JERUSALEM (JTA) — An evangelical pastor from Uganda who recently began preaching support for Israel, is being treated in an Israeli hospital after an acid attack.
Pastor Umar Mulinde, 38, arrived in Israel on Jan. 5 for emergency medical treatment at Tel Aviv’s Sheba Medical Center following an acid attack that severely burned his face and torso and damaged his right eye.
The attackers shouted “Allah Akbar” (God is great) after pouring acid on Mulinde on Dec. 24 in Kampala. Mulinde converted to Christianity after spending much of his life as a Muslim.
After determining that he needed more advanced treatment for his injuries than the hospital in Kampala could provide, Mulinde contacted JerusalemOnlineU.com Executive Director Andrea Gottlieb of Philadelphia for financial and logistical help.
Mulinde had learned about Israel through JerusalemOnlineU.com, an online portal for Jewish distance learning. He then taught the courses at his Gospel Life Church International and to neighboring ministers, and organized a 5,000-person teach-in about Israel at a local stadium.
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