Recently in Ethiopia Category

"Tensions" are increasing solely because of the actions of one side, of course. "Muslims in Christian-dominated Ethiopia rally on Fridays as tensions rise and arrests increase," from the Associated Press, November 2:

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – As midday prayers came to an end at the Grand Anwar mosque in Ethiopia's capital, worshippers continued on to what has become a regular second act on Fridays — shouting anti-government slogans.

The demonstrations this Friday did not turn violent. But tensions are rising between the government in this mostly Christian country and Muslim worshippers. On Monday, federal prosecutors charged a group of 29 Muslims with terrorism and working to establish an Islamic republic.

Not all encounters between police and the protesters have been peaceful. In July, hundreds were arrested after a scuffle in the mosque that injured many and damaged property, including city buses.

Religious violence outside the capital has killed eight and wounded about a dozen this year in two incidents, including one last month when protesters tried to free jailed Muslim leaders in the Amhara region. Protests first erupted in December after the state, wary of Islamist extremists, wanted to change the leadership of a religious school in the capital.

The government also expelled two Arabs in May after the pair flew in from Middle East and disseminated pamphlets at the Anwar mosque. Two-thirds of Ethiopians are Christians; the rest are Muslims.

Ethiopia's former leader, Meles Zenawi, before he died in August expressed concern over rising fundamentalism he said was evident by the first discovery of an al-Qaida cell in the country. A federal court is scheduled to rule Monday in the case of 11 people charged with being members of al-Qaida. One Kenyan national has already pleaded guilty....

“A certain imam, an Islamic fundamentalist, had been trying to instigate jihad...” How is it that an imam, a man who had devoted his life to understanding the Religion of Peace, could misunderstand it so spectacularly as to think that jihad called for violence, and his followers could similarly misunderstand it enough to believe that rampaging and murder would be appropriate responses to the arrest of this imam who was apparently calling for...rampaging and murder? Why is it the so many Muslims misunderstand Islam in this same way, the same way that greasy Islamophobes do? Why is it that no one in the mainstream media, government or law enforcement is asking questions like these?

"Four People Die After Ethiopian Muslims Attack Police Station," by William Davison for Bloomberg, April 30 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Four people were killed in southeastern Ethiopia when Muslim protesters attacked a police station following the arrest of a preacher, said State Minister of Communications Shimeles Kemal.

The deaths occurred on April 27 in Asasa, in the Arsi Zone of Oromia region, after a crowd tried to free the imam, Shimeles said in a phone interview today from Addis Ababa, the capital. Ten policemen were injured, the police station and post office burned down and 24 people arrested, he said.

“A certain imam, an Islamic fundamentalist, had been trying to instigate jihad,” said Shimeles. “When police arrested him, his supporters tried to get him released forcefully.”...

In Crisis Magazine today, my ongoing almost-nothing-to-do-with-jihad series on the Eastern Churches continues with "Keepers of the Lost Ark" on the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Ethiopian Christianity in general. Here is the bit that's jihad-related:

Today this Church, and the people who have so lovingly protected and preserved it for so many centuries, is – like all the strains of Eastern Christianity – increasingly endangered. Muslims make up only one-third of the Ethiopian population, but they are in in recent years in Ethiopia (as in many other parts of the world) growing markedly more assertive and aggressive. In March 2011, a Muslim mob in Ethiopia burned down 69 churches and displaced thousands of people in riots triggered by rumors that a Christian had desecrated a copy of the Qur’an. Then last April, four Muslims went to Kale Hiwot church, a Protestant church in Worabe (a predominantly Muslim area of Ethiopia) and told the pastor, Abraham Abera, that one of his closest friends was seriously ill and that he should visit him immediately. Once they had convinced Abera to go with them, they turned on him and beat him to death. When his pregnant wife ran up to try to save him, they began beating her as well. One of the attackers made their motive clear, saying: “You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you.” And in November, a mob of 500 Muslims, including policemen, shouted “Allahu akbar” (Allah is greatest) as they burnt down a church that they claimed had been built without the proper permits, although it had been standing on that spot for over sixty years.

There is more.

Will the Islamophobia never end?

Video courtesy the estimable David Wood of Answering Muslims.

