Kinijit leaders Dr Hailu Araya, Ato Gizachew Shiferraw, Ato Brook Kebede and Dr Berhanu Nega held a four-hour working dinner last night with several representatives of the Ethiopian Muslim community in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. The meeting took place in an Afgan restaurant in Northern Virginia. Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa, who was sick with flue, could not attend the meeting. The following is a report by Kinijit DC Metro:
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Ethiopian Muslims in the DC Metro Area Host Working Dinner for Kinijit Delegation
By Kinijit DC Metro
Every single moment and indeed every single encounter whether it was with their countrymen, senators, think-thanks or journalists proved as exciting as it was overly rewarding. Kinijit delegation’s meeting last night with the Ethiopian Muslim community in the Washington DC Metro area was no exception.
Issues raised at the working dinner were insightful. There was common understanding on the thesis that respect for individual right will form the basis for respect of group rights. The importance of interim intervention aimed at thwarting real and perceived inequalities also received strong support. Several commentaries pointed to the need for Ethiopian Muslims to participate more actively in Ethiopia’s political life and to be represented in leadership positions commensurate with the size of the Muslim population. As a dynamic multi-ethnic, multi-religious party, Kinijit leaders declared, it is their party’s policy to redouble efforts aimed at mirroring the cross section of society in its membership and leadership ranks. There was also solid consensus on the urgent need to safeguard the centuries old enviable track record that Ethiopia enjoys in terms of maintaining religious harmony. The exemplary role played by Muslim and Christian leaders in resolving minor tensions of recent past was applauded.
The question and answer session availed rare opportunity for representatives of the Ethiopian Muslims to find out first hand from Kinijit leaders on the vision of the party and its stand on several issues near and dear to the Muslim community. The discussion was so lively and heart-warming it continued into the closing hours of the restaurant.
31 thoughts on “Ethiopian Muslims in the DC Metro Area Host Working Dinner for Kinijit Delegation”
Can same one clearfy for me what individual right means and what group rights means. And how come respecting individual right would help to respecting a group rights. What is the diffreance between an individual rights and a group rights. Why Kinijit want to respect individual right end that respect a group rights. While EPRDF want to respect a group right over individual right… or why EPRDF support for groups right is wrong for courntry like Ethiopia?
I wd like to thank allah the muselim commiunity finaly made it even though the whole comiunity/hezbe muselim should attend such kind of events b/c a lot of negetive rumers told against some kinjit leadres but i hope this is the a very good sighn of changing for first hijera top leaders
Good job!!!! I am 100% sure that this meeting will scare woyane.
There was mild confusion among some of us that kinijit is a collection of the remenants of derge and the Majesty regime that promotes the superiority of the Ethiopian orthodox, especially the group around Hailu-shaleka and gang which can be witnessed by their activities around the church. But most Ethiopian muslims vote for this party by observing and understanding the goals of Kinijit as a party hoping for their modern non selective approach.Active participation is more expected from the muslim community. As long as the party follows democratic principles, we don’t mind up to the leader, who can be any religion follower, but should be qualified for such position. To witness, during the campaign for 2005 election, asked by private press, Dr. Birihanu affirmed that nearly 50% of the population is muslim and their program is inclusive.
Good action now one barrier is broken.
No mumur regarding religion in CUD.
How is Birtukan’s health now?
well our muslim brothers and sisters. CUD should be a center ofall ethiopians regardless of our religion,culture and ethnice back ground. ethiopia is the first country on earth where christians and muslims have been living together with out having any boundary for the last 1400 years, and our unity will continue as it was before.tnx to God now kinijit is free from the people who are considering them selves as if democractesbut they areliving with feudal mentality.
group or individual, group right is the sum total of individual rights. weyane is talking about group rights, but they do not respect individual rights, for that reason. when you respect individual rights, the group rights will be respected, because group is the out come of individual.
Ethiopian is a country with multi religious groups thus managed to live in harmony for centuries.They are, Christianity, Islam, Orthodox Tewahedo, Beta Israel, P’ent’ay and other traditional faith..
