Muslim Mob Burns Down Church Targeted By Police In Ethiopia

The Quran commands Muslims to persecute Christians:

Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.  Sura 9:29

O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell, - and worst indeed is that destination. Sura 9:73

Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. Sura 9:111

 Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. Sura 48:29

Sahih Muslim 33- It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat and if they do it, their blood and property are guaranteed protection on my behalf except when justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah

Sahih Muslim 30- It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah

Therefore we shouldn't be surprise when Muslims burn down churches as we see in this article:
12/09/2011 Ethiopia (The Christian Post)-A recently erected church was burned in southern Ethiopia on Nov. 29 by a group of over 500 Muslim students allegedly supported by local police, four days after local Muslim authorities ordered demolition of the building, human rights watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) reported Thursday.

The Saint Arsema Orthodox Church in the village of Qoto Baloso in Silte Province found itself entangled in conflict between the Muslim population, predominant in the region, and the minority Christians community.
On Nov. 25, police tore down the church’s roof, following a dispute started by a Muslim businessman who claimed he owned the piece of land, ICC's regional manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, told The Christian Post Friday.

The Christian community has been using the land for holding service for the past 60 years, and in a recent decision, the Supreme Court of the South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) (a counterpart of a state supreme court) ruled the community had a right to build its temple there.
However, a local court ruled that the building was erected without proper authorization, head of police in Silte Province told ICC.

Chief of Qebet district police, Hassan Shomolo, has a reputation for anti-Christian attitude, the agency said. So does Judge Daro Jamal, who reportedly issued the order for the police chief to deploy 30 officers on the night of Nov. 25 to demolish the church. The law enforcement only managed to damage the roof, as local Christians began protesting. On Nov. 29, a group of more than 500 Muslim students poured gasoline on the building and burned it in broad daylight, Racho said. The police chief told ICC the incident is being investigated.

Statistically, Christians are a majority in Ethiopia. The country population consists of 43.5 percent of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and 18.6 percent of Protestants, with a significant minority of 33.9 percent Muslims, according to data from the U.S. Department of State. However, the particular region where Saint Arsema Orthodox Church is located is dominated by the followers of Islam.

“All the government officials in the area are Muslims. The Islamic religion has become the state religion in our region,” a local member of the Christian community told ICC. “The non-Muslims in the area live and worship in fear. How could we say there is a rule of law when the police come into a church in the middle of the night and demolish it?”

In June, an Ethiopian court sentenced 579 Muslim extremists to between three and 18 months in prison for violence against Christians that lasted an entire week beginning March 2, 2011, which included church burnings and personal assaults.

Racho told CP that the recent incident is proof of growing Islamization of Ethiopia, resulting from an influx of Wahhabi Muslims, a branch of Islam coming from Saudi Arabia, who have been violent not only against Christians, but even other Muslims(Source).

Ethiopian Police And Muslim Students Demolish Church

The Quran commands Muslims to persecute Christians:

Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.  Sura 9:29

O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell, - and worst indeed is that destination. Sura 9:73

Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. Sura 9:111

 Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. Sura 48:29

Sahih Muslim 33- It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat and if they do it, their blood and property are guaranteed protection on my behalf except when justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah

Sahih Muslim 30- It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah

Therefore we should be unsurprised when Muslims commit atrocities against our Ethiopian brethren in Christ Jesus as seen in the article below. What surprising is that the Police are joining in on helping these Muslims.

Washington, D.C. (December 8, 2011) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on November 29 more than 500 Muslim students, accompanied by Muslim police officials, burned down a church in the village of Qoto Baloso, Silte province, Ethiopia. The church was burned down after the police destroyed its roof four days earlier. The Muslim students screamed, “Allahu Akbar!” and “Jihad!” as they poured gasoline and burned the Saint Arsema Orthodox Church.

The head of police in Silte Province, Inspector Mustefa Bashir, told ICC, “The police demolished the church’s roof after a court ruled that the church was built without proper authorization and therefore had to be demolished. Concerning the burning of the church by the students, we are investigating to determine those who are responsible for the attack.”

A source reported to ICC that Hassan Shomolo, a chief of Qebet district police, deployed more than 30 police officers to destroy the church. The police managed to only demolish the roof of the church because Christians in the area protested. The source reported that the police received the order for demolishing the church from Judge Daro Jamal, the Muslim president of Qebet district court. According to the source, Hassan Shomolo and Daro Jamal are known for their anti-Christian bias.

The church is built on land that the Christian community has used to conduct ceremonies for over 60 years. The Supreme Court of the South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) had previously ruled in favor of the church when a Muslim businessman claimed ownership of the land.

“All the government officials in the area are Muslims. The Islamic religion has become the state religion in our region. The non-Muslims in the area live and worship in fear. How could we say that there is a rule of law when the police come into a church in the middle of the night and demolish it?” said a Christian who lives in the area of the attack.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, said, “The actions of the Muslim police as well as the Muslim students show the growing Islamization of Ethiopia. We urge the Ethiopian government to stop gross violations of the rights of Christian minorities in areas of the country dominated by Muslims.”


Please call the Ethiopian embassy in your country and ask the officials to bring the responsible police officials and Muslim students to justice. Ethiopian Embassies: USA (202) 364-1200, Canada 416 482 6637, Germany 030-77-20-60, UK 020 78383897/020 7838 3898 (Source)

Ethiopian Gov’t Says The Country Faces Threat Due To Intolerant Teachings of Wahhabism

Hopefully these Wahhabi Muslims will fail in their attempt to bring Sharia law into Ethiopia, thereby making life worse for my Ethiopian brethren in Christ Jesus.

