Safina’s brave courage and faith in the Lord sustained her when her Muslim family denounced her and threw her out of the house at 14 years old. COURTESY PHOTO.
In 2017, at 13, Safina left Islam and received Christ as her personal Lord and Savior after miraculous healing.
Disapproving of their daughter’s newfound faith, Safina’s Muslim parents kicked her out of the family home. In the following years, she bounced around the homes of extended family members who also met her with threats and violence.
Eventually, Safina connected with a social worker and her pastor’s husband, who could take care of her. Following the pandemic lockdowns, this family was struggling financially because they relied on the support of their Church which was no longer able to meet. Still, they wanted to support Safina during her time of need.
International Christian Concern (ICC), a US-based nonprofit interdenominational organization supporting the persecuted church globally through a three-pronged approach of advocacy, awareness, and assistance, issued a statement on 24th January, 2023, saying the now 17-year-old will receive a scholarship through the support of ICC’s sponsors.
“Safina’s brave courage and faith in the Lord sustained her when her Muslim family denounced her and threw her out of the house at 14 years old,” ICC said. “We are so thankful to be a part of her story.”
“She is now 17 and headed off to college to pursue her dreams of becoming a lawyer,” the organisation added.
ICC has over the years shared reports of anti-Christian violence in Uganda, among other countries
Although over 80% of Uganda’s population subscribes to the Christian faith, radical Islam’s influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority-Muslim border regions, especially the eastern part, are facing severe persecution for converting from Islam.
According to The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend the human rights of persecuted Christians, Christian converts from Islam face pressure from family members and harassment in Muslim communities within the country.
“Several young people who leave Islam for Christ have been severely beaten and injured by parents or community members. Pastors and churches have been attacked, and some converts have been killed after their faith became known,” VOM said.
