preacher had said that prayers in the name of Jesus get answered. He prayed to no longer have the dream and tacked on, for the first time in his life, the phrase, “in the name of Jesus.”

“I slept like a baby,” he tells.

Uganda is 82% Christians, but the Muslims, backed by international actors, feel empowered, he says. His family rejected him. 

“One of the greatest sins in Islam is to deny the faith and to convert to another religion.” says Umar. “Someone who turns his back on Islam is considered to be a traitor, having committed the sin of apostasy, which, according to Islamic Sharia law, must be punished by death.”

Through the years, 11 assasination attempts were made against him. The 12th nearly did the trick.

Miraculously, Umar survived.

He was rushed to the hospital, flown to India, then to Israel, where they restored his face with skin grafts.

Umar remains undaunted. He continues his mission to preach Jesus.

At the same time, he’s warning the West about the true dangers of Islam. Liberal politicians, who embrace multiculturalism, are turning a blind eye on the acts of violence done in the past in the present in the name of Islam. His case was “lost” by the police, his attackers have not been arrested.

“Unfortunately, due to misinformation aired by biased media and some politicians who purpose to defend their lies, there is a kind of unawareness among many,” Umar says. “This is a defining challenge of our times. Christians and all peace-loving citizens of the world should not sit back and ignore the gruesome stories revealing beheading of Christians, executions, imprisonments and torture, which are becoming daily life in many parts of the world.”

As many stand up for their rights, Christians need to fight for the right of others around the world to exercise their conscious and follow the religion of their choosing freely, he says.

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