Ashes of Faith

The ''Movementforthe Restoration of the Ten Comrnandments of God'', a Ugandan millenarian cult proclaimed the end of the world on December 31,1999, The cult claimed that Virgin Mary had delivered this message directly to its three leaders: a half-insane failed politician, a defrocked Catholic priest and a former prostitute. When the world failed to end, the disillusioned faithful demanded a refund of property and money generously donated to the cult leadership. Unable to quell the rising tide of unrest, the cult leaders conceived a macabre plan of permanently stifling dissenting voices, on March 17, 2000, the cult led its un'suspecting followers through a baptism of fire. Over 550 men, women and children perished in a fire as they waited for their salvation from a sinful world. Subsequent investigations uncovered a series of mass graves, bringing the total killed to over one thousand - the largest linked to a doomsday cult in recent human history. ''Ashes of faith'' investigates the background of this bizarre millenarian cult and also provides a rare glimpse into the darker world of extreme religieus fanaticism in Africa. Robert Bwire (1962) is a physician living in the Netherlands. He is the author of ''Bugs inArmor'', and has also published numerous scientifie articles, He previously worked for a hospital in Uganda, where hè interacted with fervent Christian millenarians, including some followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.