Yuunus
Hajji Mul’ataa
Addis
Ababa, May 5/2012
Despite government’s
repressive measures and threatening, hundreds of thousands of Muslim Ethiopians
protested on Friday (May 4/2012) against the “Ahbashism Campaign” instigated by
the government and “Majlis”. Residents of many towns of Ethiopia are joining
the protests. Viewers say that the brutal killing of innocent people in Assasa
town has increased tension between government and the Muslim society.
Meanwhile, the
Ethiopian Government said on Friday night that it has expelled two Arabs who
came to call for “Jihad” and incite violence in the grand Anwar Mosque of Addis
Ababa. However, the report is dismissed by many Muslims as “a fabricated
story”.
Protests and Silencing
Shocked by the mass uprising
happened after the recent killing of seven innocent Muslims in Assasa town (Arsi
province), Ethiopian government authorities were busy on defending the massacre
and threatening the public through state-owned media. They were also mobilizing
Ahbash adherents to deter the protests in the upcoming days. The imams of
mosques have been told to take all actions to stop Muslims chanting “takbira
(i.e saying “Allahu Akbar!”) and marching for protests after Friday prayer. On
the other hand, more than 300 people have been reportedly arrested in Assasa
and other towns of Arsi Province over the week.
Yesterday (Friday, May
4/2012), since early in the morning, the government also deployed thousands of
police and civil security forces in Addis Ababa and other towns to scare the
people. But when the midday comes, all of the preventive methods applied by the
government were proved to be ineffective. And immediately after the completion
of Friday prayer, hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Addis Ababa and other
towns rocked the atmosphere in a huge rage chanting “Stop Ahbashism campaign!
The people want to step down Majlis! Allahu Akbar!!”
Sheikh Mohammed Adem, a
Muslim religious scholar living in Addis Ababa says “The people are asking
their basic right. We are asking for freedom of worship. We tolerated many
repressive measures for more than 17 years. But this time, we say ‘enough’ to
oppression. We won’t return back until we attain our goal”.
The protest in a
compound of Anwar mosque (the grand mosque of Addis Ababa) and over the nearby
streets was so intensive that the large Mercato market has stopped functioning
for some hours. Witnesses say there have been similar protests in towns of Dessie,
Jimma, Assela, Agaro, DireDawa, Alaba, Assasa, Warabe, Jijiga, Robe and
Shashemene.
The current tension
between government and Muslim Ethiopians has started in July 2011 when the
government-backed “Majlis” launched a campaign to indoctrinate Muslims in the
ideology of a newly arriving controversial sect called “Ahbash”. But Muslims came
to direct protest at the beginning of this year when the leaders of “Majlis”
sacked 50 teachers of Aweliya Islamic institute and tried to substitute them
with “Ahbash” scholars. The government supported the action taken by “Majlis”
and said “Aweliya had been a training center of terror ideology. ‘Wahhabis’
were arming the youth with fundamentals of extremism. So the Majlis has taken
the appropriate measure”.
In spite of its open
support for “Majlis”, the government continues to deny any interference in
religious affairs. Through state owned media, it says “We are training Muslim
scholars on the constitution and legal framework of the country. Apart from
this, the government hasn’t interfered in spiritual affairs of the Muslims”.
Free viewers say “The government is highly
terrorized by a continuing wave of protests. This week’s intensive media
coverage about the Assasa massacre and the Muslim uprising are indications of
government’s fear. In some occasions, some government authorities were
expressing their worry about the ongoing condition”. These viewers point to what
happened recently on a meeting conducted at Addis Ababa city hall where only
selective pro-government imams and “Majlis” leaders have participated. On that
meeting, sources say, the head of Addis Ababa Bureau of Justice and Security
spoke to the attendants “The mass has turned against us. We couldn’t control
the people. You have taken a mission to convince the people. But you did
nothing. What were you doing until now? Our government is highly troubled by
the Friday protests.” He also ordered the imams to stop any protests in and
around mosques.
Muslim scholars say
“The authorities are disturbing themselves. We are asking for freedom of
worship. We are asking them to stop imposing the ideology of ‘Ahbash’ on our
people. We are asking them to apply what they have written on the constitution
of the country. We didn’t ask them to share us political power.” They also say that
the current media campaign can’t silence the people and add “Our faith is the
only hope we have. It is the only rope that ties us to our God. They are going
to cut out this rope. But that will never happen as long as we are alive”.
The
two Arabs
On Friday night, The
Ethiopian Television reported that two Arabs who came from the Middle East to
incite violence in the main mosques was caught red handed and immediately
expelled from the country. The government said that the two people were found
while they make inflammatory statements and distribute materials calling for
“jihad”. The two Arab came to Addis Ababa on Friday morning, says the
government. Their name and nationality was not disclosed even though they were
shown on TV screen.
The Muslims who attended
the Friday prayer at Anwar mosque say “The government’s statement is completely
false. It is fabricated to defame our peaceful struggle. No one has distributed
inflammatory material at Anwar Mosque. If they caught two Arab “Jihadists”, why
didn’t they disclose their name and nationality? How do people caught on such
illegal activity expelled without being investigated and tried?”
One scholar rejects
government’s statement and asks “How can a person that came to Ethiopia on
Friday morning directly goes to Anwar mosque and distribute “Jihadi” papers in
the midday? Why did the Ethiopian government authorities contented only in
expelling them to their country? Why didn’t they bring the two Arabs to the
court? They have to answer these questions”. To paraphrase his statement, this
scholar mentions what happened to two Swedish journalists when they were caught
in the remote region of Ogaden together with some fighters of Ogaden National Liberation
Front.
After
the “Assasa Killing”
After the deadly
incident happened at Assasa, in the last week, many top leaders of the ruling
party were undertaking a “silencing meeting” all over the country. In one of
such meetings undertaken at Assasa town on Wednesday, Mr. Abdul-Aziz Ahmed, the
Vice President of Oromiya regional state was heard in public media saying “In
the name of asking for freedom of worship, some politically motivated groups
have planned to overthrow the government. They have caused the death of
civilians in this town. They have plotted similar deadly riots in all of the
country. They government won’t allow them to continue in this way. We will stop
them in all possible ways”.
Sheikh Aman Nure, an
elderly scholar living in Adama town (originally from Assela town, Arsi
province) rejects the official’s accusation and says “Last week, they said they
have arrested a man calling for ‘Jihad’ and they killed his ‘Jihadi’ supporters.
Now they say ‘political groups have plotted the massacre’. This has been their
behavior for two decades. They can’t repeat what they speak today. Our country
is governed by such liars who don’t care about the tradition and ethics of our
people”.
The Assasa massacre was
highly condemned by many religious scholars of the country. Ethiopian Diaspora communities
of Europe, North America and the Middle East have sent strong statements to the
government asking to investigate the actual cause of the massacre through an
independent commission. Rebel political groups like Ogaden National Liberation Front
and the Oromo Liberation Front have condemned the massacre and released
statements in support of the peaceful struggle of Ethiopian Muslim Society.
Report:
Yuunus Hajji Mul’ataa (Addis Ababa)
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