Ethiopian and Kenyan self-defense are colonialism, but al-Shabaab's religious and cultural imperialism are A-OK, of course. In addition to its intention of imposing Sharia, the group has shown impulses like those of Sudan's Bashir toward the Arabization of Somalia. Those measures have included banning the teaching of English in schools in favor of Arabic, and tearing down posters in Somali language to replace them with Arabic ones.

An update on this story. "Somalia's Shebab vow to defeat Ethiopian forces," by Ali Musa Abdi for Agence France-Presse, November 20:

Somalia's Shebab rebels warned Ethiopia on Sunday they would "break the necks" of its troops, a day after reports that Addis Ababa sent hundreds of soldiers into the war-torn country.

"Soldiers of our enemy, the black colonialists of Ethiopia, made some movements into our region on Saturday, but they do not scare us," said Sheikh Yusuf Ali Ugas, the insurgent group's commander for the Hiran region.

"We will break the necks of the invaders ... Our troops are ready for anything, if the Ethiopian enemy tries to attack us," Ugas added, speaking on the Al-Qaeda-linked group's radio Al Andalus.

Think jihad globally, wage jihad locally.

Convoys of Ethiopian troops in lorries and armoured vehicles entered southern and central Somali regions, local elders said Saturday, although Addis Ababa has denied all reports.

Hardline Shebab insurgents control much of southern Somalia, but are also battling both the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and Kenyan troops in the far south, who crossed the border last month to attack rebel strongholds.

Kenya said Sunday that its "jets supported by naval fire" had destroyed two Shebab bases in the southern Lower Juba region, army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said in a statement.

Shebab fighters said they had destroyed a Kenyan navy boat at Madhawa island, south of the rebel-held port of Kismayo early Sunday morning, but Chirchir dismissed the reports, claiming no "warship was sunk or engaged".

The extremist insurgents also claimed Sunday they had ambushed Kenyan forces between the villages of Taabto and Dobley.

"We have ambushed the Kenyan Christian invaders...the mujahideen fighters destroyed one armoured vehicle and killed dozens of the enemy," Sheikh Ibrahim Mohamed, Shebab commander for Kismayo, said.

Kenya's army statement made no mention of the alleged attack, but local elders confirmed there had been heavy fighting.

"We have seen Kenyan military ambulances heading towards the area but I cannot say how many have died in the fighting," said Abdulahi Qorane, an elder.

"We have seen smoke and heard loud explosions but we are not sure if the smoke was a destroyed vehicle -- both sides have exchange heavy fire," said Ahmed Moalim, another elder.

Ethiopian troop convoys were also reported to have entered the south of Somalia after crossing through Kenya, which shares borders with both nations. [...]

"We shall defeat them and fight them any way we can," Shebab commander Ugas said. "The Ethiopian attack is a plan to oppose the implementation of Sharia law in Somalia by the enemies of our Muslim nation."

More bad news for al-Shabaab: more resistance it can't starve into submission. "Ethiopian troops move into Somalia: witnesses," by Abdi Sheikh for the Associated Press, November 19:

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Scores of Ethiopian military vehicles pushed at least 80 km (50 miles) into neighbouring Somalia on Saturday, residents said, five weeks after Kenya entered Somalia to fight Islamist militants it blames for a wave of kidnappings on its soil.

"The Ethiopian troops, which are in convoys of armoured vehicles, come to us today, crossing from Balanbale district on the border," Gabobe Adan, an elder in the central town of Guriel told Reuters.

"They were in about 28 trucks and armed battle wagons - the armed vehicles are very big."

Other residents told Reuters that the Ethiopians had set up a base in Guriel and moved troops to other towns nearby.

Residents and officials in northeast Kenya later told Reuters that Ethiopian troops had also crossed through their towns and taken up positions near bases from where the Kenyan military is launching its offensive.

"We have seen Ethiopian troops. They are clearly known to us," a local named Lesamow Said told Reuters. "They arrived this evening at Damasa. Some of the soldiers crossed over to the Somalia side and started patrolling immediately."

People in the Kenyan town of Mandera, which is near both Somalia and Ethiopia, said the Ethiopians had passed through there in a convoy of 10 trucks and several armoured vehicles.

A spokesman for the Ethiopian government, Shimeles Kemal, would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

Another Ethiopian official told Reuters that an Ethiopian move to support the Kenyan assault on the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group was likely.

