Barnabas Aid - International Headquarters River Street, Pewsey, Wilthire. Phone: +44 1672 565030 Latitude: 51 deg 23 min 18 sec N Longitude: 1 deg 45 min 48 sec W .
Home
News
Archives
Muslims jailed for attacks on Christians...

Email:

Muslims jailed for attacks on Christians in Ethiopia

To

Email address:
Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,). Maximum of 10

From

Your name:
Your email address:
Security test:
Please enter the numbers that appear here in the box below.
 refresh captcha
CAPTCHA Image
Security code:

Details provided here will never be used in any other context

Published: 10:00 GMT Daylight Time - Thursday 30 June 2011

Muslims jailed for attacks on Christians in Ethiopia

Country/Region: Ethiopia, Middle East and North Africa

Ethiopian courts have sentenced 579 Muslims to jail terms of up to 18 years for their part in the widespread anti-Christian violence in which scores of churches and homes were burnt down, and thousands of Christians were displaced.

Ethiopia-Church-destroyed-2nd-4X3.jpg
Scores of churches and homes were burnt down in the anti-Christian violence

Three Christians were killed and many more were injured in the barrage of attacks, which started on 2 March and continued for a week, after Muslims accused a Christian of desecrating a copy of the Quran. Thousands of Islamists were involved in the assaults, which broke out in Asendabo, Jimma Zone, before spreading systematically through five districts in the predominantly Muslim area. Around 10,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes as the rampaging Muslims set fire to 69 churches, 81 Christian homes and a Bible school. Barnabas Aid sent a grant of £25,000 (US$40,000, €28,000) to provide food, medicine, shelter, blankets and clothing for those affected by the violence.

Now, 579 Muslims have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to 18 years for their part in the attacks. An additional 107 people are to face terrorism charges in connection with the violence. Eight individuals suspected to be among the masterminds of the assaults remain at large.

In May, a Barnabas Aid contact in Ethiopia expressed fears that the perpetrators would not be brought to justice after some suspects were set free.

If they get away with the burning of churches and they are not found accountable, what would stop them from causing harm to the Christians?

Speaking after the court result, an Ethiopian church leader said:

I am glad that the rule of law prevailed and the church has finally got protection from the government. The judges who looked at the cases have delivered justice. We are happy that the truth has finally been revealed.

Muslims comprise around a third of the Ethiopian population and have generally lived peacefully with the Christian majority. But Muslims are becoming increasingly radicalised by preachers who are promoting aggressive forms of Islam from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. A Christian minister said there was a campaign to "clear Christianity from the land by [the] sword". Before the violence in Jimma, an Islamic conference was held where a fourfold plan to Islamise the area was outlined: burn the churches, kill the men, marry the widows and send their children to Islamic schools.

Help us: Share this article

Email:

Muslims jailed for attacks on Christians in Ethiopia

To

Email address:
Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,). Maximum of 10

From

Your name:
Your email address:
Security test:
Please enter the numbers that appear here in the box below.
 refresh captcha
CAPTCHA Image
Security code:

Details provided here will never be used in any other context

christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

Other articles

Latest Emergency

/_images_files/content/article_files/Syria/201305/Medical-care-4X3.jpg

Follow Barnabas

or

receive news & appeal emails as they are published

From Twitter

From Twitter_icon
Read more...

Daily prayer

Daily prayer_icon

  • An upsurge of arrests and deportations of Christians in Sudan has further unsettled the country’s vulnerable Christian minority. In January three Christians of South Sudanese origin were detained and then ordered to leave the country because of their involvement with churches and a Christian radio station. The following month a group of at least 55 Christians were detained without charge, falsely accused of receiving money from foreign countries. Dozens of expatriate Christians have also been deported. Pray that this frequent and severe harassment will stop, and that the churches of Sudan will be allowed to worship and serve the Lord in peace. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 17 hours ago

  • “We have reached here with the help of God. We shall live well with God’s help in our land.” A Christian woman gave thanks as she arrived in South Sudan after escaping from discrimination and oppression in Muslim-majority Sudan, thanks to the Exodus project sponsored by Barnabas Aid. Give thanks to the Lord that more than 3,500 Christians have already reached the safety of the Christian-majority South by plane and bus. Pray for His blessing upon them as they settle into their new lives, and pray too that others will be able to join them soon. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Fri, May 2013 00:00

  • Pray for 14 Christians in Nghe An, Vietnam, who were sentenced in January to between three and 13 years in prison on charges of subversion against the state. Their lawyers complained that the Christians had been subjected to torture, including sleep deprivation, and coerced into confessing crimes that they had not committed. Some of them had apparently been detained by police at random, some at a church service. During the two-day trial, thousands of Christians staged a protest against the arbitrary and illegal arrest of innocent people. Pray that the sentences will be revoked and the Christians released, and that the authorities will stop harassing and bullying the Christian community. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, May 2013 00:00

  • “The decree is intended to provide the tools to end the house-church movement entirely.” Nguyen Van Dai, a Christian lawyer in Vietnam, added his voice to a chorus of concern among church leaders about Decree 92, which provides new guidelines for regulating religious practice in the country. The decree imposes harsh and complex new criteria that churches must fulfil if they are to obtain legal status; these will make it almost impossible for unregistered groups such as house churches (which have not been recognised by the government since 1975) to do so. Even if a congregation manages to fulfil all the conditions, the minimum period it will have to wait for recognition is 23 years. Pray that the churches in Vietnam will withstand this attempt to stifle their witness and will not only survive but thrive. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Wed, May 2013 00:00

  • Pray for five Christian families in Vietnam who have endured repeated violent attacks by their fellow villagers since becoming Christians. The families, who came to Christ in 2012, have since suffered three waves of violence, the most recent taking place between 18 and 22 February. During this period, their homes and belongings were vandalised in successive night raids. On 22 February, a number of the believers were physically assaulted, leaving several of them with serious injuries. One family fled into the jungle after receiving death threats. Pray that the Lord will be the strength and shield (Psalm 28:7) that our brothers and sisters need as they endure persecution in His name. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, May 2013 00:00

Read more...

Quick navigation

© Barnabas Aid 1997 - 2013 All rights reserved.
Barnabas Aid is a registered trade mark