MU GIHE cy’Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi Yose yabaye mu mwaka wa 1914, abantu benshi bamenye ko Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bativangaga mu ntambara (Yes 2:2-4; Yoh 18:36; Efe 6:12). Byagendekeye bite abagaragu b’Imana bo mu Bwongereza?

Mu mwaka wa 1916, mu Bwongereza hashyizweho itegeko ryavugaga ko abagabo bose b’ingaragu bafite hagati y’imyaka 18 na 40, bagombaga kujya mu gisirikare. Abo iryo tegeko ryemereraga kutajyayo ni abantu babaga bafite impamvu zishingiye ku “myizerere y’idini cyangwa ku mahame mbwirizamuco.” Leta yashyizeho inkiko zemezaga ababaga bakwiriye gusonerwa, zikanagena urugero basonerwamo.

Mu gihe gito, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bagera kuri 40 bashyizwe muri gereza za gisirikare, kandi abagera ku 8 boherejwe ku rugamba mu Bufaransa. Ako karengane katumye abavandimwe bo mu Bwongereza bandikira Minisitiri w’Intebe witwaga Herbert Asquith ibaruwa yamaganaga icyo gikorwa cyo gufunga abavandimwe, iherekejwe n’indi yari yashyizweho umukono n’abantu 5.500.

Nyuma yaho, haje amakuru yavugaga ko ba bavandimwe umunani bari baroherejwe ku rugamba mu Bufaransa bari baciriwe urubanza rwo kuraswa bazira ko banze kurwana. Ariko igihe abavandimwe bari ku murongo bagiye kuraswa, babahinduriye igihano, babakatira gufungwa imyaka icumi. Babashubije mu Bwongereza, maze bafungirwa muri gereza za gisivili.

Mu gihe iyo ntambara yari irimbanyije, abagabo bashatse na bo bategetswe kujya ku rugamba. Henry Hudson wari Umwigishwa wa Bibiliya w’umuganga ni we wa mbere wajyanywe mu rukiko i Manchester, mu Bwongereza. Ku itariki ya 3 Kanama 1916, urukiko rwavuze ko atari afite uburenganzira bwo kwanga kujya mu gisirikare, rumuca amafaranga, kandi ashyikirizwa abasirikare. Icyo gihe, mu mugi wa Edinburgh muri Écosse, haburanishijwe urundi rubanza. Urukiko rwasanze James Frederick Scott, umukoruporuteri wari ufite imyaka 25, adahamwa n’icyaha. Umushinjacyaha yarajuriye, ariko aza kureka urwo rubanza bitewe n’urundi rwaburanishwaga i Londres. Icyo gihe bwo, urukiko rwavuze ko umuvandimwe Herbert Kipps yahamwaga n’icyaha, maze acibwa amafaranga kandi ashyikirizwa abasirikare.

Muri Nzeri 1916, abavandimwe 264 bari barasabye gusonerwa imirimo ya gisirikare. Muri abo bose, 5 barasonewe, 154 basabwa gukora imirimo y’ingufu yari ifitiye igihugu akamaro, 23 bahabwa imirimo ya gisirikare idafitanye isano no kurwana, 82 bashyikirizwa abasirikare, maze bamwe muri bo bacirwa urubanza, hanyuma barafungwa bazira ko banze kumvira. Abantu benshi bamaganye ibyo bikorwa by’ubugome abo bavandimwe bakorewe, maze leta ibavana muri gereza ya gisirikare ibajyana mu bigo byakorerwagamo imirimo ya gisivili.

 Edgar Clay na Pryce Hughes bakoze ku rugomero rw’amazi rwari muri Pays de Galles. Nyuma yaho, Pryce Hughes yaje guhagararira ibiro by’ishami byo mu Bwongereza. Naho uwitwa Herbert Senior, umwe muri ba bandi umunani bari baravanywe mu Bufaransa, yoherejwe muri gereza ya Wakefield, mu ntara ya Yorkshire. Abandi bo bakoraga imirimo y’ingufu bafungiwe muri gereza ya Dartmoor, bari mu mimerere mibi cyane. Iyo gereza ni yo yari ifungiwemo abantu benshi banze kujya mu gisirikare bitewe n’umutimanama wabo.

Frank Platt, Umwigishwa wa Bibiliya wari waremeye gukora imirimo idafitanye isano no kujya ku rugamba, yaratotejwe bikabije igihe yategekwaga kujya ku rugamba akabyanga. Atkinson Padgett wize ukuri nyuma gato y’aho ashyiriwe ku rutonde rw’abagombaga kujya mu gisirikare, na we yakorewe ibikorwa by’ubugome n’abasirikare bakuru bitewe n’uko yari yanze kujya ku rugamba.

Nubwo abavandimwe bacu b’icyo gihe batari basobanukiwe neza ibyo kutabogama kwa gikristo, bashakaga gushimisha Yehova Imana. Abavuzwe amazina muri iyi ngingo batanze urugero ruhebuje mu birebana no kutivanga, cyane cyane muri icyo gihe cyari kigoye cy’“isaha yo kugeragezwa” (Ibyah 3:10).—Byavuye mu bubiko bwacu mu Bwongereza.