Ethiopia’s “religious abuse” may cause regional destabilization

Posted  by Mesfin Tadese   August 4th, 2013

A US religious freedom group has called on Ethiopian authorities to stop what it said was an emerging religious freedom violations against Muslim minorities in the Horn of Africa.( SudanTribune Report,2012)

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that if Ethiopia continues to tighten its control against the Muslims, the ongoing mass protests in the east African nation could turn more violent and might lead to a larger destabilization in the already volatile region.

Ethiopia has recently been a scene of Muslim protests who accuse government of interference in their religious affairs.

“Given Ethiopia’s strategic importance in the Horn of Africa, it is vital that the Ethiopian government ends its religious freedom abuses and allow Muslims to practice peacefully their faith as they see fit”, the Commission’s Chairwoman Katrina Lantos Swett said.

“Otherwise the government’s current policies and practices will lead to greater destabilization of an already volatile region”, she stressed, further calling on the US government to address the issue with the Ethiopia government.

According to USCIRF, escalating violations against religious communities in the name of countering extremism would lead to more extremism, greater instability, and possibly violence.

(Amnesty Report,2012)April 27, 2012- The killing of 5 Oromos and injury of many others at a religious gathering in Asasa,Arsi, Oromia could be seen as more extremism and its a worst violation of human rights. In this case, the TPLF killing squads flagrantly shot and killed innocent civilians. We, Oromos, always raised a question like ”Why Oromo are singled out when the protest is going on all over Ethiopia?”

(CNN iReport,2013)August 3, 2013 – Ethiopian government forces open fire on unarmed demonstrators throughout the country, killing 25 and injuring dozens more, according to Ethiopian activists who took part in the demonstrations. This shows as continuation of human right violation and freedoms.

In recent months Ethiopian Muslims have further intensified their opposition against government’s religious policies by staging protests every week following Friday prayers. For over a year, Ethiopian Muslims have been holding peaceful protests and mosque  sit-ins over the regime’s human rights abuses against their community and interference in their religion.

Therefore, we call upon all international community to condemn this innocent killing at Asasa, oromia, and the late killing, and work together to prevent more killing planned by the regime.