By Yilma Bekele
Two important meetings were held a week ago. One was in Addis Abeba and the other in Washington DC. Both were concerning our motherland and the future. That is where the similarities end. One was intended to continue the path of destruction chartered by the current regime while the other was trying to build on what has been achieved throughout millennia and proven to work beyond expectations. The DC conference was an affirmation of the wise and keen insight of our forefathers that laid the foundation for the place we call home.
Christianity and Islam are the two most related faiths that trace their origin in our own neighborhood. Ethiopia is one place where the two have converged in a peculiar manner and have managed to lead a mutually assured loving existence. The bond between the two is so deep no mortal man can break that and live to tell about it. A few have tried to no avail. As evil goes the meeting in Addis was another attempt to create a wedge between the two faiths and their followers. It was vintage TPLF brainchild or brain fart.
Why our country has succeed in this endeavor while most of mankind is still trying to figure out how to come to terms with religion and State issue is a wonderful subject for our historians. I am by no means a historian but I will attempt to share the little I know from my sketchy reading of our glorious past.
Exact date for the emergence of Christianity in Ethiopia is not yet settled. The earliest and reference to the introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia is in the New Testament (Acts 8:26:38) when Philip the Evangelist converted an Ethiopian court official in the 1st Century AD. Credit is given to Saint Frumentius as the first to bringing Christianity to the Axumite Kingdom. Frumentius a Syro-Phoenician Greek from Tyre along with his brother Edesius accompanied by their uncle Meropius were shipwrecked on the Red Seacoast around the year 316 AD. The two boys were taken as slaves to the King of Aksum. Upon the king’s death they were set free but at the request of the queen they stayed to help in the education the young heir Ezana. When Ezana came of age the two brothers returned to Tyre but Frumentius was able to convince the Patriarch of Alexandra, Athanasius to send a Bishop to Ethiopia. In the year 328 Frumentius was sent back as the first Bishop. He succeeded in baptizing King Ezana initiating the spread of Christianity. The Ethiopians refer to Frumentius as Kesete Birhan (Revealer of the Light) and Abbba Selama (Father of Peace) and he is the our first Abune.
Islam came to Ethiopia around 615AD. The first Muslims were immigrants from Mecca due to persecution by the ruling Quraysh tribe. The prophet Mohamed (peace and blessings be upon him) felt Ethiopia to be a safe haven for his relatives and companions. Moslem historians refer to it as the first Higra or migration and the Christian Emperor as Ashama ibn Abjar. The prophet instructed his followers to ‘respect and protect Ethiopia and as well as live in peace with Ethiopian Christians. Today Harar, Ethiopia is considered the fourth holy city of Islam with 82 Mosques three of which date from the 10th. Century.
The conference held in Washington DC by The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Exile was an affirmation of this historical bond between the two religions and people. It was a proud moment building on the strong and unshakeable foundation laid centuries back that still endures despite the attempt by a few to break what God and Allah has willed.
On the other hand the meeting held in Addis was a flagrant attempt to saw dissent and weaken the bond between religion and people. It was an embarrassing moment and a shameful act that has brought shame and sorrow to country and people. It was the reflection of Kilil brought to the realm of religion. It was another ill hatched plan by Meles and company to bully our ancient land and a feeble attempt to divide and conquer. That it fell on deaf ears is no surprise. As I said our house is not built on sand but on sold granite that no amount of man made idiot trick will cause any harm. I would venture to say it ends up making it stronger and mightier burning the usperes to recoil with shame and horror.
Our Abun’s in Washington DC were celebrated for their forceful solidarity with our Moslem brothers and sisters while the usurper in Addis was shouted down by our Abun’s that steadfastly stood their ground despite the threat of violence including death. Our deep appreciation to the Abun’s strength in withstanding such ugly behavior by the usurper Paulo’s and his henchmen fills our heart with pride and reminds us of our beloved father Abune Petros and his unyielding faith in country and people in front of the Fascist firing squad.