Though I am a Christian, my faith doesn’t make me greater or lesser human being than any individual because of my faith. The fat is despite our religious believes we are brother and sisters who have suffered so much under the tyranny of Derg and by the Woyane regime.
The TPLF regime through its divide and concur policy has attempted to create a conflict between Christians and Muslim and between Orthodox and P’ent’ay costal followers in Ethiopia. But, despite all the attempts by Meles Zenawi and Aboy Sebhat Nega for the last 16 years, our people are united as one family. This is a testament of the strength and wisdom of Ethiopian people.
The working dinner meeting held between the Ethiopian Muslims community in DC and the Kinijit delegation underlines two key points:
a)Kinijit is a democratic party with the highest respect for freedom of religion for each individual.
b)The open discussion would help clarify the intentional misinformation communicated by Ato Bedru Adem (the new Woyane agent), and TPFL cadres at large.
We are Ethiopians-one nation-one people under Woyane dictatorship!
There is this fact that no one can deny. Ethiopian Muslims were made second citzens before the derg regime. But derg was equally repressive to both muslims and christans as well and to all tribes. So is the current regime. It is repressive, divisive and the most cruel to both muslims and christians. The repression that we suffered from the atse’s is deep in our psyche that we muslims want to be invited for the struggle against this bucher regime. One thing we should know is to first differentiate who stands for what. Once we know that then we should start participating. I personaly beleive that Knijit is the one that stands for Allah’s given human right and we should all rally behind it. Islam does not preach us to divide among ourselves. It does not preach us to embrace one tribe and ignore the other one. In reality Woyane is the regime against both islam and chistianity. Let us follow our leaders and also participate. There are many of us out there who are shy. Come on.
Peace for Ethiopia
Ethiopia is for all Ethiopians and I am very happy that kinijit is making this kind of bold and courages moves when Birtukan made an appeal to the marginalised groups in her Minneapolis speach.
God bless Ethiopia
I remember I was heckled on paltak by misguided Kinijit fanatics When I asked why most discussions presume that all Ethiopians are Orthodox. I was told that Ethiopia has been and will always be a Christian country. Every Ethiopian know this is not only wrong but disrespectful.
Kinijit must clear its house from this kind of narrow minded fanatics, who not only narrow the support base of Kinijit but also breed resentment among different religious communities.
I am sure Kinijit leaders have recognized these kind of issues and that is why they are recently reaching out to Muslims and non-Amhara Ethiopians.
Good beginning…
In Ogaden where almost everyone is Muslim,we have seen an incredible brutality coming from the Woyanne.I was very surprised when my Muslim friend from Adis-Ababa spoke highly about Meles and the new rulers of Ethiopia.I can say without fear of contradicting myself that our Ogadeni people have no good old Ethiopian days to yearn for.However,Meles and his TPLF have showed us nothing but visceral hate for us and our Islamic faith.We believe that the kinijit leaders will be far better than the Woyanne because it can`t get any worse than this.For us Ogadenis,Meles did not leave anything for the devil to do.
Group vs. Individual right, simply put, dictators talk about the nonsense group right without individual right.
If a Government can’t value the individual right, there is no way they care about collective right. The society as whole including the government should care and foster the individual right so any member of that society freely develop mentally, intellectually within the group, in return the individual stand for the right of the whole society or group. We cannot separate one form the other, the main thing the individual right must come first; otherwise it will be like the communist failed ideology.
History repeatedly thought us any totalitarian ruler preaches their empty philosophy to make sense from the nonsense, because that is the only way they can stay in power indefinitely by dividing one group from the other.
This is just my basic understanding, political scholars can teach us more in detail or you should show up to one of these public libraries to find literatures on this issue.
It is very important for the young generation to dig down and understand this question clearly, because it is one of the fundamental knowledges to bring the right kind of leadership for our country.
Dear brothers and sisters,
This is a good start. We were sick and tired of bing represented by Woyanne reps. in Washington for too long. It is about time we, the real citizens of Ethiopia are spiking-up and started talking to our leaders .
I would like to use this opportunity and thank the Muslim brothers who initiated the meeting.