"There is a strong possibility that we will be sending troops to Somalia soon to support Kenya's operation against the al Shabaab extremists," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Our deployment could either be implemented under the umbrella of AMISOM or under another form, such as a separate operation alongside Kenya," he said. [...]

Senior Kenyan government ministers have shuttled around the east Africa region this week and travelled to the Gulf to drum up political and financial support for a coordinated campaign to rout the rebels.

Some analysts say Ethiopia may want to take advantage of al Shabaab's withdrawal from the capital Mogadishu in August to wipe out a group it sees as a threat to its stability.

Since that pullout, the militants, who want to introduce a strict version of sharia law, have resorted to suicide attacks and guerrilla-style tactics against African Union troops.

Although Ethiopian troops regularly cross the border with Somalia, and it has admitted opening "humanitarian corridors" into the country that it says are for food relief, residents said the numbers and locations of the troops were unusual.

"I have seen about 30 Ethiopian military vehicles myself. They have entered," another Guriel resident, Farah Hussein, told Reuters. "We are very happy to see them -- it is a sign of putting an end to al Shabaab."...

One might almost get the idea that the Religion of Tolerance has something against non-Muslims proselytizing. Naaah, couldn't be. These guys must just be Misunderstanders of Islam. "Four Ethiopian Muslims Beat Evangelist To Death, Assault His Pregnant Wife," from International Christian Concern, April 26 (thanks to AINA):

Washington, D.C. (April 26, 2011)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on April 21 four Muslims beat an evangelist to death and assaulted his pregnant wife in Worabe, Ethiopia, an area that is 97% Muslim.

The Muslims lured Evangelist Abraham Abera from Kale Hiwot Church at 9:30 p.m. telling him that his friend was sick and needed immediate attention. Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister’s pregnant wife, Birtukan, saw the men attack her husband and ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.

In using deception to lure Abraham to his death, these Muslims were imitating Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, who once took offense to Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf, a poet who had mocked him, and asked his followers: "Who is willing to kill Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?" One of the Muslims, Muhammad bin Maslama answered, "O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?" When Muhammad said that he would, Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Kab)." Muhammad responded: "You may say it." Muhammad bin Maslama duly lied to Ka'b, luring him into his trap, and murdered him. (Bukhari, volume 5, book 59, number 369)

Abraham died on the spot and his wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street. She was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira, where she regained consciousness on April 22nd and was able to recount the details of the attack.

Birtukan spoke with an ICC source and said she knew two of the attackers. She said as the Muslims were beating her and her husband, they told them, “You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you.”...

In "Muslim Jihad in Christian Ethiopia: Lessons for the West" in FrontPage, March 28 (via RaymondIbrahim.com), our old friend and colleague Raymond Ibrahim brings to light some salient details about the recent jihad violence in Ethiopia that were ignored (of course) in the mainstream media:

Not only does last week's jihadist rampage against Ethiopia's indigenous Christians highlight the travails Christians encounter wherever Islam has a sizable population, but it offers several insights, including some which should concern faraway, secular nations with Muslim minorities. According to Fox News:

Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes in Western Ethiopia after Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes. At least one Christian has been killed, many more have been injured and anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 have been displaced in the attacks that began March 2 after a Christian in the community of Asendabo was accused of desecrating the Koran.

For starters, this "medieval" attack is a reminder that countless churches have been destroyed or desecrated by jihadist terror since Islam rose to power in the Medieval era, evincing centuries of continuity. While the media may mention the more "spectacular" attacks on churches—in Iraq, in Egypt—most attacks go either unreported or underreported. (Some Muslim nations, such as U.S. "friend-and-ally" Saudi Arabia, nip it in the bud by outlawing churches in the first place.)...

Read it all.

Don't they realize that Islam respects the People of the Book? More on this story. "Thousands of Christians Displaced in Ethiopia After Muslim Extremists Torch Churches, Homes," by Diane Macedo for FoxNews.com, March 24 (thanks to Twostellas):

Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes in Western Ethiopia after Muslim extremists set fire to roughly 50 churches and dozens of Christian homes.

At least one Christian has been killed, many more have been injured and anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 have been displaced in the attacks that began March 2 after a Christian in the community of Asendabo was accused of desecrating the Koran.

