He was raised in a family that practices a form of fetish worship common in Burkina Faso. As the eldest son in his family, Simon was expected to lead the burial ceremony following the recent death of his father. As a Christian, Simon did not want to lead or participate in the animal sacrifices typically required in these traditional services. Still, he wanted to help bury his father. When he arrived at the funeral, his family and village would not allow him to participate and started beating Simon’s wife. She escaped into the bush with their child, but Simon was beaten unconscious. He is still in a coma at a local hospital, and the whereabouts of his wife and child remain unknown.

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