This will send a loud and clear message to those woyanne thugs who has been spreading a viscous and venom rummer about DR. Berhanu.
What can I say, the meeting was very productive. Even the most notorious Woyannes who attended the meeting were silenced by the eloquent speech of non other than…..Dr Berhanu.
They went to “confront” but they learned a lesson they can use for the rest of their life.
Some even ask for autograph and I was laughing my heart -out.
I am a Muslim !!!
I am an Ethiopian!!!
Long Live KINIJIT
Insh Alaha, Ethtiopianchen will be the land of peace and opportunity. How is Birtukan’s health?? Take a Good rest Birtukan and check with the Doctors.
Ethiopia needs yelije awaki like you now, ethiopia needs a calm MEKARI!
TO group or individual rights:
Starting from Derg until now we have organizations, who claim to represent and stand for group rights. But there is a subtle problem in standing for group rights alone without respecting individual rights.
For example the Derg regime said it stands for the working class, which means it stands first of all for the poor working class. By saying it stands for group rights, it could kill and jail any individual, which in the eye’s of Derg may be a threat to its ideas. So many human rights abuses were made in the name of groups. Derg committed many human rights abuses and justified it with group rights.
The same thing is happening with EPRDF, it can kill and jail anybody in the name of protecting the rights of nations and nationalities. Because they can always justify their human rights abuses in the name of some groups, they became abusers of human rights.
Now CUD is saying first you should respect individual rights, which means you can not kill or jail anybody in the name of protecting some groups. Every individual should have equal rights and get equal justice, whether he is a Prime minster or a peasant. Further no political party or group should be allowed to commit human rights violations in the name of group rights. So any political party should first respect basic individual rights.
In respecting the rights every individual, it automatically implies that every individual has the right to speak his native language and promote his culture and region. So individual right implies accepting group rights. If you accept that an individual has the right to express himself freely, to speak his language, to experience his culture and religion, you automatically accept the rights of groups to do so.
The most important thing is that no party should be allowed to commit human rights violations, because it simply claims to protect group rights!
What are individual rights and group rights?
definitions:
1. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS: all rights of an individual. Individual means a single person like you and me.
2. GROUP RIGHTS: all rights of groups. Groups could be tribes, religious associasions, trade unions etc..
which rights are good?
Both individual rights and group rights are necessary. Both rights need to be respected in any democratic country.
EPRDF/Woyane and Group Rights:
– Woyane says it respects both rights according to the constitution.
– Woyane believes Group rights come before Individual rights. That’s why it divided our country tribal regions (GROUPS) without asking all Ethiopians (INDIVIDUALS) first if that is what they want.
– Woyane DOES NOT respect Idividual rights in practice. For example, when Woyane cannot find someone it likes to arrest, it puts the family members in jail. Or it burns villages in Ogaden to punish ONLF. Woyane also punishes farmers associations when a single farmer is not able to pay back his debt for fertilizer. There are so many examples.
Kinijit and Individual Rights:
– Kinijit believes Individual rights come first, then Group rights. Why? because if every individual’s rights are respected, then the rights of all individuals (GROUP RIGHTS) are automatically respected.
What does this mean in concrete terms?
– crimes of individuals cannot become crimes of their family members. When your brother is wanted by the police, your family should not be harrassed.
– if/when a farmer fails to pay his debt to the government, other farmers do not need to be punished.
– no punishment of villages or gang-raping of women in Ogaden because of ONLF. If you have issues with ONLF, do not take it on the Ogadeni people (INDIVIDUALs)
You see, all Ethiopians Musilm and Christans are all the same there is no differance we are ONE people two great religions. ONE LOVE + ONE PEOPLE= ONE ETHIOPIA
GOD BELESS ETHIOPIA
Dear yikerbelen,
You are the only one who even tried to answer my question. I am 100% not clear, about which one is a group right and which one is an individual right. Why not give me an example: – to save time let me give you one example and if I am wrong correct me Language right.:-
Now tell me when is a language right become an individual right and when it become a group right?
The way I understood it is very simple and not very compacted.