The violence escalated to the point that federal police forces sent to the area two weeks ago were initially overwhelmed by the mobs. Government spokesman Shimelis Kemal told Voice of America police reinforcements had since restored order and 130 suspects had been arrested and charged with instigating religious hatred and violence.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the Islamist group Kawarja is believed to have incited the violence.

"We believe there are elements of the Kawarja sect and other extremists who have been preaching religious intolerance in the area,” he said at a Saturday press conference. “In previous times, we have cracked down on Kawarja because they were involved in violence. Since then they have changed their tactics and they have been able to camouflage their activities through legal channels."

The string of attacks comes on the heels of several reports of growing anti-Christian tension and violence around the country where Muslims make up roughly one-third of the total population but more than 90 percent of the population in certain areas, 2007 Census data shows.

One of those areas is Besheno where, on November 9, all the Christians in the city woke up to find notes on their doors warning them to convert to Islam, leave the city or face death, a Christian from Besheno told FoxNews.com on condition of anonymity.

“Under the Ethiopian constitution we are supposed to have freedom of religion, but Muslim leaders in our town don’t allow us that right,” the source said....

An update on last week's story, which reported that five churches were burned following a rumor that Christians desecrated a Qur'an. The count is now up to "55 churches, 30 Christian homes, a Bible school, a Christian orphanage, and a church office," with 3000 Christians displaced, one dead, and several beaten.

This was a rampage waiting for an excuse. Someone evidently got tired of waiting and made one up. "Ethiopia Sends Military to Stop Muslim Violence Against Christians," from International Christian Concern, March 9:

Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that the Ethiopian government has sent military forces to put down the anti-Christian violence perpetrated by Muslims in Asendabo and the surrounding areas. Government officials have arrested several Muslims suspected of attacking Christians in the area.

When the attacks began on March 2, Muslims killed one Christian, wounded several others, burned down 55 churches, 30 Christian homes, a Bible school, a Christian orphanage, and a church office. More than 3,000 Christians are now displaced because of the violence.

The violence started after Muslims falsely accused Christians of desecrating the Qur'an. The local police and government officials did nothing to stop the attackers. Federal government officials have now stepped in and removed the local Muslim administrator for his failure to protect Christians.

A Christian leader told ICC that the attacks were organized by members of Kwarej, a radical Islamic group that fights to establish an Islamic state in Ethiopia. The Muslim attackers came from different parts of Ethiopia, including the Somali region.

"It's very sad that a radical Muslim group destabilizes the unity of Ethiopian Christians and Muslims. We are devastated by the attacks and we urge all concerned people to help us. We call upon Ethiopian officials to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future," the church leader added.

Asendabo is a town located in Jimma Zone, Western Ethiopia. Western Ethiopia was the scene of violent attacks against Christians in 2006 when Muslims killed more than a dozen Christians and burned down several churches. Thousands of Christians have been forced to leave their homes as a result of these attacks.

"Islamic radicals are fighting to establish an Islamic state in Christian majority Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the Christians have borne the brunt of the Islamic attacks. Christians will continue to be killed unless the government of Ethiopia starts taking serious measures to stop Islamists from carrying out similar attacks. We urge all the concerned to put pressure on Ethiopia to protect its citizens," said Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa.

After falsely accusing Christians of desecrating the Qur'an. Will the Islamophobia never end?

Note also that the government has done nothing -- in fact, only Christians, not Muslims, have been arrested.

"Developing: Ethiopian Muslims Burn Down Five Churches, More Attacks Feared," from International Christian Concern, March 3 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Washington, D.C. (March 3, 2011)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that in the past two days, thousands of Muslims have razed five churches and the homes of two evangelists in Asendabo, Ethiopia. Christian leaders are asking for protection after the Muslim attackers continued burning churches even after the federal police were sent to the town.

The Muslims started the attacks yesterday after falsely accusing the Christians of desecrating the Qur’an. More than ten thousand Muslims shouted “Allah Akbar” (Allah is great) as they burned down five evangelical churches. The government sent the federal police force to protect the Christians after the Muslims burned down the first three churches. The Muslims overwhelmed the police force and burned down two more churches today.

Speaking with ICC, Christian leaders expressed their fear that Muslims will start killing the Christians unless the government sends more security forces to contain the Muslim attackers.

At the time of the writing of this report, none of the Muslim attackers have been arrested. The government officials detained some Christians and took them to the nearby Jimma town stating that they need to do that for their own security....

