Demonizing Human Rights: The War on Ethiopian Muslims

January 23, 2014

Despotic regimes such as the one in Ethiopia care less about peace and development.
Their aim is to stay in power by any means necessary. Including inciting civil wars.
We should not forget the recent history in Africa. Rwanda is a classic example where
government owned media outlets TV and Radio instigated the people to rise up
against each other by spewing hatred and mistrust. In Rwanda, close to a million
people massacred by their own countrymen for being of a different ethnic group.

For the last 2 decades this ethnic card was tried again and again and did not bring the
expected results. Few examples are the tension the government created between the
Oromo and Amara, between the Oromo and Somalis, between Somalis and the Afar,
between the Beni-shangol and Amaras but the most heinous one was the massacring
of hundredths of Anuak people of south west of Ethiopia by government forces.

Now, the Ethiopian government is trying to foment a religious clash of gargantuan
proportion. Though in small scale, the Ethiopian government had planned and
executed clashes between Muslims and Christians. Their cadres were responsible of
burning of each other’s places of worships. Most of those who were interviewed after
the incidents testified that the perpetrators’ of these crimes were infiltrators that they
have no knowledge of. It is said in some cases the government issued permits for two
different religious groups for the same piece of land creating clashes where lives were
lost.

On Monday December 23, 2013, the incarcerated Muslim leaders whom the
documentary drama depicts as terrorists published a message of peace from their cell
and the followings are the 3 points they concluded their message with:

1. “We urge [all Muslims and Christians] to keep preserving on a solid foundation the
   unity and mutual respect demonstrated among Muslims as well as between Muslims
   and Christians that came about despite the government’s efforts of creating discord
   and enmity. For the country to come out of the current turmoil and stride on the
   path to prosperity, true freedom of religion, equality and mutual respect among
   people is a prerequisite, not an alternative. In order to prosper together, we must
   replace fear and suspicion by love and trust.

2. We would like to affirm to our people and the government that we are ready to pay
   all the necessary sacrifice to continue our peaceful struggle for our inalienable
   rights. We and our people are in full gear and preparedness for the next round of
   the peaceful movement for our rights and we express with great and unwavering
   determination that we will not back away from paying all the necessary sacrifices
   required of us.

3. We urge the government to stop its unconstitutional adventures and acts, including
   the indiscriminate jailing of Muslims, confiscation of mosques, false accusations
   and labeling religious personalities, journalists and rights activists as “terrorists”,
   and a host of other violations of constitutional rights. We also urge the government
   to stop the inhumane practices and demand for the release of prisoners of
   conscience at “Maekelawi” (the Central Crime Investigation Department) and
   other detention facilities. We would like to express that it is our earnest wish to see
   that all the people of Ethiopia enjoy the fruits of true peace, justice, democracy and
   development.

Finally, we appeal to all concerned to carry on the peaceful struggle forward in a civilized
and well-planned manner and in a much more effective way than it has been so far with
utmost commitment and determination until true justice and freedom are achieved. We
have no doubt that victory and success will be ours at the end of the day through our
peaceful struggle.”

The hate mongering and the government’s efforts to characterize Ethiopian Muslims
is by itself an insult to the intelligence of all Ethiopians. No matter how hard the
government tries to divide the people, the long history that they lived together with
respect, Ethiopians of all persuasions will not fall victims of the plotting and knifings
of this regime. The number of films and videos that use terror-activities as a critical
basis for their lame anything illegal and forwarded to the courts as evidence has
victimized so many innocent people. Rights activists, Journalists, and politicians who
dared to write or say anything to the government’s dislike were charged with terrorism
and are languishing in the dungeon of prisons all over the country.

Sooner or later the people of Ethiopia, the real victims, will discover that the
government they thought was “theirs” has always and ‘ONLY’ been the real enemy of
the people of Ethiopia.

I hope it is sooner than later. Inshallah!

May the Almighty Allah bring peace and Justice to Ethiopia and the whole World!
Ameen!