An individual have the right to get government service in any language he wishes. Mind you a local government must and should provide him with language translation service with free of charge… example of government service such as court, in fact any govt. service should be accessed by 80 language using translation service free of charge.
Example of this:- an oromo individual have the right to go to any govt. office in any part of the country and get service in his language… this right also equally respected for any individual be it Amhara or any other ethnic group.
This doesn’t mean an individual can go to oromo region and demand a local bakery to speak Amhric just because he have not yet mastered the oromia language. Meaning a private business are not forced to provide individual with translation service… therefore in oromia region private business run using only one language and force individual to speak that language or bring their own translator at their own expensive if they want to get service…
If you don’t understand this logic an individual or one Ethiopian guy can’t come to USA demand all USA citizens to speak Amhric just because he can’t speak English… they would think he or she is crazy. But the same individual accused of crime in America then he have the right to get the service in Amhric or get translation service free of charge.
I think I am clearly put the individual right and the group right difference and their equally important. There is no logic that when one end the other start… it doesn’t make sense.
Individual right and groups right is two totally different right.
Let me give you one more example where individual right differ from the groups.
Any Christian individual person in Ethiopia have the right to build church in any part of the nation.
This is truth for any Muslim person to build his or their Mosque in any part of the nation.
But a group of Christian can demand their local govt. to build them a church [this is just an example you might think religion and govt. should be separated… but I just want to make a point here ] hospital, road, public school and park.
But one individual Christian individual goes to Afar area and demand the local Afar govt. to build them a Church just because he or she happened to live or work in Afar area….
I am trying to show the group right come before an individual right in same case…Since Afar area is 100% Muslim area those who pay tax have the right to demand a group right such as building public school where the medium is Arabic or an Afar language…
I hope I Clearfield the meaning of an individual right and a group right therefore if cud have different meaning or use of those right I am all ear…. Otherwise covering up this issue just to get the Muslim vote will not pay in the end…
Ethiopian Muslims have been good friends to Ethiopian Christians and Ethiopian Christians to Ethiopian Muslims for many, many years.
As a Christian boy, I grew up with Muslim boys and girls, tending together our domestic animals and driving them to a grassy land. When lunch time comes, one of us boys spreads out his shema on the ground; then all of us empty our lunchboxes onto the shema and eat together our food. After our lunch is over, we take our herd to the river and immerse ourselves into the puddles of water and swim for about half an hour. When evening comes we take our flock back to our villages. There has been such an overwhelming harmony between the Christian and the Muslim children at our villages. Even the Muslim boys’ and girls’ names have been the same like the names of the Christian boys and girls. For example, the names Ahmed, Mohammad, Ali, Said, Fatima, and Abdullah are hardly mentioned or carried out by the Muslim children.
Later I left my village, my Muslim friends, and joined one of the Ethiopian Tewahido Church schools and started learning the distinction between Christianity and Islam. In fact, the Ethiopian Tewahido Church taught me that Ahmed Gragn, a Muslim, perhaps from Somalia, had destroyed many Ethiopian Churches and burned numerous valuable Christian books during the reign of Lebna Dengel. Second, in the 19th century, a Muslim force from Egypt, I was taught, had marched to destroy the Christian kingdom but had been beaten up by the Ethiopian Christians. Third, in the same century, the Sudanese Muslim, I was told, had destroyed Gondar Cities and its churches; however, the Mahdi army was defeated by the brave Ethiopian Christians at Metema, and it was the Muslim army who killed Emperor Yohannes, cut his head, put it on a pointed projectile and paraded it through the street. Having learned such a horrifying history from my church, I still fear that one day when the Ethiopian Muslims take control of Ethiopia, they may be tempted to do what Ahmed Gragn did to the Ethiopian Christians and their churches. Time will tell. Nevertheless, my childhood friendship with the Ethiopian Muslims has never been dwindled despite many Jihadists from various Muslim countries try to persuade the Ethiopian Muslims against their Ethiopian Christian friends. Of course, we cannot ignore what Emperor Yohannes did to the Wollo Muslims by forcing them to change their religions and become Christians within a short time.
