“My children became my inspiration because of their unwavering commitment to Christ and readiness to overcome any obstacles in the way. Being a Muslim family, my husband’s relatives joined in fighting us even to the extent of abusing my children whenever they met with them.” Dorika told ICC.

“One evening,” shared Dorika, “my husband beat us up and threatened to butcher us the following day if we continued professing the Christian faith. That very night, he chased us away. We packed a few belongings and left the place we called home to Kasese, not knowing how we would get there or where we would be staying.”

Dorika and her four children were taken in by a pastor from the All-Saints Church of Uganda, Kasese, who offered them a small rented room where they could stay. However, this did not stop her husband from pursuing his family with the intent to kill them. “He used to send Muslim sheikhs who pledged to hunt me down and poison me, but the Lord protected us. We have since changed our names and it is hard for anyone to identify us now.”

Dorika proclaimed, “Although life has not been easy after converting to Christianity, we are determined to finish the race and keep the faith.”

Though the majority of people in Uganda are Christian, there is still a very active Sunni Muslim population as well. They make up approximately 14% of Uganda’s population. The biggest problem is that people who convert to from Islam to Christianity often face similar persecution from relatives like Dorika did. This same extremist Muslim population has also attacked churches, pastors, and other Christian families in the past.

For interviews with Nathan Johnson, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org