International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Saturday, November 24, Pastor Tom Palapande and his team of five evangelists were arrested in eastern Uganda. Local Muslims reported to the Ugandan police that the Christians were using the Quran to undermine the prophet Mohammed and people of the Islamic faith.
“The Muslims came in the company of their Sheikhs and disrupted our open-air market preaching as the police watched. We were then arrested and taken to Sironko district police headquarters for questioning.
We were charged with causing public disturbance and inciting violence, offenses [to which] we responded not guilty. The police locked us up from Saturday to Monday so as to investigate the matter,” Pastor Tom told ICC following his release.
He added, “We were not causing any violence. We are evangelists known across eastern Uganda for … answering questions on Islam and Christianity.”
”When the Sheikhs fail to answer questions, they usually turn their disappointment to us because we know how to handle the Quran and the Bible.”
”We also hold public debates with them and they hate us because, through our ministry, many Muslims have converted to Christianity.”
The arrest and resulting detention have not discouraged Pastor Tom from preaching the Gospel. Pastor Tom stated, “We keep doing this because it is a command from our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul and Silas risked their lives for the name of Jesus; so do we. The danger will not keep us quiet because how shall they hear unless someone preaches to them?”