Group or individual: I think I have the answer for you. Well there is a huge diffrence b/n the individual and group rights. Group rights allows diffrent ethnic group to form a party and participate in the politics to represent their ethnic. And individaul right is an approach that gives indviduals to participate on any political group with out any ethnic requierment. Now the problem with the group right is if you are minority residing in a town called X you dont have a voice as ethnic z simply because you are not from x caln. In other way, your right and your voice is hidden and your concern is not voiced, i,e not represented. But if you have individual right you have the right to represent yourself, voice both with in the party or as single individul to fight and oppose any ideas. you also have the right to participate in any political party as individual because you have individual right you dont nessesarly have to find your won kind to form a party. Individual right gring the group right but the group right don’t garantee the individual, that is why there is all kinds of leave this place leave that place, these is our land that is mind is on the air now. I hope I drew the clear pic for you.
Assita Getu,
You told us what u learnt from school- the crime done against christian by muslims.
However the school never taught you the crime of Christians on muslims.
The school taught us how many churches the muslim burnt during 16th century and other horrific things done on Christians. But the school says nothing about the number of mosques destroyed.
You told us the crime of Mahdists on Gonder. Yet the school never taught what provoked Mahdists to do such invasion on Tigray.
The Ethiopian history textbox ignores the crime of Yohannes on musims. Muslims were told either to convert or leave the country. this is the worst crime every done in the history of Ethiopia.
Tell us if the crime of christians on wollo muslims is reported in ethiopian school.
Selam to all…Im so happy that Ethio Muslims had a meeting with CDU leaders in Wahsington DC..because it gives many important lessons for the leaders and their members in Ethiopia and abroad…some of them are..
1-Most of the CUD leaders 99.9% are Christians which is unfair to lead a country which has more than 40 millions Muslims population..by default these leaders may not have enough knowlege to keep the group right which have been neglected for centries..and this meeting will give a wakeup lesson before other parties take care and get the future vote…
2- It clears many rumors that run thruogh the minds of muslims for years during election campaign about hate of the increase of the signs of Muslims identity like Hijab and Loud Speakers that we call for Prayer five times a day in all Mosque by Birtukan and Dr. Berhanu.
3-It shows them how to penetrate the Muslim community to impower in CUD, which is to show colorfull party unlike Woyanee fake resprenstative…and It encourage them to reach the muslim community in different parts of the country …etc..Generally it is a positive gesture to understand the group interest through the glass of equality in the New Ethiopia….and finally Let Allah bless this meeting and ppl all..Ameen Ya Rabilalemin…Peace.
To #1 responder
Don’t forget that EPRDF is basically a born again communist organization and not much concerned about individual rights. Whereas Kinijit strongly believes on individual rights as the solution of our thrist for democrasy.
This is specially for the comment of Asta B, Gettu. Dear Brother Asta that was the problem of the history of Ethiopia. That kind of thougt was one kind of distructive nature of Ethiopian history writers. For instace the person who told you the sacrification of Youhannes in Mettema and the burning of churchs in Gonder by Mehdist movement did not thought you the reason of the war. To tell you the reason of the war was the following. When Mehdist movement of Sudan was fighting for independece from British colonization (it is like Tikur anbessa movement of Ethiopia), in one instante the mehdist movemetn was on the attack surrounding some batalion of British solders, And there was no means for British soldres to come out from Mahdist movement except asking Youhannes to allow the British solders to come through Ethiopia and escape though Massawa port. Here is the Point Youhannes supports the British instead of his neighbour who is fighting for freedom. Then our neighbours were upset and starts to pass Ethiopian boarder comes up to Gonder burning the churchs and so on. In the other way when Ethiopian Kings fought each other for supremacy they burnt a lot of things including churchs and mosque. But the same thing when a man came from muslim part of Ethiopia like Ahmed gragn (Imam Ahmed),came and did the same thing the writers put it as invation and tries to picture differently. Look here,it is the big history fault of Ethiopia. In history you can see Ethipian Muslims as a second citizin until recently this makes Ethiopian Muslims to think of Ethipia secondly after their religion. But If we all agree in mistakes of the past and reach concensus of the mistake made against the muslims by the x- imprers of Ethiopia, belive me Ehiopin muslims feel better nationality like the Christian Ethiopins. But If we still persue of the fault of history as pride we are pushing the country to some worest crise even worest than the privious. However, If Muslims of Ethiopian has been treat well and try to compromise the history fault,Ethiopian Mulims will be the major part to defend their country like they paid a lot of blood sacrification of the massacare during Weyane killing of the streets of Addis. But If we still are not ready to accept the fact and regret for the fault of our x-atses on muslims of Ethiopia, this generation also playing its part to destroy the coutry which should not be.