The leader of the Italian Invasion of our land Gen. Rodolfo Graziani proclaimed “The Duce (Mussolini) will have Ethiopia, with or without Ethiopians.” Abune Petros replied, “The cry of my countrymen who died due to your nerve-gas and terror machinery will never allow my conscious to accept your ultimatum. How can I see my God if I give a blind eye to such a crime?’ That is the footsteps our current Abune are following. We thank them for making us proud both in Addis and Washington DC. We praise them for their leadership and their timely message to stir that strong feeling of what it means to be an Ethiopian both as a Christian and a Moslem. No one can break apart that God and Allah has joined together.
As he has done with an appointment of a cadre Patriarch the Meles regime is busy sawing dissent and animosity in the Moslem community. There is no trick left unturned. Churches have been burnt to put the blame on our Moslem citizens and Moslems have been accused of being terrorists, wahabists etc. As he has put Cadre Paulos in power today the regime is protecting the illegal Moslem leader and placing his internal security around him.
All politics is local. It is with this in mind Ethiopians in the Bay Area are traveling to Los Angles to attend a World Wide demonstration the weekend of June 4th. against the regime’s interference in religion in general and the attempt to destroy our ancient heritage, Waldeba Monastery in Northern Ethiopia. Those interested in attending this event can email Waldeba Monastery [email protected].
15 thoughts on “Religion and Ethiopia”
Free Eskinder Nega, Andualem Araghie, Bekele Gerba and the hundreds of political prisoners who the Woyane fascist junta has accused of as terrorists.
“Christianity and Islam are the two most related faiths” did you say? I say not at all! The two most related faiths are Christianity and Judaism! Islam, if I may say so, is a spin of from Judaism/Judaic Christianity.
Why you said God and Allah?I do not understand? are you trying to say God and Allah are different? Please people be honest. If Allah is God, call him one name is enough. If not, do not feed us lies.
Islam and Christianity never lived in Ethiopia in complete harmony. Gragn burnt the entire Ethiopian churches into ashes, he burnt our history and literature and priest survived hiding in caves or got killed. You are a lier you tell us both coexisted in peace all the time?. Lie, lie, lie, and lie. Why you do not write all the history, all the conflicts too? why only lies? You are trying to score on TPLF? TPLF never existed when Gragn set Ethiopia on fire. Look, TPLF is an Aethiest, it does not care about Islam and christianity. But TPLF is purging the Wahabits now for its own existence. It has nothing to do with christian and muslim. You hypocrats. Neither the muslim nor the christians love liers. True Christians, truth muslims never like or teach hypocracy. But people who never practice what they preach do make hypocracy.
I detest TPLF,but I detest those who jump even to support Wahabits because they want to use it against TPLF? This will never help Ethiopia at any rate. Hating or opposing TPLF is one thing, but advocating for Wahabism that does not accommodate other form of human being except Muslim only is a crime in real. It is like working with devil to replace another devil. You are a devil. Wahabism believes in putting any non -muslim human being into the sworld and you telling us Ethiopian muslims accept Wahabism. For you the cutting of Ethiopians Christians in Jimma last year was good? shame on you. you are shameful and disgraceful. Why the muslims did not protest when 40 Ethiopian churches were burnt to ashes 8 months or so ago? why they kept quiet? why are they protesting now? We love our muslims with no hide and seek. I love Ethiopians muslims as Ethiopians with no bounds. I advocate for them to practice thier religion in peaceful manner according to the counry and their norms. I will never never go out in public to advocate for the spreading of Wahabism. Wahabism is not a joke. Leava alone for Ethiopian christian, it will not even benefit Ethiopian muslims themselves. If it did, Somalians would have benefitted so much from it. People like you are liers must be condemned. I condemn you as a lier. Please oppose TPLF, but oppose for reason only. Do not oppose for everything. You will not win that way.
Mr.Gezzea,
what our spiritual leader have told us is to support our Muslim brother who are struggling against this TPLF who are trying to divide the muslims as they have don to the Orthodox when thy took power in 1991. and instigating problem between Christians and Moslem’s.so Ethiopians are both Christian and Muslim people and we don’t have religion problem.but we both have a woyanne problem.and we will solve our problem together as Ethiopian period..
so Mr.Gezzae i trust the true Ethiopian TEWAHEDO religion leader before i trust you,or your kind.