The irresistible appeal of Islamic dawah makes more converts in Ethiopia. "Ethiopian Muslims Warn Christians to Convert, Leave City or Face Death," from International Christian Concern, January 25:

Washington, D.C. (January 25, 2011)-International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Christians in the Ethiopian city of Besheno are being harassed and physically abused after Muslims posted notices on the doors of Christian homes warning them to convert, leave the city or face death.

Three Christian leaders were forced to flee the city and two Christians have been forced to convert to Islam. In the Muslim majority city, the entire evangelical Christian community consists of about 30 believers.

Evangelist Kassa Awano remains in critical condition after Muslims attacked him on November 29, 2010. A few days after the attack, nearly 100 Muslims surrounded a vehicle carrying Christian leaders on their way to negotiate for peace with Muslim leaders. Two men, Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were seriously wounded, and the other leaders suffered minor injuries. On January 2, Muslims assaulted Temesgen Peteros with a knife after he testified about the attacks on these Christians in court.

Christians in Besheno have been targeted by Muslims for many years. On May 21, 2004, Muslims murdered the 7 year-old daughter of Evangelist Tesfaye Hobe. Muslims continuously attack Christians for listening to Christian songs and watching Christian videos....

Sharia in the Somalia region of southern Ethiopia. Would anyone have gotten three years in prison for defacing the Bible? What do you think? "Ethiopia Imprisons Christian Accused of Defacing Quran," from Compass Direct News, November 29:

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 29 (CDN) -- A Christian in Ethiopia's southern town of Moyale who languished in jail for more than three months after he was accused of desecrating the Quran has been sentenced to three years of prison, church leaders said.

Tamirat Woldegorgis, a member of the Full Gospel Church in his early 30s, was arrested in early August after a Muslim co-worker in the clothes-making business the two operated out of a rented home discovered Woldegorgis had inscribed "Jesus is Lord" on some cloth, area Christians said. His business partner later accused him of writing "Jesus is Lord" in a copy of the Quran, although no evidence of that ever surfaced.

Woldegorgis was sentenced on Nov. 18 for allegedly defacing the Quran and was subsequently transferred to Jijiga prison, a source said. Jijiga is the capital of Ethiopia's Somali Region Zone Five, which is governed by Islamic principles, and his transfer there - after a period in which his whereabouts were unknown - puts his life in greater danger, a church leader said.

In Ethiopia's federal state system, each state is autonomous in its administration, and most of those holding government positions in Somali Region Zone Five are Muslims.

"Three years in a harsh jail in Jijiga for an innocent man is quite costly," said the church leader, who requested anonymity for security reasons....

This will come as no surprise to those who have been following the Bin Laden saga. From AP via ABC News, "Ethiopia: Al Qaida Operating in Somalia," .

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia's prime minister warned on Thursday of the danger posed by a "very active al-Qaida cell" in Somalia's capital and said a stable government is the best way to eliminate the terrorist threat in the chaotic Horn of Africa country.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, in an interview with The Associated Press days ahead of an election in which he is seeking a third consecutive term, said his government supported the Somali transitional government formed in neighboring Kenya last year and would do everything possible to help it take power and eliminate the terrorist threat.

"Wherever there is distress, wherever there is acute poverty, social dislocation, the potential for a terrorist state exists," Meles said. "We have a very active terrorist cell in Mogadishu, which has been involved in terrorist activities in Kenya."...

Sure, Meles, it was poverty and "social dislocation" that blew up our Embassy in Kenya, right.

From the Strategy Page, with thanks to EPG:

Members of Somalia's parliament claimed that Ethiopia is continuing to support Somali rebels. The alleged Ethiopian support includes occasional forays by Ethiopian troops into Somali territory. The Somali officials claimed Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia on May 10. Ethiopia denied the allegation. However, Ethiopia has claimed that Eritrea has ties with some Somali factions. As for the Ethiopia-Eritrea situation, American diplomats fear that Ethiopia and Eritrea could miscalculate in their current border confrontation and resume fighting. The US wants to deny Al Qaeda bases in the Horn of Africa region. An Ethiopia-Eritrea war would destabilize the area and frustrate US counter-terror efforts. So keeping the peace here is a crucial effort in the war on terror...