Asta Gettu,Ethiopia is a country that has a very rich and long history.Islam has been in Ethiopia from the very beginning and the ppl are almost half muslim.My question to you is how many Muslim leaders and kings did Ethiopia ever had?The reason Ethiopia remains a free-loading and backward state is because of injustice and marginalization of its Muslims.You do not need to go back to Yohannes times,just take a look what his grandson Meles is doing in Fiq,Dhagahbur,Kabridaharre,Whardher and other cities in Ogaden today.You and Ethiopia need to turn the page and realise that Islam and Muslims are here to stay.
Ehuye – friend – Mehal Sefariw:
Yes, we should not harbor resentments against those who, in the past, mistreated our Ethiopian Muslim brothers and sisters; rather we should look forward to uniting our country.
However, Emperor Yohannes, in his own right, had the authority to allow the trapped British Christian army to pass to safety through his territory, and because of such good will from the Emperor the Mahdi army should not have burned the city of Gondar and the Christian Churches. For example, when a group of Muslims from Arabia took refuge in the Aksumite Kingdom, the Arabian authorities never marched to Ethiopia to destroy Aksum and take the Muslim refugees with them back to Arabia. By the way, those Muslims who escaped persecution from the Arabian kingdom were well received and treated by the Aksumite Kingdom of the Ethiopian Christians. They were allowed to freely exercise their religion as they wanted to. In fact, it was this benevolence by the Ethiopian Christian Kingdom that impressed Muhammad, the Muslim prophet, to command his adherents never to attack the Ethiopian Christian Kingdom, even though some pugnacious Muslims such as Ahmed Gragn, breaking the Prophet’s command, attempted from time to time to destroy the Ethiopian Christian Kingdom.
It is true there was an internal conflict between the Gojam, Shewa, and Tigrie Emperors or princes, and it was this kind of weakness that drove Ahmed Gragn to torment the Ethiopian Christians for almost five years. I hope such weaknesses should not lead the present Ethiopian Muslims to assume power for the sake of destroying the Ethiopian Christians. For instance, two years ago in northern Ethiopia, it was reported by VOMC, that “a bus was stopped by Islamic militants who demanded that all Christians recite the Islamic creed. When one man refused, he was assassinated.”
Through out Ethiopian history, Ethiopian Muslims have enjoyed great prosperity under the Ethiopian Christian Kingdom: their number has increased, their religion has widely spread through out the Ethiopian regions, their wealth has doubled, and their children have achieved the highest education. Most of their achievements could be attributed to the tolerant behaviors of the Ethiopian Christians toward the Ethiopian Muslims.
Having said this, there had been mistakes committed by some of the Ethiopian kings who tried to force the Ethiopian Muslims to become Christians. For example, when Emperor Zera Yaqob implemented forced conversion of Ethiopian Muslims, the Ethiopian educated priests denounced his actions, and indeed Emperor Yohannes did follow Yaqob’s footsteps to convert the Wollo Muslims to Christianity by force. Other than this, I can say Ethiopian Muslims are allowed to this day to practice their religion, to travel and trade, to plant and harvest.
Indeed, there are some Ethiopian Christians who regard Ethiopian Muslims as second citizens and do not even want to eat any meat slaughtered by a Muslim, and if an Ethiopian Christian person is seen without wearing mateb or kir around his/her neck, he/she is considered a Muslim – to be dubbed a Muslim is a stigma in some of the Ethiopian Christian societies. All these, however, petty differences between the Ethiopian Christians and the Ethiopian Muslims will soon become evanescent through modern education, and it is my hope that all of us should work together for the betterment of our country regardless of our religious and ethnical differences.