Gezaee H. replies:
May 18th, 2012 at 5:54 PM
I only trust God. I trust neither muslims nor christians. The creator of this world created all human being on the planet. He does not discriminate his creation.
Anonymous, you do not care about Muslim to be honest. What you care is about power and hatred. No religion advocates war, hate, discrimination. Wahabism does teach discrimination against non-muslims. Whoever wrote this article is a lier who have no any faith in God except trying to bargain from currents events. Trying to get fish from the muddy water. If the orthodox christians are committed to their religion? why they get divided ? why they did not resist ? They are not believers in God. It is only name. No human can divide people who love each other and who practice what is being written the bible. No man under the sun can divided the faithful. Ethiopian orthodox are divided because their faith is fake and they do not practice it. If they were not fake? Mengistu and Meles Zenawi would not reduce Ethiopia to where it is today. The Bishop in America is fake. The bishop in Addis is fake. All of them fake. The bible does not teach any of the things they are doing.
So why is the father asking people to support Wahabism? did not he see Ethiopians cut their throats in South Ethiopia? The father is not teaching good to his fellowers. Loving Ethiopian muslim is a good thing, but advocating Wahabism which creating havoc across the globe is wrong. The Father in USA may think he will get to Arat kilo using events. But the Wahabists will cut his head if they get chance. He think Wahabists like the normal Ethiopians muslims? it is a joke. They will show him. He probably does not know.
Please guys, be open and oppose the what you must opppose but do not mess up everything just to magnify hatred and conflict among people because you hate TPLF. TPLF will go sooner or later, but the danger of Wahabism can lurk like dormant for now and destroy Ethiopia. There is no joke. TPLF is purging the Wahhabists because the Wahabists will not hesitate taking power from it. TPLF cares nothing else except power. Wahabism longs to control state. Tell this father in USA, He is lost and he went to sleep evils Arabs who never accommodate any faith. Did you not hear Ethiopia put in prison for praying in their house in Saudi Arabia? That is why the Father is advocating. Only a mad person can support Wahabism. As I said, Ethiopian muslims do not know the nature of Wahabism. They do not know. I also thought Islam was the best religion before I went out of Ethiopia. I never seen a muslim fighting or killing people in my life in my country. I never saw an Ethiopia muslim trespassing anyone. But Arab Wahabism is far far from the Ethiopian muslims understand. Very far very far; Wahabism does all its business underground and work day and night to make the world an islamic nation. To make all countries islamic states and to make the entire earth an islamic nation. This is the grand plan of Wahabism. An islamic nation that accommodates only muslims and the rest of the world either converted to islam or put to the sword. This is what the orthodox Father is advocating.
Anonymous replies:
May 18th, 2012 at 7:42 PM
Gezaee
who told you Ethiopian Muslim are following wuhabe? did the Ethiopian Muslim told you that or your TPLF leader? i doubt the Muslim told you that it is your Owen manufacturing to create division between Ethiopian Muslim And christian.instead you should ask your TPLF leader why are they trying to divide the muslim.
and for your news GOD speaks true his anointed people trough out the ages.
our spiritual leaders are the voice of God not just merely human as try to make them.
so Mr.Geazee you are not A Christin or a muslim? how do i know this? simple.you will know the threes by it is fruits.
so Mr.Gezaee you are not qualified to speak on this subject other than trying to insert evil.
Gezaee H replies:
May 19th, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Why did some muslims cut the heads of Ethiopian christians in Jimma ? http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/world/2011/03/24/ethiopia-s-muslims-attack-christians, read this and watch the killings and burning of 40 churches in Ethiopia by Muslims.
I am not saying all Ethiopian muslims are bad. I am saying the Wahabism is bad even for Ethiopian muslims because Wahabism does not acccommodate other faiths. This is an open secret to the entire world. Muslims deny. I am not trying to divided Ethiopian muslims and christians. They are divided by thier different religion. No need for me to do that.
Why you did not protest when they were burning 40 churches in Ethiopian recently? If it was me , and if Christians were burning Ethiopian mosques? I will oppose and condemn it. But Muslims never do that. I have seen Muslims celebrating and feasting when 3000 Americans were massacred in 9/11. Muslims never protested and condemned.