10/10/2011 Ethiopia (The Bussiness Ethiopia)-Some Wahhabi Muslim extremists in Ethiopia are being engaged in underground violence and unrest instigation activities by abusing the freedom of religion and faith guaranteed by the constitution says, Ethiopian government official.

“We are not against their doctrine; what they are doing by organizing themselves underground is a crime against the constitution,” said Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Federal Affairs.

The minister made the remark at a daylong workshop prepared for local journalists and public relation officers of the government at the Federal Police Headquarter here in Addis Ababa over the weekend.
Wahabi Muslim extremists have been invading mosques in the country with causing violence that resulted in death and injuries of other non- Wahabi Muslims sect followers, according to the minister, who mentioned the crisis witnessed in Harar, Gimma, Wellega, Illubabor and Bale areas of the country over the past years.

The group have been working in secrete to make Ethiopia a Muslim nation that will be ruled by Sharia law by abusing the rights of religion stated in the constitution of the country. “As such acts of Wahhabi Muslim extremists will lead the country in chaos, the government is forced to intervene,” the minister said.
According to the Ethiopian constitution government and religion are separate and one will not interfere into business of the other. While people are free to choose the religion they want to follow. In addition it also states that there will be no state religion in Ethiopia and all religions are equal.

Contrary to this, the government has now found that the Wahabi Muslim extremists have been working underground to make Ethiopia a Muslim nation by violating the rights of other people to believe in what ever they want. “We have found evidences and pamphlets were publicly distributed during the month of Ramadan calling on the Muslim community to stand up against all non- Wahabi Muslims and other religion followers,” he said.

Wahabi sect is a member of a strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sect from Saudi Arabia. The doctrine strives to purify Islamic beliefs and rejects any innovation occurring after the 3rd century of Islam; "Osama bin Laden is said to be a Wahhabi Muslim".

Religion and Faith Director General at the Ministry, Meressa Reda on his part said: “At the moment our main duty is to save the innocent Muslims who being led to the traps of religious conflict in Ethiopia orchestrated by these Wahabi Muslim extremists”.

Implementing Constitution without Rules
From the public transport to streets, from government offices to universities, different religion extremists have been abusing the rights of people who also have the right not to follow any of these religions.
The fact that Ethiopia has not yet put in place proclamations, rules and manuals on how to use freedom of religion and faith written on the constitution is mentioned as one of the reasons that allowed people to abuse these rights.
...
As a result of conflicts within or between or among these religion extremists is resulting in unnecessary bloodsheds and burning of mosques and churches. Some people advice that the government has to use early warning and protection mechanisms before such conflicts manifest.

External Interference
Arab Wahabi missionaries, mainly from Saudi Arabia, continue to make inroads into the Ethiopian Muslim community, but are meeting increasing resistance in doing so, according to a recent US cable released by Wikileaks. The indigenous Muslim culture (mainly Sufi Muslim community) has come under attack since 9/11 by Wahabi missionaries engaging in what amounts to cultural imperialism against Ethiopian Islam.
“Prior to 9/11, there was little Wahabi proselytizing in Ethiopia.

As a result, Ethiopia's delicate Muslim/Christian balance and historic attitudes between the faith communities regarding tolerance and mutual respect are being challenged, thereby undermining U.S. interests in the region. Sufi Muslim leaders want support from the U.S. to counter this pressure,” according to wikileaks. The other part of US cable released August 30, 2011 stated that as part of the strategy of countering Wahabi influence through cultural programming the United States government has been doing different things in Ethiopia since 2006 to present.

“In addition, AFCP grant to restore the Teferi Mekonnen Palace in Harar (although the childhood home of Emperor Haile Selassie, the Palace now houses the City Museum, which is heavily focused on Muslim life in Harar,” stated the cable entitled ‘Countering Wahabi Influences in Ethiopia Through Cultural Programs’.

“When well-considered and executed creatively, cultural programming can make a real difference in turning back Islamic extremism and turning public opinion against activists who seek to overturn the existing order and import a brand of Islam that breeds conflict through its corrosive teachings that run counter to more orthodox interpretations of the Koran,” Ambassador Yamamato concludes in his July 2009 report(Source).

Four Ethiopian Muslims beat Ethiopian Christian Evangelist Abraham Abera

Washington -- 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, his home and place of ministry, at 9:30 p.m. They told him that his friend was sick and needed his immediate attention. Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister's wife, Birtukan, saw the men attack her husband and ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.

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 that she knew two of the attackers. She said that 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."

Though Birtukan did suffer injuries to her mid-section, her unborn baby did fortunately survive the attack.
The attackers still remain at large. A Christian leader in the area told ICC that the men may not be arrested because the local officials are also Muslims. "Christians in Worabe and its surrounding areas are persecuted at the hands of Muslim radicals, and the local government officials, who are Muslims, don't protect Christians. We urge the higher government authorities [state and federal officials] to intervene and protect us," said the Christian leader.

"The brutal killing of Evangelist Abraham and the beating of his wife, Birtukan, is deeply troubling. We urge the federal government authorities to investigate this latest attack as well as reports of persecution against Christians in the Silte zone," said Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa(Source).