Dear solid (on No. 11),
You and very few your kind people are misinformed and are also trying to misinform others….. What you wrote above seems that you had no any idea about CUD or you are deliberately misinterpreting CUD (may be you have hidden agenda- who knows)…. Let me tell you the fact… CUD has never ever been affiliated to Amhara Ethnic groups at all throuout its history.. since it s very establishment time… This allegation has been used by TPLF Cadres only to spoil the figure of this legitimate and democratic party….. For your information, even, most of the leaders or prominent figures in the party are non-Amhara:
Dr. Birhanu Nega, Birtukan Midekssa, Hailu Araya, Bedru Adem,and many others…. And for your information again, the number of just ordinary members from the Southern nations and nationalities is by far bigger than the sum total of the number of members from three most populous nations (Oromiya, Amhara, Tigray)…… so, my advise for you is just learn the facts before giving misguided remarks about something!
Equality to all NAtions and Nationalities
Dears Mehal sefariw & Assta B. Gettu,
Let me remind both of you for one thing which we all know.. all those emperors or rulers of Ethiopia who claimed they represent the Christian community did all wrong to both Christians and Muslims as well.. they did not discriminate …they did all bad to all.. they destroyed Ethiopia ….. even if you think they did favor one and left aside the other, it can not justify that the one who is left aside should not take part on the struggle to bring democracy and equality…. those rulers were bunch of individuals who took the advantage for their own personal lives…… That bad background should rather make us all stand for truth and fight injustice together so that that old history shall not prevail again on Ethiopian soil……. either Muslims or Christians, nobody can tell you “Ethiopia belongs or doesn’t belong to you” becuase you all should know Ethiopia is just yours and only yours for all of you…. Who dares to tell you that your eyes or ears are not of yours? If someone dares, then you should fight him away with all your courage and determination!
Equality to all Nations!
Almost every country in this world has bad or good rulers, and Ethiopia is not an exception.
I can hardly accept, as my friend Mr. Debebe Regassa believes, that all those Ethiopian kings who represented the Christian community did all wrong and that they destroyed Ethiopia.
First of all, the Ethiopian kings represented not only the Ethiopian Christians but also all the Ethiopian Jews, the Ethiopian Muslims, the Ethiopian animists, and all the other Ethiopians of different beliefs, customs and cultures.
Second, the Ethiopian kings built Ethiopia, defended it from foreign invaders, and expanded its territories starting from Yeha in the north to Gambela in the south. Those Emperors of Ethiopia such as Tewodros II and Menelik II, for example, perfected the unification of all the Ethiopian territories from all directions. Achievements of this kind per se have never been easy tasks where Ethiopia in those days lacked modern transportation and communication systems.
Third, when Ahmad Gragn destroyed Ethiopia, King Fasilades with the help of Portugal freed Ethiopia from the terror of Ahmad Gragn; again when Italians invaded Ethiopia, King Menelik II defeated them at Adwa and sent them back humiliated. Yet for the second time the Italians, this time with sophisticated weapons and poison gas, invaded Ethiopia; however, Emperor Haile Selassie tried his best to defend his country. Thus, we should not blindly conclude that all the Ethiopian Emperors destroyed Ethiopia; rather, we should give them credits for the many good things they had done for their country. So if we believe that Ethiopia belongs to us and we belong to Ethiopia, then we should always remember its past history, bad or good, convenient or inconvenient, for we are part of its past glorious history.
Fourth, who do you think that built the obelisks at Axum, the 11 remarkable rock-hewn monolithic churches of Lalibela, the Gondar Castles, the bath of Fasilades, and many other Ethiopia’s historical places where every year hundreds of tourists visit such wonders of the world and pour their money into the Ethiopia’s government’s coffer? It was the Ethiopian Emperors, who you said destroyed Ethiopia, who built those magnificent buildings where you and I are proud of to this day.