Anyway, whether you like it or not, there will never be compromise with Wahabism. It is a matter of survival. We would not allow Wahabism in our country. You can try anything you want but we protect our survival.
Dear Ato Alem here is a quote from Wiki” Christianity, Islam and Judaism are known as Abrahamic religions because of their common origin through Abraham. Muslims consider Ishmael (Ismā’īl), the first born son of Abraham, to be the “Father of the Arabs” and Abraham’s second son, Isaac (Isḥāq), is called “Father of the Hebrews”. The story of Abraham and his sons is told in the Book of Genesis and the Qur’an but with certain differences.
Muslims commonly refer to Christians and Jews as “People of the Book”, people who follow the same general teachings in relation to the worship of the One God (Tawhid) as known by Abraham.” you see it was not difficult to research, may I suggest you do that first before you comment as to my dear friend Gezzae I am used to his rant but today I seem to have touched a raw nerve, he is bent out of shape. He doesn’t seem to know Ethiopia as the rest of us do. People can have conflict every so often it does not mean they do not live together for long periods of time in peace and harmony. Both Christians and Muslims have fought for supremacy trough out history in Ethiopia and elsewhere but at the same time they have intermarried,worked and achieved together for the common good. Go to Wollo and you would appreciate that more than any place else. Christian and Muslim in the same family is not unique. Look at the Guarage people and you find both faiths coexisting peacefully. What the TPLF regime is doing is bringing this Whabism and terrorism in to the picture to curry favor from the US nothing else. And you all of a sudden becoming a defender of Ethiopianess is a little too late. What you trying to do is divide us and what I am talking about is accentuating the positive so we can concentrate on our good nature to build a better Ethiopia for our children. What you and your friend the TPLF dogs are doing is creating a crisis, turning people against each other so you can enjoy the conflict sitting in the middle. All you are saying is without our gallant TPLF defending our faith and country we would be lost funny woudn’t you say when you consider we did not have this problem before your arrival. Now your condemnation I wear it with pride in fact I urge you to follow my writing and advertise your unfamiliarity with our country and your allergy to facts and commonsense. Christian and Muslim Ethiopians have lived together in harmony will live together in harmony and there is nothing you and your bosses can do about it. My cousin Abdul agrees with me and he find your rant a little disgusting to say the least. The disappearance of TPLF will be considered a major solution to the problem so would you kindly leave since no one wants you around and I say that with love.
Ato Yilma,
You are telling me I am woyane and so and so. I have said this many times. If I am woyane, no Yilma under the sun will ever stop me from being woyane. I will not hide like you do. If I am it is my right to be. You cannot or have no power to dictate my destiny. You trying even to control my opinion? You cannot even afford to hear ideas different from you? You live in the west but you never learn anything? All who do not agree with you you end up calling their names and giving them names of all kind? You are not man enough to face men like you? people who jump into insulting people, calling people by name are the most weakest people. You are very weak Yilma. Leave alone to give hand to the Muslims, you cannot even help yourself honestly. You writing talks tons about you. You are not still grown up.
You said,” defender of Ethiopianess is a little too late.” Yilma, I hate this attitude to be honest. Why do you think you are more Ethiopian than other Ethiopian? When was the deadline to be Ethiopian? is it the day you started to hate TPLF ? Haha, I have to tell you honestly, it is people like you who created TPLF , Shabia, OLF, ONLF,… These organisation did not just come out of the blue? it is people like you who who think they are owner of Ethiopianness who created Woyane, Shabia, OLF,…? You know that. You know people were not even allowed to speak Tigrignea, Oromignea, …? do you you know that? I hope you do? it is that one which created Woyane, Shabia, OLF,… It is that ideology of yours that caused the death of 3 million people by famine in one go in north Ethiopia.
I bet Yilma, you are not a politician. I give you F. Leave alone to help muslims in particular and Ethiiopian in General, you can not even help yourself.
Agree or not, you do not have any power to do anything. you will try to discriminate people as much as you can because you believe when you do it, it is a blessing but someone does it, it is ugly? Ato Yilma if you can not take any opposing ideas how the hell are you going to be democractic?
I think Ethiopia needs better thinkers than chauvunist like you who think they are more Ethiopian than anybody else. According to you, you have taken my citizensip already? you stripped it from me all of a sudden because I wrote a different opinion. Shame on you Yilma. You must have lived in the communal society system than in the 21 century. If you do not respect your fellow Ethiopians for their opinions? what the hell Ethiopia for you?
You told me to go? what do you think I will lose? nothing, I will save my time from talking with low life people like you who never recognize other human except themselves. Let me tell you Yilma, if you are a poliitian, you have to be smart and even able to convince people to follow you. But what you are doing is not close to politics but it is the ethnic thing you say you do not like it but you find yourself swimming in it an aware of it. When you do your ethnic businss it is okay? but you accuse other people of being ethnicist? Aite Yilma, enjoy this music now. I am taking your order and leaving? is that okay? So you will establish an Ethiopia with no Tigrignea speaking? Because any one who is percieved a tigrignea speaker is out from being Ethiopian? who is then Ethiopian? Yilma? kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, that is really rustic politics by any standard. Anyway, take care Yilma Zehawey,
I have one more to say to Mr. Yilma. I think it will be easier to repair TPLF, olf, shabia,… and bring a lasting peace to the Ethiopian people including Eritrean. I am saying this by looking the trend, you and your likes will never bring a change that can bring lasting peace to all the people. Reason: simply,you do not have what it takes to be an ideological freedom fighter. The only thing you have? you can write english and some Ethiopians think mere writing english qualify them to be politician.
I will start now a new approach. I have to convince Woyane, Shabia to give me power because I am aslo mixed from all and I can love and accommodate all Ethiopian without having a right to strip their Ethiopian like Yilma? Way to go, to repair woyane and shabia,mixing the Ethiopian and Eritrean military as an Ethiopian national force. Then all will be happy. People like Yilma will lose the game while ranting 20 years online. It takes time to spend writing everyday online? Yilma, the cyber Gorilla fighter? kkkkkk, Guerella fighter? Yilma how long has it been sincey you started your Guerilla fighting online? was it May 20, 1991? kkkkkkk, the same day? Yekatit 11 is TPLF birth date? May 20 is TPLF victory day? your birth day will be May 20th 1991? What you are looking now is to change May 20 1991 TPLF victory to Yilma’s party birthday? I am saying this your susbtance is the same or worse than the TPLF agenda because you bash those whom you perceive they are not your ethnic? racist, ethnicist, tribalist? you need to learn from where you live? do not open your big mouth and spurn people because of you think you are the only Ethiopian. Down to all Barbarians and backwards who have no the ideology of respect for others except for thier own greed by any means. Ethiopians needs better people than those hate mongers and who yield nothing than negative and velifying people. They think they are right always and they do not even the gut to listen to other opinion. All they want to hear is only thier voice to be played back and forth. People never allowed to think at all. We need Mandela types, not despots who think they are the only people who know everything and the rest has to follow them without saying anything? Good luck Yilma, I would have loved to see your head cut by the Wahabists whom your are applauding?
Anonymous replies:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:16 PM
Gezaee
I think we told you last time you need help. get your medication. you are not mentally stable.
you need to commit your self to mental institution.
you told us last time you will never com back to this web-page.what happened? did you run out of mediation.?
Gezaee H replies:
May 19th, 2012 at 10:57 AM
Anonymous,
Yea, I am unstable because of Dr. Anonymous clinical diagnosis. All Ethiopian who do not accept your blind hatred are unstable? The stables are those who go in to G8 meeting as Journalists and end up crazy and yelling on the G8? that is called Journalism? kkkkk We will clean Ethiopia from Chauvunists and bandas because of none of them are good. The Chauvnists will not even allow to speak our language. All they want is power and to rule people according to their whims? Things has changed now. Even if Woyane disappears today, those thinks will never be allowed to come back again. you are a loser. Hiding behind PC as anonymous and calling names.