Fifth, no one likes a barren land, and a country without a history is like a barren land; yes, the history of Ethiopia to some Ethiopians can be disturbing while to others entertaining and inspiring. Whether Ethiopia has good or bad history, it is still our history, and we should keep both the bad and the good in our memories and teach them to our children. For example, the Germans, the Italians, and the Russians always remember what Adolf Hitler, Bonito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin did to them respectively and teach the histories of these ruthless dictators to their children. In the same way we Ethiopians should remember what Gudit – the non- Christian Queen of Ethiopian, Ahmad Gragn, and Liji Iyasu, the grand son of Menelik II, did to Ethiopia. It is our history.
Last, what history, among other things, teaches us is that we could learn that there have been good and bad rulers in Ethiopia, and it is up to us to identify the bad from the good and the good from the bad and teach our children both.
Dear Assta B. Gettu says,
I have only one thing to say to you just because the black in America slaved for 400 years by white does that give them the right to above white or do harm to white in year 2000….
Who ever did wrong 100 years go should be left for history and our people should march on with new constitution based on equality.
You can tell us any thing but 50% of Ethiopian are Muslim that means they control 50% of power by voting for whom ever they want… the old day is over where you can cheat some of the people and rule for 100 years.
To rest of you guys!
I don’t still buy the cud argument about respecting an individual right over group right. One of respondent give me an example say Mr. X live here or Mr. Y live here… I don’t want this kind of argument… I want fact not what happened 15 years a go or ten years ago… I want fact in the ground right NOW! Yesterday is Yesterday I know many oromo people misunderstood the implantation of group right and did many thing to other ethnic groups… even they refused an investment based on ethic back ground
I can understand the oromo point of view they were “colonized” for 100 years by Amhara based on that fact if they are sustentation of any Amhara ethnic I could understand… When the groups right started.
Today is another story oromia region and other region fighting over investor to attract to their own region… Amhirc language thought in oromia region just like one subject but the medium of instruction is oromia for the last 15 years.
If groups of or an individual who want to work or live in oromia region then they should and must speak the local language… Now tell me where is an individual right is disrespected by saying if you are in oromia you have to use oromia as medium of instruction…
To those who try to respond to me you should you use one example like Language, religion, or other example to Clearfield the cud stand otherwise if you to tell story what the oromia did to those Amhara will not work because it is wrong to do harm to any one..
Yes, an Amhara living in oromia region must be respected his right to work and live in oromia region…. If any oromo people refused to respect this one individual right then the groups right is not to blame the people who did the wrong to be blame…
As far as I am a group right and an individual right is two side of human right coin… you can’t have one without the other.
Some one trying to tell me an groups right come before an individual right therefore individual suffer because of it. If one Amhara murder someone and a groups of oromia go around and kill any amhara they find then this is wrong… but that doesn’t mean the sprit of their groups right permit or allowed them to do this crime…
Group right doesn’t give a free pass on individual human right… Group right doesn’t mean it is okay to kill individual to save the group interest… That is wrong…
What is group right say is a collective of individual right become a group right if they wish …. Example:- a groups of individual in this case 40 million individual oromo prefer to use their own language over Amhric Now tell me where is right destroying an individual right….
As you know it if very hard to fight for your right independently that is why you from CUD… CUD HAVE individual right and a group right. As a group is easy to fight the power and demand you right… Inside Cud we have individual and individual right….as group of people then cud have a group right… that doesn’t means cud have the right to kick out any TPLF from living in Addis Ababa just because they are the majority… if they do cud is wrong not the group right.
I remember in Derg time there were one word that divided the whole youth movement.
Derg used “Woza Adar” to mean working class
While EPRP used “Lab Adar” to mean the same thing… those to word cost a live of thousand youth…
Today we have the same word that is wasteful and cost us a lot in economy filed and political field.
EPRP OR CUD want us to respects an individual right and forget about group right.
While TPLF want us to respect both group right and individual right
Or as some of you saying TPLF want use to respect a group right and forget individual right.
My point is who care what come first or what come second all we want is respect human right… the question should be does groups right bring any human right to those region we want human right respect then who care if we call it individual right or groups right as long as we get want we want in the end.