Anonymous, I think I pissing off too much? You know I come here with good intention thinking I can forge a new relationship but I am finding here the people who used to laugh at me for speaking my langauge? There are many of of them here and you are one of them. Anonymous, I was not allowed to speak my langauge. I used be accused of wearing new shoes? This is the same what you are doing? You do not have the gut to hear other opinion.
Since you wanted me to leave from here. I am leaving because time is precious and time has value. It is not worth coming to come here honestly.
I will never come. I will respect this forever. Not only here, I will never go to any Ethiopian website starting from this minute because I can use effectively my time to make a fortune. I stay away from the worthless, low life, primitive, backward, Ethiopians. I do not need this rustic and primitive people. I do not have even freinds because they are all rustic and primitive and corrupted generation.
Bye. I hope I will not see you chauvunists.
Anonymous replies:
May 19th, 2012 at 6:53 PM
Gezzee
well good luck and wish you everlasting happiness.
Mr. Yilma Bekele,
I have read your article “Religion and Ethiopia,” and I have also gone through Gezzae’s comment about your article.
First, about your article: The topic “Religion and Ethiopia” is too broad; you should have narrowed it to “Christianity and Ethiopia” or “Christianity in Ethiopia.”
By reading your article thoroughly, I can see you are trying to bring together the two diametrically opposed religions: Christianity and Islam. It is possible to bring together Catholicism, Protestantism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the many other Christian denominations because all of these Christians have one thing in common: they all believe in Jesus Christ as one of the three godheads – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost – One God, not three. Some Church Fathers are still working to unite all the Christian Churches, but it is not easy to curve the doctrinal differences each of the Christian Churches have had since the division of the Church in 1054 AD. To avoid such a catastrophic division, the Christian Church had held many ecumenical types of councils such as the councils at Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (451) respectably. Still the Church is working toward the unification of all Churches, but it is hard, if not impossible because of greed for power; for example, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church wants to be the supreme pope of the whole Christian world, and, in the same way, the Greek or the Russian Orthodox Church wants to be the supreme pope of all the Christian Churches.
For the same reason (greed for power), the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has two patriarchs, one at home and the other in exile. If one of the two patriarchs humbles himself and gives the power to the other person to avoid division in the Church, we could have one Church instead of two.
Therefore, your assertion, “Christianity and Islam are the two most related faiths…” is far from the reality, and it is a big disservice to the Christianity in Ethiopia whose adherents fought the invading Muslim powers and protected Christianity in Ethiopia from extinction until this day.
There have never been any alliances or bonds between the Ethiopian Christians and the Muslims in Ethiopia as you have boldly asseverated: “The bond between the two is so deep no mortal man can break that and live to tell about it.”
If you believe there were a bond between the Ethiopian Christians and the Muslims in Ethiopia, I will tell you that bond was broken when the Ethiopian Muslims joined the Jihadist Gragn Muhammad and attacked the Ethiopian Christians. That bond was broken when the Muslims in Ethiopia invited the Muslim Turkish mercenary soldiers to help them destroy the Ethiopian holy Churches. That bond was broken when the Muslims in Ethiopia, angered by the decisions of the council at Boru Meda in 1878 that demanded Muslims to be baptized so that they could have a government job, betrayed Ate Yohannes secretly and let him die in the hands of the Muslim Mahdists. That bond was broken when the Wollo Muslims attacked the retreating Ethiopian Christian soldiers during the Italian war when the Italian fascists rained poison gas on the Ethiopian Christian army, and that bond was broken when some of the Muslims in Ethiopian burned Christian Churches in the Oromia region just few months ago.
Your assumption the Ethiopian Christians and the Muslims in Ethiopia have lived together in good terms while it is difficult to do so in other countries is a very dubious statement. The Muslims in Ethiopia may have lived in Ethiopia as amicable people because they know they have been the minorities, but, since their number is now quadrupling, they are asking many questions such as why they are not allowed to burry their dead in the holy city of Axum, why they are not allowed to use their Sharia low in the Christian land of Ethiopia, and why the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church bishops are paid by the government but not the Muslim imams and mullahs. In this case, Ethiopia never has had a glorious past because of the 30 million Muslims in Ethiopia who have never appreciated the generosities of the Ethiopian Christians toward the multitude of Muslims in Ethiopia.
Don’t forget Jesus’ words: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). In this case, standing ovation is due to the Ethiopian Queen’s
ጃንደረባ for bringing Christianity to Ethiopia for the first time, not to ፍሬ ሚናጦስ who came to the Christian land of Ethiopia to do a missionary work, but his missionary work was not the first hand, the original, or the pristine.
It seems you are blown away by some Arab-Muslim writers who distort the true history of the Ethiopian Christians. As Ato Tekle Thadik Mekuria, in his Nubia-Axum-Zagwai book, page 375, states that the Ethiopian Christian king who gave protection to the new Muslim guests from Mecca was Armah, not Ashama ibn, and there are no Islamic holy cities in the Christian land of Ethiopia; yes, there are many Christian holy Churches in several Ethiopia’s regions.
In your response to Ato Alem, you stated without understanding the true nature and origin of Islam: “…Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are known as Abrahamic religions….” It is not so true! Islam has no relation either with Christianity or with Judaism. Judaism and Christianity are the two major religions, and as such they are Abrahamic origins. They have the same God, the same patriarchs, and the same prophets. The God of Israel is the God of the Christians. Jerusalem is the Holy land for both the Jews and the Christians.
Islam is not a religion; it is a political system like Communism, Nazism, and Fascism. Islam emphasizes “deen,” subjugation to Muhammad and to his Allah. Islam, as a political system, urges his followers to wage war with Christians and Jews and finally dominate the entire world. Islam rejects Christians, Jews, and many other non-Muslims because they don’t believe in Muslims’ Allah: “We reject you. Hostility and hate have come between us forever, unless you believe in Allah only” (Quran 60:4).
Islam, as a political ideology, commands its followers to deceive and to tell a lie: “Muhammad bin Maslamah said, ‘O Messenger, we shall have to tell lies.’ ‘Say what you like,’ Muhammad replied. ‘You are absolved, free to say whatever you must’” (Ishaq: 365; Tabari VII: 94). Islam doesn’t allow Muslims to be friends to Christians and to Jews (Quran 60:1).
Mr. Bekele, when Muslims refer to the Christians and to the Jews as ‘People of the Book,’ they are not saying the Christians and the Jews worship the same God as the Muslims do, or the Christians and the Jews have the same doctrine as the Muslims. What they are saying is that the Christians and the Jews have the Book but they don’t follow what the Book says, and they have distorted it. In fact, it is the Muslims who distorted the Torah and the New Testament by plagiarizing the Old and the New Testaments without giving any credit to any one of them. For example, the Muslims believe Deuteronomy 18:15 is about Muhammad the prophet, and this is one of their distortions of the Old Testament. Again they assert that John the Baptist in the New Testament is Muhammad the prophet; therefore, it is the Muslim scholars who have distorted the Holy Scriptures, not the Christians and the Jews.
It has been the culture or the doctrine or the political system of Islam to annihilate the Jews and the Christians from this earth as Muhammad the prophet of Islam had said long time age: “I will expel the Jews and the Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim” (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4366). It is true, today, no Christian is allowed to build a Church in Saudi Arabia or to worship the Christian God openly.
Gezaee H. has asked you a valid question why you mix up God with Allah or Allah with God. Why don’t you simply say there are two gods: one Christian and the other Islamic? Of course, there is only one God, and that God is Jesus Christ.
Your intention, I believe, is to bring harmony between the indigenous Ethiopian Christians and the Muslims in Ethiopia, but you cannot create harmony for the sake of peace by giving up one’s own faith and mixing it with something else that has no relations at all. There is no relation between Christianity and Islam; therefore, you cannot say “God and Allah.” On this particular issue, Gezaee H. is absolutely right: “Islam and Christianity never lived in Ethiopia in complete harmony”. If there is any harmony between the two, it is a temporary one; it is a deceiving one: it is until the Muslims in Ethiopia become the majority, and that reality is not far away. And when that reality materializes, we Ethiopian Christians will have the fate of the Egyptian Coptic minority Christians. No doubt about it!!
The California’s June 4th protest is going to be held at LITTLE ETHIOPIA LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA. Come one come all!!